Chapter - 81

The Endless Forest was already pitch black.

The temperature had dropped as soon as the sun dropped behind the jagged World's Teeth.

A wet, biting chill soaked into the bones of any idiot unlucky enough to be out in the wilderness.

Inside the shitty ruined stone outpost, the wind screamed through the wall cracks, sounding like the ghosts that Grendel is usually so scared of.

But the old man wasn't whining about ghosts right now. He was busy bitching about his missing comforts.

"I am telling you, boiy, this is a fucking tragedy," Grendel groaned, pulling his wool cloak tight while his teeth rattled.

"Right this second, the fire at the brothel must be roaring. The ale must be flowing non stop. The stew must be thickening," He said, staring miserably into a dark corner.

"And Lola... That sweet, fat bitch," Grendel sighed, his eyes getting cloudy, "She would have been sitting on my lap right now. Can you imagine it, Leo? A woman built like a damn plow horse, with thighs that would snap a melon and tits like burying your face in warm dough."

"Keep dreaming, old man," Leo said, ignoring him while putting stones in a circle on the floor.

"She's got this wiggle, boiy!" Grendel continued, "She calls it 'Churning Butter.' It's two extra silvers, but shit, it's worth every damn coin. It shakes the soul right out of your prick." Grendel spat on the dusty floor.

"Instead, I'm here. Freezing my shriveled balls off in a tomb, waiting for ghosts to eat us. I could be drowning in perfume and cunt. Instead, I just smell rat shit and your stinking feet."

"Are you finished?" Leo asked, not looking up.

"No!" Grendel barked. "I am mourning my wasted night!"

"Kiki… Ohh Kiki... she is the new whore? Smooth as silk. Not a hair on her cunt. She promised me a cheap fuck tonight. A discount! And I am missing it for this?"

"Shut up, old man," Leo said, "And hand me the wood."

Grendel grumbled, kicking a pile of broken chair legs he had found earlier toward Leo, "Slave driver. You don't get what an old man needs. My time is short. Every hard-on is a gift from the gods, and I am wasting this bone on you."

Leo stacked the wood together and pulling out the match box he took from Grendel earlier, he quickly lit the fire. The dry wood caught fast, turning into a hot, bright fire that pushed back the shadows and the cold.

"Now this is better," Leo said.

He reached into his storage. The air shimmered, and a huge slab of raw meat appeared in his hands. It was a Goat Steak. Thick, fatty, and kept fresh in his magic storage.

Grendel stopped bitching. His nose twitched.

"Is that..."

"Dinner," Leo said.

He pulled out a leather bag from his inventory filled with Ryana's private stash of spices. He rubbed the meat with crushed peppers, garlic salt, and a rare herb that smelled like lemons. He stuck the steak on a clean iron rod and put it over the fire.

In hardly a minute, the fat started melting. It hissed and popped, dripping into the fire and making clouds of tasty smoke. The smell filled the wet, stinking outpost, covering the scent of rot. It smelled rich and salty. Leo turned the rod slowly, looking very focused.

As the aroma hit Grendel, his grumbling died down. He moved closer to the fire, his fear of ghosts gone because he was hungry. He watched the meat turn brown and crunchy.

"You know," Grendel said, licking his lips, "You are not a total prick, boiy. For a scary, killing bastard, you know how to feed a gut."

"Don't get used to it, old man," Leo said, "I just need you alive. If you starve, you will be too weak to drive my fucking cart back."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the fire. Under the hot fire, the steak was almost ready in about half an hour. The outside was charred well, and the inside was likely a juicy pink.

Grendel leaned in, every passing second was too hard for him to hold back.

"Is it done? I think it's fucking done, boiy. Look at that juice," Grendel urged Leo to check the meat.

THWACK!!

Just as Leo was about to cut the meat, a sharp, whistling sound hit the air, followed by a dull thud. Leo didn't flinch.

But in front of them, a black throwing knife was buried deep in the center of the steak. The force of the throw had driven the blade right through the meat and into the burning wood, pinning his dinner to the fire.

A second passed, Leo and Grendel looked at the knife without moving before Grendel screamed. He scrambled back on his hands and feet, kicking up dust, his eyes popping out of his head.

"AMBUSH!" Grendel yelled, trying to hide behind a pile of rocks, "WE'RE FUCKING DEAD! THEY FOUND US!"

Leo didn't move. He didn't draw his sword. He didn't dive for cover. He just stared at the steak. The juice was running out of the hole, hissing on the coals.

The perfect meal was ruined. Leo slowly raised his head. He looked at the open doorway of the outpost, where the dark forest pressed against the firelight. He looked like he had been waiting for this.

"Rude," Leo said. His voice was flat, but it carried a chill colder than the night air. He reached out and fixed the spit so the knife handle wouldn't melt.

"Is this how you assholes act when you visit another country?" Leo called to the darkness, "Attacking dinner? That's just shitty manners. My mother would have slapped the piss out of you."

For a second, there was only silence. Then, heavy boots crunched on dry leaves near the doorway.

"Move," a deep, rough voice growled. Seven figures stepped out of the night and into the firelight.

Leo looked them over, chewing on his cheek. He didn't stand up. He just sat there, judging the new arrivals. And what a fucking circus it was.

"Holy shit, boiy!" Grendel hissed. "Look at that big fucker."

Leading the pack was a monster.

He stood at least seven feet tall. But he wasn't human. He was a huge mass of muscle covered in thick orange and black fur. His face was a snarl of cat features, a broad nose, whiskers, and yellow eyes with slit pupils. A long tail thrashed around behind his thick legs.

He was a fucking Rakshasa.

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