The Hybrid Fateful Sorrow

I Hear You

A group of brigands gathered as they made their camp, with the rustling of their tents, the crackling of firewood in the center, their surrounding chatters, and boasting to one another followed with their annoying laugh. The neighing of the nearby horses racked up in the wooden post, but most of all the growling pain of the bear inside a wooden trap can be heard by all the people in the camp.

“Hey, Pike! So, you think it’s going to be worth it?” a man said.

A man wearing an apron sits on a log sharpening his knife on the stone grinder. Waiting for the rest of his group to finish setting the camp.

“I assure you, Cooper. Bear meat has the most protein! And the taste is relatively sweeter than the rest, and a bit nutty flavor,” Pike said.

“Well then thankfully we have Marko in here, otherwise we would have got killed because that bear is ferocious,” Cooper said.

“That young man has his moves, I wonder why he came with us,” Pike said.

“Like everyone else. We want to live,” Cooper said.

A man wearing a ranger outfit who was unsaddling the horse walked closer to the fireplace.

“Coop! Remind me again why we left those young meats out there?” the ranger said.

“Hey, Malroy! And ask that to Pike, I say that is a waste of meat,” Cooper said

“Like I said, we got enough meat to last us for a week, and look at that bear even with a grave wound like that. I can say in confidence I do not think bears can last this long with so much blood loss. Yet, it has never stopped growling or trying to get out. If that bear gets a sniff of its cubs. I think it could even manage to break the wooden trap, that’s more trouble than we want,” Pike said.

He gazes at the man walking towards them to relax on the fireplace, “Let us just be happy that Marko is with us, alright? Real lucky,” Pike explained.

As they talk near the fireplace another man fully armored with tough leathers from boots, leg braces, and trunks, arm braces, and gloves, but with a steel breastplate, as well as his close helmet, his appearance differs from the rest as he moves closer to sit next to the fire.

“Marko, say how old are you?” Malroy said.

“I will reach twenty-two this year,” Marko said.

“Oh damn, you know what I would mock you by using that lady horse you got there. But you are indeed skillful, and you seem brave enough. I saw how you handle that bear without hesitation,” Malroy said.

“Palfrey horse is what it's called,” Marko said.

“I know what it is, but what I don’t know is why are you here?” a more serious tone in Malroy's voice.

“I do worry that I left my father in Duleinveil, but I don’t believe in what our kingdom Grisaia are fighting for,” Marko said.

“You don’t believe that woman should not rule?” Malroy said.

“Yes, I know what everyone is saying. But if a man starts a war just for that sole reason I can say, men should not rule,” Marko said.

“Hey I think this is enough political views we need to hear. I don’t really care about it all. I just want out, and that’s the only reason I can understand. Anyways who is your father in Dulenveil?” Malroy said.

“Elijah,” Marko said.

“Oh god, you’re a god damn Longrider!?” Malroy uttered in suprised.

“He’s a Longrider?” Pike and Cooper uttered upon hearing.

“His father is Elijah Longrider The Warrior of the past, he surely damn is one!” Malroy said.

A dark presence showed up at their backs that quickly shifted their mood of light and warmth into the coldness of the abyss, the hatred that emerges from his body shatters their courage. The freezing feeling that crept to their feet prevents them from taking a step. As they slowly turn their face to look at the darkening surrounding. It speaks.

“I know a Longrider or two, not much of a warrior though,” Gray said.

Standing in a devilish form, with his gray hair, his horns, his vermilion eyes, and the dark red skin that continuously emits a hint of colorless steam covering the camp with darkness.

“And they are a f*cking big A-hole!” Gray said.

“Oh God, what are you!” Malroy said.

Several easily thirty brigands against one madly beast with the strength of a god or a devil if you look at his appearance.

The bandits that are close to Gray could not move their feet as they stood frozen, terrified at his wake while the rest who were in the distance could arm themselves to prepare to fight.

In an instance Gray warp near the bandits at the back before they could grab a weapon, one by one Gray pierced their hearts, he snaps their necks, as they encompasses the camp with their screams in fear. Gray caught one in the mouth as he spread his jaw apart and its upper lip breaking the head in two along with all five of them perishing in just a full minute.

Gray standing with a blooded body, as he look down below to the gruesome death he caused. He eventually gazes above while laughing sickeningly. There was a wicked smile in his face but the pain ran long to his heart. The pain of losing someone you care.

“Oh God! It’s a f*cking demon! This can’t be real, right!” Cooper let out.

“What the hell do you want from us?” Malroy said.

Gray ambles towards the wooden trap while he wipes the flesh and blood that spattered in his body.

“You guys are like pigs; you bleed so goddamn well!” Gray uttered.

Gray saw through the trap his best friend Boris, he gritted his teeth as soon as he saw he was bleeding. With a strong kick, the trap breaks open, letting Boris out freely.

“I’m sorry, I left you for a human, buddy,” Gray let out.

The bear Boris was gravely wounded in her guts from a lance type of weapon. She stands strong on her legs even though she is bleeding. She grows in anger, not letting any second to waste as she rushes to one of the bandits in her sight.

“Pike, what should we do!?” Malroy said.

“I don’t know, we need to escape away from here. But my feet are heavy. I feel like if I move one bit I would die, Mal,” Pike uttered.

Marko, who stands as he tries to endure Gray’s power to embed terror to their minds and body. Finally managing to overcome the fear that Gray is emitting as he takes a step forward and yells at his group.

“We have different reasons why we are all here! But we all want to live! And this man will kill all of us if we keep on fearing him. Move your feet, your arms, your muscles! let this be your last battle for the life that you wanted to live!” Marko yelled.

“Damn! I don’t want to die, help us Marko! I don’t even know the reason I will die for!” Cooper said.

In an instance, Gray showed up behind Cooper, he firmly held his forehead and jaw with both of his hand.

“You don’t know? How about you tell me who’s in here uses a pike, a spear, or a lance kind of weapong. Better yet, if you want to be in my good grace, tell me who killed the two yearling bears near the cave?” Gray said close to Cooper’s ear.

“What? Are we all dying because of those cubs?” Cooper uttered.

“Because of those cubs!” Gray let out.

Gray put pressure in his grip to Cooper’s head and jaw, reminding him the sight of the man he just ravagely tore.

While the bear Boris keeps on ravaging some of the bandits, mauling them to the ground leaving them almost dead to suffer from the clawed and bite wounds incredibly. The downed brigands stutter as they rolled to the ground, letting out an ugly grasp for air from the bite wound in their necks left by a vicious bear.

“You are all dying because I decided to. So should I decide your life now?” Gray said as he continues to put pressure on Cooper’s head and jaw.

“It’s him! He’s the one, it was Marko. He helped us capture the bear and he killed the cubs,” Cooper confessed.

“Is that so,” Gray said.

Marko stands defiant and ready as grips his fist ready to fight to the death itself.

“And, and it was Pike, who wanted to eat bear meat, it was his idea!” Cooper said.

“F*ck you, cooper!” Pike let out in the air.

“Oh damn! You've been so helpful to me Cooper. Listen, I almost don’t want you to die,” Gray said.

“Thank you! Thank you, you won’t kill me now, right?” Cooper said.

“Almost,” Gray let out a cold voice.

Gray crushes his head, as if Cooper’s head was just like a lime as he flatten it easily from his jaw to the top of his head with blood juices springing out everywhere. Leaving cooper’s headless body to fall to the ground for all of his friends to see. Gray laughs menacingly.

“Oh, I’m sorry, don’t be afraid. Although it feels like I was crushing a lime!” Gray said as he continued to laugh.

“F*cking Cooper! We are dead! We’re all going to die!” Pike said.

“Get your sh*t together, accept that you’re dying, but leave this mortal land like a man!” Marko said.

“Hey, Marko you're a Longrider right?” Gray said.

“Yeah!” Marko replied.

“Do you know Fahrer? Hoch? Rosetta? Bogen?” Gray said.

“They are all my family! How do you know about them?” Marko replied.

Gray looks down as he snickered, with his smile widening every minute, he grasps his head as he laughs uncontrollably.

“It’s because,” he stopped to laugh once more, “It’s because I killed all of them!” Gray said.

“You are goddamn evil!” Marko said as he charged towards Gray.

“Oh no, you’re not fighting me, “ Gray said.

Before Marko could get close, Gray met him in between as he gripped on Marko’s arms and twisted it forcefully, breaking it. Gray seizes Marko’s helmet removing it as he speaks.

“Properly meet your death!” Gray said.

As soon as Marko turns around the bear Boris was already in front of him. Boris plunges Marko to the ground, even with a steel breastplate she would pounce him nonstop. Then Boris biten Marko’s head snipping off his nose and some of the skin, making him look like death itself.

“God! Oh God! Please help!” Marko pleaded as he recklessly moves around trying to get away from Boris clutched.

“God? Funny, I have a desire that makes me think I am a god. But you do not want to meet him, Boris is enough for you,” Gray said.

He look to Marko as he said the word, "I hear you."

Gray turn his eye next to Pike, to the man who wanted to eat a bear. Even just from Gray’s glare, pike already let out a hint shriek. Afterward Pike was release from the invisible fear that snared him to the ground as if Gray let it happen while he transform into a beast, a hunter.

Gray stretches his head as it alters into a wolf’s head with the gray fur bursting in his skin covering his flesh followed with the breaking sound of his bones, crackling in each joints as it slowly transform into a werewolf. Lastly with a growl he chases his prey.

“Hunting for food is fun right!” Gray said in a beastly voice.

Pike continued to run as he shriek each thuds of the werewolf paws to the ground. The thudding sound that slowly gets louder, telling his mind the beast is close. He screamed from his heart.

“Fun! Until you’re the one being hunted!” Gray let out close to Pike’s ear.

With the werewolf large paws he pushes Pike to the ground. Without further ado, Gray howled in the air as he delivers jaw at Pike’s head cutting it hole as he devoured it, crunching on his disfigured face, sating the beast living in his body.