Chapter 4: Side-Kicks


    The asshole was out there waiting for me, but he stood back from the hut with a group of four well-built idiots that must be the other hunters. These guys were going to make this challenging. Even if I can stop Thurman, the rest will gang up on me, and then I''m fucked.


    <em>''What''s the n?'' -Gripton.</em>


    <em>''Wait. I can''t do this alone, or if I do, it will have to be a surprise, and I ain''t sneaky like that.''</em>


    <em>''Knowing your weaknesses is a good thing.'' -Gripton.</em>


    <em>''Ya, I know five big guys without magic could kick my ass, doesn''t take a genius to figure it out.''</em>


    <em>''He''sing over!'' -Gripton.</em>


    <em>''I can see that, I''m not blind.''</em>


    "Well, did your talk with the elders help you?"


    "Yeah, since I''m here, got anything you need help with?"


    "Hmm? Well, there is one thing you could do," Thurman got a mischievous look on his smug face.


    "Sure."


    "What? I haven''t even exined what it is yet!"


    "Ya, but I''ll do it."


    "Fine. Go to the Forest of Drapes and y the Araciqueen! She is the source of all the giant spiders that have been encroaching on our territories!"


    <em>''Woah! Wait a minute! Your just going go do that?!'' -Gripton.</em>


    "Sure."


    "Really?"


    Thurman looked like he was getting fed up with my ''so fucking what'' attitude I was feeding him, so I tried to be more reasonable with him and make it seem like I needed help.


    "One thing, I want to take five people with me of my choosing from the vigers."


    "Wah? You want to take these pathetic pieces of"


    "THURMAN!" The gremlin''s voice cut him off as he heard her voice, and his entire demeanor changed in a blink.


    "Ah, yes, my little Kalita! Our friend here just offered to fight the AraciQueen! But he requests to take some vigers with him. What do you think of this?"


    Kalita looked and me with a pleading look, but I shook my head while Thurman''s attention was on her and gave her an exaggerated wink. Her face stayed the same, but I knew she understood. Kalita walked over to Thurman''s side, taking one of hisrge hands in both of hers.


    "I think we can trust Hyde to protect them. I don''t see a problem with it. Who are you taking?"


    "I haven''t decided yet. I don''t know much about your people, so I thought I would hang out for a bit and then let you know. Sounds good?"


    I looked to Thurman, but he just shrugged, giving me a ''who gives a fuck'' look, and then turned away.


    "Let''s go, boys, someone has to go catch the next meal!"


    Thurman motioned, and the other hunters left with him.


    "I can help you with getting to know our people. Since you helped me with," But I put my fingers on my lips, and that silenced her.


    "Yeah, show me around the ce and tell me about the people with interesting magic shit."


    "Magic shit?"


    <em>''Now that''s an idea to test, hahaha!'' -Gripton.</em>


    "Sorry, I curse a lot."


    "You say curses?" Kalita stepped back a step.


    "No, not like magic. It''s just, I don''t know. It''s my form of expression what my shrink said."


    "Shrink?"


    "Fuck it, let''s just go. Who''s first?"


    Kalita led me around to different tents and told me about each person''s magic. Most had useless magic for what I needed, but it could be used in the future. Like Greckcain, this elf could make a single nt grow two or three times faster than average or Jelina, who could urately know the entire measurements just by touching it and know how it works, but anything thing bigger than a dog was out of her reach. Many people had these sorts of talents, but we could find five that woulde with me and would be useful.


    <em>''Interesting, this is quite the ragtag group you have here!'' -Gripton.</em>


    <em>''These power''s will have the greatest use for what I have nned.''</em>


    "Well, I think it will be OK to take these people."


    Before us stood five gaunt and starved elves with hollow eyes, I walked past the sorry bunch and point to each one. As I pointed, I told them to give me their names and power. The first person I pointed to was a mid-aged female that looked weak and frail, with ribs exposed and rubbing her skin.


    "Kadence, I can control and create fire, but no more than a ball of it in my hand."


    Kadence made a small me in her hand and then turned it into a small burning arrow. She motioned slightly, and the arrow shot out but disappeared after five-feet of travel. Yup, a joke for the most part unless you got up close. Next was a young man, nothing but skin and bones, but he had a fire in his eyes as I pointed to him next. I liked his spirit.


    "Trem, I can make things stick to surfaces or make them fall into the air, but only to something the size of a small rock."


    Gravity magic or some shit? That was cool. Next, we had another girl about the same age as the boy, maybe fifteen or so, but who could tell she might be sixty or something. I would need to ask one of the sexy elders about thatter, but for now, I point to the girl who was standing shyly.


    "Kyra, I can talk to animals, but I can''t understand them."


    That wasn''t horrible, but it could use some improvement, obviously. The next one was a runt kid with spunk. Kid reminds me of myself, ready to take on the world, no fucks given.


    "Larganth, but just call me Ganth! I can do some weird stuff with my magic, and it''s hard to exin, so here. Let me show you instead!"


    Ganth proceeded to grab a rock off the ground. He took it between his hands andstretched it? The rock distorted as it stretched, and then he dropped it, and it broke.


    <em>''Now that''s interesting.'' -Gripton.</em>


    "Can you unstretch it?" I asked the runt.


    "Nah."


    "Hmph!" I walked forward.


    Well, still not too bad. Let''s see thisst guy. If I remember right, he was a good thrower, but he looked like a woman. Now, I ain''t saying it''s wrong. It''s just not my cup of tea, that''s all.


    "Harmon, I can throw small objects."


    *Blinks*


    "OH! That''s right! You wanna see me do it, right? OK! Here I go!"


    He pulled out a quarter size rock and turned away from us. The guy wound up and threw the rock just like my dodger throw, but the effect was a bit different. Harmon had aimed at a tree maybe thirty feet away, and when he released the stone, only the bark was removed from the tree in arge circr spot.


    I''m sure no one understood what happened here, and I kept my mouth shut, just nodding.


    <em>''MACH 4?!'' -Gripton.</em>


    <em>''That''s what I counted. No wonder the rock disintegrated on impact, I guess Thurman didn''t want to have someone like him around, but that''s fine I''ll take him.''</em>


    <em>''Collecting new toys?'' -Gripton.</em>


    <em>''Oh yeah!''</em>


    <em>''I was joking.'' -Gripton.</em>


    <em>''I''m not just you wait and see!''</em>


    "Alright! So you all know the n? Any questions?"


    "Do we have to go?"


    I ignored them and started walking. The group stood stunned for a moment before they all followed along and caught up, Ganth leading the way.


    <em>''That was good they followed. I didn''t want to walk in the wrong direction and have an "It''s the other way" moment.''</em>


    <em>''Would have been pretty funny, though.'' -Gripton.</em>


    <em>''Put a cap on it! So What do you know about this spider queen bitch?''</em>


    <em>Well, she isn''t a bitch; Araciqueen is the forest god. If her brood are moving in this direction, then it is because of the hunters attacking them! We have met before, and she is a reasonable god! -Gripton.</em>


    <em>''That good then, this will kill a problem and idiot with one stone.''</em>


    <em>''I don''t think that''s how it goes'' -Gripton.</em>


    We traveled for about three hours until I made them all stop. Once all of these wretches had finally caught up to Ganth and me, I made them all stand in front of me in a half-circle. I looked at each one of the defeated people. Even Ganth looked down at my intense stare.


    "So, he picks on you? Does let you eat? Treats you like less of a person?"


    No one said anything, and they all looked down.


    "LOOK UP AT ME!" I roared.


    All eyes filled with fear shot up to mine, and as one, they took an involuntary step back.


    "Stop looking at your feet and the dirt! That isn''t gonna stop him from fucking your lives up!" I ripped off the ck and red glove from my right hand, Max, and thrust it forward to the scared elves, hand t and fingers spread wide. "If your tired of being weak and useless or just being scared, grab a fucking finger, and let''s get this show on the road! I am Hyde! A bad-ass from another world here to conquer this one!"


    <em>''Nice Speech, president!'' -Gripton.</em>


    <em>''Shut the fuck up! Why do you have to ruin the moment!''</em>