A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

'Right,' Beam thought to himself. 'That's right. It wasn't what I'd planned to do from the start, but this works to my benefit. If I can make use of everything at my disposal, if I can form those connections properly, those connections that I need for things to grow more unified, for information to grow more freely – then I should have a shot.

I would have been protecting the village from the monsters in the shadows anyway.'

'I suppose, despite all that time spent cautiously moving, hiding my capabilities, it's time to show what I can really do. There is much I don't understand, after all. Much that I need other people for. If they can see value in my assistance enough that they'll help me in return, just as Greeves does…. Then yeah, I think it's worth going all out.'

"Three Gorebeasts!" One sergeant shouted.

The soldiers took up the cry. "Three Gorebeasts, assume defensive positions! Move the corpses out the way! Out the way! Get the oil on!"

"Gimme those!" Judas shouted, unable to keep the panic out of his voice. He grabbed the Gorebeast corpse that several soldiers were struggling with, and dragged it with such ease towards the fire that it looked as though he was about ready to throw it.

And when he got to the pile, he really did.

The soldiers did have time to spare too many shocked glances amongst themselves, for the enemy was already coming.

"We've got the Rare Goblins coming in as well!" A sergeant called – the same sergeant as before. It seemed that his eagle eyes were trusted to pick out what enemies they would be facing in advance.

By Rare Goblins, Beam assumed they meant what he called Horned Goblins, for that was the only prey that he could see.

"Horned Goblins and Gorebeasts! Step it up! Favour the left flank, guide the enemy left!" The sergeants called, getting the tired soldiers into place. Many of them still had not properly recovered their breaths from the previous attack, and already they were being forced into position with their hands on their spears.

Lombard gave a signal, as he watched them busy themselves. A slight flick of his wrist indicated that he wait. One of the sergeants acknowledged the command, understanding his intentions.

"Remain in reserve Remain in reserve until the order is given!" The Sergeant repeated.

Tolsey couldn't help but watch the display with a hint of anxiousness. He was nobility, after all. He'd been trained since a young boy in the martial ways, and now that he was in his early thirties, he had a good amount of experience under his belt. Peasant or not, Second Boundary or not, he didn't feel comfortable sending a child in against such unfavourable odds and alone to boot.

Especially since he knew the limits of his own Second Boundary – that he still struggled against the Gorebeast enough to let it go flying past was evidence of that.

But he dared not bring that up to the Captain, not when he had already earned the man's trust.

Besides, Beam was already in the depths of focus, Tolsey could see that from a distance.

The Gorebeasts tossed up dirt behind them as they ran. Their breath misted in the cold air, and fat droplets of salvia were continually flung from its tongue, as it ran with maddened eyes on that front leg of his.

The three of them had one goal and one goal only – the delicious pile of meat that lay beyond the foolish humans that dared to stand in their way. They turned their direction so that they might reach it more quickly.

Beam responded with the subtlest shifting of his feet in return. It was not enough to really match the Gorebeast's change in their course, not exactly, but it was enough to cut off the space that they'd intended to traverse.

That direction seemed to have a weight to it now, as they hesitated to run straight there, not without confronting the threat of the boy first. Their instincts told them as much – though there was still a good distance between them and him, with that slight turning of his feet, he was now more than capable of reaching him.

They altered their course once more, this time directing it straight toward him. Even amongst the Gorebeasts, there were disparities in strength, and one was clearly faster than the others, as it took the lead, putting a distance of several steps between it and its brethren.

All the while, the Horned Goblins flitted through the trees, twittering like crickets on a hot summer's day. Only these crickets bore the yellow eyes of the devil, and with bows primed with arrows in their hands, they were looking for any opportunity they could to take advantage of the chaos.

Beam thought that they might even look down on the Gorebeasts somehow, with the way that they positioned themselves, to take advantage of the Gorebeast's attack.

Such was his last thought before all thoughts vanished, and the first Gorebreaker neared his range.

He crouched lower, and then sprang out to meet it. Even with that steel-like jaw that it had, with its mouth so full of threats, its body still seemed to be incredibly full of weakness.

Their paths crossed. The creature lunged out with its front leg, using its vicious front claws to attempt to land the first blow on Beam. But Beam avoided it easily. Too easily, in fact. He moved at a speed that was quicker than what he was used to, and he was almost thrown off balance because of it.

Just as he was about to deliver the counterattack, and cleave open the beast's side, he stepped back instead, feeling out of rhythm, with the accumulation of the night's fatigue wearing on his movements, but also his increase in speed doing the same.

Was a single night really enough to increase his speed like that, he wondered? He'd never had such a thing happen before, at least not so dramatically. But then he remembered the conditions for his progress – the union of Ingolsol and Claudia. He'd achieved that, for the briefest of moments, when he'd felt at his most powerful, as he slew the Titan.

Perhaps the leaked-through light that he'd glimpsed in that domain – perhaps that was what he was feeling.