Chapter 182: Done by
Kosh stared and stared. Things have gone the way he never expected, did this boy just kill all his men like that? Without one of them even touching him? Kosh knew he’d made an horrible mistake them.
The thought to himself, ’this must be the reason why Blac wasn’t making any moves! He pushed it to me! Danm that man!’
Blac released the darkness cage but Kosh didn’t move from his place with his eyes glued to the scene. "Who are you guys." He whispered.
Azaroth stood and walked closer to him then stretched his hand, watching the way Kosh flinched away from him. "Take this to your master, the Tax captain and ask him what happens when a Village head is too powerful to pay tax."
Kosh picked the seed in Azaroth palm, he felt drained of the will to fight, all he wanted to do right now is to return to their station. He’s not even thinking of collecting tax from the other villagers. He bowed. "As you wish." He turned and climbed the cat monster, turning quickly he soon left the village far behind him.
"Congratulations on your first battle, sir Azaroth." Blac bowed.
Azaroth nodded and gestured to the bodies. "Get them out of here but then again, be prepare for a bigger battle. Maybe I’ll even have to step in."
He turned and left the village center,retiring into the house while all the villagers and warriors watched in shock but the bigger shock is even seeing Catena covered in blood.
"Go clean your, Catena." Stallus said to him then she faced Blac and asked. "What are you going to do now that the tax collectors failed to kill us?"
Blac looked at her and nodded slowly. "But these are not who represented tax collectors’ power. They’ll be back and be prepared for you guys this time."
Stallus shrugged. "We have our enchanted tools. We will just continue to defeat everyone."
His eyes flashed. "But things won’t always work as one planned. If it’s true that you guys are thrown here then you should understand that."
Stallus smiled and waved. "Enough with the chitchat, tell me what you are going to do now is all."
Blac bowed. "I am your loyal servant. I will only continue to obey you and watch."
Stallus shook her head as she also made her way inside, thinking that Blac is being very cautious and waiting for them to reveal their hands.
Blac looked at the remaining one, Alex. "If you don’t mind can you tell me how the outside world is?"
Alex shrugged with an easy smile. "A bigger version of this place? Power is still the only law."
Blac nodded. "Thank you for the answer."
Alex looked at him. "You must have been a very powerful Awakener before you get thrown in here."
Blac didn’t reply and Alex didn’t expect him too. Here in the prison they forgot the lives they once lived and craft a new one for themselves since there’s no hope of ever getting out.
Meanwhile Kosh was trembling as his mount carried him away and it wasn’t all because he’s still feeling the fear from what happened but because he didn’t know how he’ll report. What will he even say? That he lost all his men to kids?
He hurried his mount along his eyes scanning the trees for any signs of danger. The sun shone sharp and bright up there and under its gaze he made his way to the tax captain station.
He has ridden for up to three hours non stop at this point and his body shivered as he got down from the cat monster and stared at the big wooden gate. He muttered to himself. "I didn’t collect any tax today, worse I got all my men killed."
He didn’t even stop at any other villages assigned to him and directly made his way here. The guards at the wall didn’t stop him as they opened the gate for him to enter.
The station is big, a spread of short towers and big hulking buildings. It act as the headquarters of the tax collectors and where their captain is.
Tax collectors in black moved around unhurried but once Kosh threw his mount at the monster yard he almost ran towards the main building where the captain is.
"Who are you?" A guard asked him harshly at the door, there are guards that serves the captain directly.
"Kosh! Leader of the tenth squad!" He asked quickly and the guard measured him with his eyes before waving him inside.
He hurried into the building, pass the first floor and where the assistant was asking him what he wanted and then to the room where the captain usually holds meeting.
"...they resisted but I quickly take care of then." One voice was saying as he explained himself to the captain. The leaders of different squad that are here already are giving their reports.
The room is covered in a rich carpet with chairs arranged in a around a round table with the Captain’s seat at the center.
Everyone stopped talking immediately Kosh entered, breathing hard and his eyes wide. "Captain!" He said and fell to his knees.
The silence lingered for a while before Litha, the Captain of the tax spoke. "What troubles you, Kosh?"
When he heard his name he shivered. "Captain. I have lost all the men and women you entrusted to me!" He voice cracked and trembled as he spoke.
The silence was quickly filled with the murmuring from others as they turned to him in surprise. All those here are squad leaders and almost all of them in the Novice rank. Only those at the top three squad are in Initiate rank. Their captain herself is of course in the Initiate level.
Litha sat up, her eyes going from glazed to sharp immediately. "What type of monster wiped them out? We kept clearing the crypt so there shouldn’t be any crypt break."
Kosh bowed his head and pressed his face into the floor. "It was done by an Awakener."
