Chapter 185: Dirty Delusion.
Chapter 185: Dirty Delusion.
Thorne’s POV
“Time was indeed good to you, dear friend”. Rhyder growls as he trudges closer to me. His features the exact same way they have always been.
“Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about you.” I bite back. And what the fuck is everyone’s deal with calling me ‘friend’.
“Yea well… it has been tough trying to stay away from trouble. Especially.., at my age”
I almost laugh, but I am not really in the mood to humor him. “The trouble you created.”
“I will have you know, that ultimately all that I did… including what happened to the Grand Black..”. I shut my eyes, holding myself back from pouncing unto him and snapping his neck. “… it was all for the greater good. Even if no one else sees it.”
I marvel at his level of delusion.
“I’m sure your good works would be greatly remembered after your death.” I tell him pointedly.
“Oh of course. However I may still have time to do more good works, since I am not dying anytime soon.” He snarls, a side of his mouth coming up.
Around us, the fight was in full swing and although I had no idea whether we were winning or not, I knew that as soon as I was done with him, that would be the end of the brawl.
“You have hidden for too long, Rhyder. There is no way you are coming out of this alive.” I tell him, no trace of doubt in my voice.
He cocks his head. “Let us see about that then shall we?”
From the way he speaks, it is obvious that he has a few tricks up his sleeves. But so do I and all that mattered to me in this moment is to see him bleeding to death beneath me.
Rhyder is the first to attack, his speed a little sloppy due to age, although he is strong. His body clashes with mine in a brute force that sends me stumbling backwards, although I am quick enough to hold myself up. Next is the swipe of his claws, against my stomach. He is relentless, quick and violent in his attacks, but that simply teaches me how to take him down later on.
I am quick to move backwards to avoid his claws piercing through my stomach. This time, I am the one who clashes into him. So violently that he falls to the ground, but I am only able to rake my claws through his hamstring before he manages to push me off, his limbs colliding with my body in violent hits.
Rhyder charges at me again, driving his shoulder straight into my ribs. I groan, stumbling back and from the pain spreading through me, I must have broken some. But it doesn’t deter me, because the next time he strikes, I use the momentum to drive my claws into his stomach and pull down like a line. He cries out as blood gushes out, but he stumbles back before I could drive them deeper.
His own blood trails behind him as he walks, the third entity following us as we circle each other. He lets out a strangled groan, looking down at the injury I have just inflicted upon him. A smile curls on his lips.
“I knew better than to underestimate you, boy. You really are your father’s son.” He starts, then suddenly, the smile vanishes from his face as he says, “And that is why you need to die too”
I do not get enough time to process his words because he is suddenly leaping up and towards me, his teeth bared and claws out. I don’t move fast enough, and end up having his teeth clamp down on my shoulder. I try pushing him off of me, but it doesn’t work. He has me in a position where my claws are unable to reach him, and so with all the force I can muster, I lower myself unto my belly and push up, sending him flying over my shoulder and landing unto the grass with a thud.
I shake off the pain from my shoulder before making my way over to him. He is groaning weakly on the ground, and struggling to get on his feet. I stand a few feet away and wait patiently till he does.
“Your father didn’t understand”. He growls out, his voice strained as his body balances on one foot. “He never did, despite the amount of times I tried to explain it to him. He was independent. Too independent for his own good. And too rigid.”
I stare at him patiently, waiting for him to get to the reason for his flimsy words.
“I told him. And Gealic. The Council had offered us a level of immunity that the Fang Assembly could never attain!” He roars, his eyes wild with rage and as he stares at me, it feels shallow. As though he isn’t seeing me but right through me. At a distant memory that had been locked up for years. “But they wanted to be good. Too good! Good for people who would sell them off in a heartbeat.”
“And that was why you decided to take matters into your own hands and sell them out.” I chide coolly, holding his gaze.
“I wasn’t going to let them drag me down that stupid hole they were going.” He sneers, venom dripping from his words. “If I had the chance to be much more bigger and stronger than I am at any point in time, then I am taking it no matter what. They didn’t want it, and they also didn’t want me to have it.” He breathes. “I had to fix that.”
I let the silence drag, nothing but the sounds of our heavy breathing filling the air. He is the first one to speak,
“If anything you should be grateful to me, boy”. That devious smirk is back on his face, and it has me taking steps towards him already. “If not for your father’s death, you wouldn’t turn out to be the man you are right now, would you?”
My response to him is a loud roar, followed by a violent grunt as I slam my body into his again and this time, he falls backwards with no struggle.
“Get up!” I yell when I notice he is too weak to stand. “Get up, you bastard! Get up!” I roar in his face, my nuzzle pressed against his.
With a broken groan, Rhyder starts to rise to his feet. I step back, allowing him some space. However, I don’t get to see him rise completely because I am suddenly hit from behind with a force so strong it sends me flying in the air.
A grunt leaves my chest as I fall to the ground, and from the pain spreading through my limbs, I definitely broke a few bones. Cracking my heavy eyes open by a slit, I am shocked to no longer find Rhyder in my line of vision, but instead, standing over me is none other than Garron Silvermane. He sneers down at me,
“You will get just what you deserve, boy”.