Standing there, Oren seethes with rage. He wishes he could say it was mostly directed at Elric, the duplicitous God Hunter Lieutenant who had a knife to Sophia’s throat… but no. Most of his anger and loathing was currently directed inwardly for this monumental fuck up.

  He should have killed the Lieutenant first when he had the chance, but he’d ultimately deemed the man to be little threat on his own. Elric Steelwater was a worm, the sort of worm who got to where he was through plenty of brown nosing and scheming. He was no leader, no great strategist.

  But then to be fair, Oren didn’t have much room to talk, did he? He wasn’t some spectacular tactician either. His training since being brought to this universe had mostly been focused around fighting and killing and surviving. He’d become a one man army… but in hindsight, that had left a massive gap in his education. Namely, he didn’t know how to fucking fight alongside an ally, let alone how to protect a charge from multiple enemies.

  It wasn’t like he’d forgotten about Elric or anything like that. Oren had known where every single God Hunter was by the time he’d started flicking coins out with the speed and force of bullets. He’d prioritized the archers on top of the surrounding buildings first in case someone innocent stepped out of their house and wound up taking an arrow to the chest or something.

  Then, he’d turned his attention towards those on the ground. He’d made a token attempt at killing Elric, but the Lieutenant had proven himself slightly faster on the uptake than the rest of his men and had gone for cover, so Oren had focused on easier targets. Eventually, he and Sophia had been able to move downstairs and exit the tavern so he could deal with the rest of the God Hunters.

  Even then, Oren had been cognizant of Elric’s position. He hadn’t been that worried, because he hadn’t expected the Lieutenant to have Celestial fucking Metal on him. Even still, he’d had no intention of letting the bastard close in on them. Unfortunately… when Elric had finally made his move and Oren had whipped around to finish him off, he’d found himself stymied for a second too long by the simple fact that Sophia was in the way. The sneaky bastard had used her as a meat shield of all things.

  Now here they were. The rest of the God Hunters, what felt like dozens and dozens of them, were dead. But Elric was still alive and… yeah, Oren recognized the difference in the metal as it lay against Sophia’s delicate neck.. It was shimmering and shifting in a way normal steel didn’t. Definitely had a ‘magical’ property to it. He didn’t even need to see the look of terror in Sophia’s eyes to recognize it for exactly what it was. A dagger made of Celestial Metal. A God Slaying Blade. It wasn’t the first time Oren had beheld such things. He just hadn’t known them for what they truly were back then.

  As Oren stays in place, considering his options, Elric seems to take his lack of movement as submission. The God Hunter Lieutenant grins a little bit, seeming pleased with himself as he believes himself in control of the situation.

  “Good… very good. You-!”

  “Let her go and I’ll let you leave here with your life.”

  Cutting him off, Oren watches the man’s face contort in fury as his words wash over him. Elric grits his teeth, his gloved hand tightening around the dagger’s handle. The blade digs a bit further into Sophia’s neck, causing the goddess to cry out in pain as a drop of divine blood dribbles down her pale throat.

  “Excuse me? What makes you think you can dictate terms to me?”

  Oren slowly pans his gaze left and then right, letting his eyes drift over the bodies surrounding him. He didn’t enjoy killing… but damn if he wasn’t very, very good at it. The blood of Elric’s comrades soaks the ground and Oren can tell his looking has reminded the other man of this, unnerving him further.

  “We both know you’re not a true believer in the cause. This is just a path to power for you. That’s not a bad thing… it means you still have a chance to make it out of this alive.”

  He’s lying, of course. Elric has to die. But Oren would rather not risk Sophia’s life if he doesn’t have to. Meanwhile, his latest accusations cause a twitch to develop in Elric’s eye.

  “You… where do you get off, huh? What makes you think I’m not a true believer?! I am a Lieutenant! I’ve more than proven myself to the God Hunters!”

  “She would already be dead.”

  Silence falls at Oren’s blunt words. Elric freezes up, even as Oren stares him down.

  “You have her in your grasp Elric Steelwater. You have a goddess at your mercy. And you’re not killing her… because you know that if you do, I will kill you. The moment she dies, you die as well. A true believer would have already made the call. A mortal’s life for a deity’s? It’s an easy trade. But not you. Because you want to live.”

  He can tell he’s rattling the other man something fierce. He can also see hope budding in Sophia’s eyes as he explains things. Oren is right, after all. If Elric were half the zealot some of his men had proven to be when they’d fruitlessly charged right into Oren’s blade, than he would have killed Sophia instantly when he had the chance and died with a smile on his face a moment later.

  Instead, Elric was holding his supposed quarry hostage to try and force Oren’s surrender. It didn’t make sense unless one factored in his sense of self-preservation.

  “You… you think you’re clever, don’t you? Heh. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I am more interested in surviving than I am in killing this stupid bitch.”

  Sophia stiffens in outrage while Oren winces. Still, it sounded like they were getting somewhere here…

  “But that’s precisely why I can’t let either of you go. Orders from on high, you see. You’re wanted alive. For questioning presumably. If I let you leave, I’m signing my own execution order anyways.”

  … Orders from on high? What? Was that how they’d been caught? Because someone else knew they were here and sent the local God Hunters after them? But how had they been found out?

  “That’s why you’re going to drop the sword and look for some shackles on the bodies around you. You’re going to put them on your wrists and ankles and we’re going to walk nice and slowly to the Mayor’s House, where I have a very comfortable, extremely lovely cage waiting for the two of you. Do as I say, and I don’t have to lop off some of this bitch’s fingers.”

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  In the end, as confused as Oren was… it didn’t really change what he had to do next, did it? Now he knew Elric would never kill Sophia. Hurt her? Maybe. But kill her? No, that wasn’t an option and not just because Oren would kill him afterwards. And that meant…

  “Did you hear me? There’s no way-urk!”

  He’s been eyeing the angles this entire time just in case Elric proved to be obstinate and unreasonable. And now… he strikes. His sword hanging loosely at his side wasn’t by happenstance. Oren has been planning his aim, looking for the best way to get what he wants.

  Spinning through the air faster than Elric’s eyes can track, Oren’s sword launches from his grasp… at the ground between them. Flipping end over end, the weapon’s pommel strikes the hardpacked, blood soaked dirt road, causing the blade to bounce upwards at an angle. Flashing past Sophia, the point of the blade slices right into Elric Steelwater’s armpit. Specifically the armpit of the arm holding a dagger to Sophia’s throat. Specifically… Oren was aiming for the radial nerve.

  As Elric chokes on his own spit from the pain, his hand spasms open and the dagger held within drops from his suddenly nerveless fingers. Oren moves forward as fast as he can, catching the dagger before it hits the ground and yanking Sophia away from Elric at the same time.

  “Y-You-!”

  But Oren doesn’t waste time listening to a dead man’s words. He pulls his sword free of Elric’s armpit… and swings once, relieving the God Hunter of his head right there on the spot. Elric Steelwater’s head bounces one way as his decapitated corpse flops another. Oren is already turning away from him though, looking to Sophia.

  “Are you okay?”

  Swallowing thickly, Sophia nods, though her eyes track down to the dagger in his hand after a moment. He can see the naked fear there, and he quickly tucks the magical blade away out of sight. However, he can tell that she wars with herself for a moment over whether to ask him to throw it away entirely… but in the end, wisdom wins out and she lets the matter rest. If they run into another Hill Giant or other aggressive type of divine being, the dagger could be invaluable after all.

  “I’m… I’m fine. T-Thank you. You saved my life… again.”

  Oren moves to shake her head, to tell her this one definitely doesn’t count because it was his own stupidity that led to her being in danger in the first place. He should have taken the possibility of there being Celestial Metal on Elric more seriously, especially when he knew the man was the highest ranking God Hunter in town.

  But before he can say a word, someone else cuts into the conversation.

  “Is it true?”

  Oren and Sophia both jolt. Admittedly, Oren had been aware of everyone watching, but he’d gotten so laser-focused on killing Elric and saving Sophia that he hadn’t realized just how much of Oakvale had begun to converge on this street. Looking around somewhat bewildered, he finds that he and the goddess are surrounded at this point, though most people are keeping their distance and look far too afraid of him to try anything.

  One of the townsfolk, the owner of the establishment where Oren and Sophia had slept the night before, stands a bit closer though. Specifically, the tavernkeeper stands at the top of the steps leading up to his establishment’s porch. He looks at them both intensely, big burly arms crossed over his chest.

  “Is it true? You two are gods?”

  Oren doesn’t like the tone. Nor does he like the looks they’re getting from the rest of the townsfolk. Unfortunately, Sophia doesn’t pick up on the same cues he does. He chalks that up to shell shock more than anything. It’s not her fault she’s not at her best after what she just went through.

  “It’s half true. I am a Minor Goddess and he is my protector. You do not have to fear any longer, the God Hunters that have plagued your town are-!”

  “I think you should both leave. Now.”

  Sophia stiffens as if slapped across the face. Oren saw it coming from a mile away though.

  “W-What?”

  “You think that will be the end of it? When the God Hunters find out what happened here, they will want answers. And even that might not be enough. You may have just killed us all with your defiance. Go. Just… go.”

  Finally, Sophia seems to understand that the general sentiment of the town they’ve just ‘freed’ from the ‘tyranny’ of the God Hunters is not actually gratitude. There will be no dancing in the streets, no celebratory feasting in their honor. They aren’t the heroes here. Instead, all they’ve done is make a rather large mess.

  And for what? Oren had killed all of these men to try and keep knowledge of them suppressed, but now not only had Elric revealed that someone higher up the food chain knew about them, but these townsfolk would also sing like canaries the moment they had to if it seemed like it would save their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

  Oren obviously wasn’t going to kill everyone here. And Sophia would never condone such an act either. Sharing a look, both of them see the same defeat in one another’s eyes before finally, Sophia nods.

  “O-Of course… we’ll go. Our sincerest apologies…”

  She begins to shift, turning to the left to take the road North, but before she can complete the motion, Oren stops her and pulls her to his side. He masks the move as a protective one, shooting a glare at the men and women around them and making them shy back at his fierce expression. But in reality, he’s turning her to the right to take the road Southward instead.

  To her credit, Sophia doesn’t question him, not when they’re surrounded by so many unfriendly eyes. Carefully, they make their way out of town, followed all the while as if the population of Oakvale thinks they’re going to double back and try to hide in one of their cellars or something. That’s not the plan though.

  Only once they’re far enough away from Oakvale does Sophia finally speak, her voice quiet but her tone urgent.

  “This isn’t the right way. Are we no longer going to my refuge?”

  Keeping his head forward but his senses on high alert, Oren grunts.

  “No, we are… but those villagers will tell whoever comes after us exactly which direction we’ve gone. We’re going to have to improvise.”

  He expects her to ask him what that means, but her experience has clearly left her shaken, because Sophia ultimately falls quiet and doesn’t say another word. Thirty minutes later though, Oren stops.

  “… This will have to do. Hop on.”

  He turns and drops to one knee, putting his hands behind him and leaning forward to offer up his back. Sophia chokes on her own spit.

  “W-What?”

  But Oren has made up his mind. If they continue as they have been, they’ll eventually be caught. They need to do something unexpected. They need to flip the script.

  “Climb onto my back. They’ll be looking for two sets of tracks. I won’t give them any.”

  Sophia hesitates for a moment longer before doing as she’s told. Carrying both her and their supplies isn’t what Oren would call easy, but only because he only has so many arms and its all a bit unwieldy. Still, with her wrapping her limbs around him from behind, Oren is able to slowly straighten up… and take a running leap off of the road and into the woods.

  When he lands, he does so with all his weight on his big toe, carving a little divot out of the boulder he’d been aiming for. Then, he leaps again. And again. And again.

  They’ll be looking for normal tracks, so Oren endeavors to be anything but normal as he flings them through the woods. There are still minute signs of their passage here and there, but he keeps it as imperceptible as possible.

  Eventually, they arrive at the Northern Road out of Oakvale. Sophia begins to squirm, expecting him to set her down… but Oren holds her in place.

  “No. Now… now I run.”

  “W-What?”

  “We need to get to your refuge sooner rather than later so that your wards can hopefully hide us from the God Hunters long enough for you to regain some divine power. So I’m going to run us the rest of the way there.”

  “That’s…”

  Ridiculous? Crazy? Insane? Oren grins a little bit as Sophia falls silent rather than disparage him so bluntly. Chuckling, he settles himself in, looking down the open road before him. Traversing the woods at any sort of speed, especially with so much protruding from him, was difficult. But the open road? That was another story.

  Oren takes off like a shot, causing Sophia to squeak and cling to him all the harder as she buries her face in his back to save herself from the wind. He, meanwhile, starts running and keeps running, sprinting down the dirt road in the direction of safety and security.

  Hopefully this refuge was everything Sophia had talked it up to be…

  A/N: RUN OREN, RUN!

  ... Anyone get that one or am I getting especially old?

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