Chapter 19: A Masterclass in Intimidation, Sprinkled with just a dash of 'Friendly' Bloodlust and Not-so-subtle Threats of Doom.

"Big bro!" Addy bawled from behind as Huey suddenly appeared, his back still turned to her. Huey was covered in pale indigo filth raining down from the exploded corpse above, contaminating the surroundings with the remains of Elder Gods. 

His body emitted a menacing aura, his cold reptilian eyes fixed on the two female warriors. Overwhelmed, they knelt before him, the edge of his black blade pressed against their necks.

After a tense moment, Huey's icy voice reverberated through the air, his gaze remaining fixed and unmoving.

"Addy, wipe your tears. Lyra is still alive..." His words hung in the air, carrying a weight of uncertainty. 'Just barely,' he silently added in his thoughts.

Meanwhile, on the other side, his captives couldn't help but tremble and cower in fear under the relentless stare of this monstrous figure. With each passing moment, their fear intensified, unable to shake off the oppressive aura emanating from Huey.

Internally, their minds raced, grappling with the surreal situation before them, struggling to make sense of the incomprehensible. 

The Outsider with the partly healed throat contemplated making a swift and desperate escape, willing to sacrifice a limb if it meant gaining distance from her captor. Yet, as she entertained the notion, the haunting image of her being mercilessly cut down three times over before she could even shift her gaze lingered in her mind like a grim specter.

Beside her, the other Outsider reluctantly and silently resigned herself to her fate, acknowledging the futility of attempting to flee. The memory of her captor's sudden and overwhelming display of power, effortlessly decimating a massive Elder God with a single blow, was still fresh in her mind. 

The horrors of the intense battle between him and Barak remained vivid, etched hauntingly into her memories, serving as a grim reminder of the formidable force they were up against. Escaping seemed futile in the face of such overwhelming power and sheer brutality.

"W...what happened to the Chief?" she managed to look up at Huey, questioning, "Why... How did he get here so quickly," then she subtly gazed at him, adding, "Unscathed..."

Huey's voice resonated, abruptly pulling them back to reality. "Don't worry too much. I left the big guy alive intentionally."

As soon as he uttered those words, a wounded and untransformed Barak staggered into view at the entrance, barely standing on his own two feet.

"You..." he growled, blood pooling in his mouth, his teeth stained crimson. Two large slashes marred his entire torso, their bleeding showing no signs of stopping as a vast amount of blood flowed from the gaping wounds, pooling at his feet. The edges of his lips trickled with red as he grunted, leaning heavily against the wall for support.

In addition to the sword blow that had cleaved his torso, Barak's bare body bore an array of purple bruises, testament to the brutal battle he had endured. The Outsider warrior huffed and panted, struggling to maintain his balance as he remained hunched over, visibly unsteady.

Barak wasn't dead, but Huey's attack had been fatal regardless. He had strategically placed the native warrior in a position where continuing the fight would be immensely challenging. 

Despite having ample opportunities to deliver a killing blow, Huey had impulsively chosen to spare Barak's life at the last second. "Impulse decision" better described his action, as he opted to keep the man alive at the last second. 

"Chief!"

"Barak!"

The two female Outsiders cried out in anguish at the sight of their superior's injuries. The cross-cut on his torso was large and gaping.

Barak struggled to rise, his gaze wary as he addressed Huey. "Warrior from the Walls, why didn't you finish me off?" He dismissed the cries of his underlings and directed his attention to Huey.

Huey remained aloof, silently assessing Barak's condition before withdrawing his blade from the necks of the women. With a slight shift, he responded coldly, "First of all... stop it with the whole Warrior of the Walls thing. I haven't even been to a Dome Fortress since I arrived. I've heard about the animosity you Outsiders have against those of the Walls, but none of that concerns me," he clarified, his words falling on the blank gazes of the three before continuing.

"You people attacked us out of the blue, but we aren't here to fight. You see, I have questions... and reasons to believe you might have the answers," 

Huey stated, his tone firm but not hostile. He paused, assessing the reactions of the three before continuing with a knowing look in his eyes.

"And I believe there's something I can help you out with in your territory. Something I can get rid of..." His words hung in the air, causing their eyes to shake with uncertainty, but Huey remained indifferent to their response.

"I promise, I have no intentions to raise my sword against your people. But that depends entirely on your Tribe," Huey declared solemnly, releasing a fraction of his Aura as his eyes turned black and glowed with a menacing blood-red hue.

The Natives shivered and instinctively raised their guards, feeling a chilling presence envelop them. Lyra coughed and wheezed painfully from behind, prompting Huey to withdraw his Aura and address the group with earnestness, his tone softened but determined. 

Then he stated. 

"My friend needs help." 

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'Well, that went well. Everyone's happy.'

I've managed to threaten—cough— I mean, persuade our attackers to lower their weapons for the time being. Turns out, all it required was a masterclass in intimidation, a show of overwhelming strength, sprinkled with just a dash of 'friendly' bloodlust and some not-so-subtle hints of impending threats of doom. 

Just teeny, tiny little harmless threats, I swear. 

I reached a truce with the brawny warrior to at least provide help for Lyra and answer a few of my questions. In exchange, I would tell them who I was, where I come from, and handle a single 'favour' of theirs.

All that said, it was by no means easy to get the Natives to let their guard down and let in an outsider like me...especially like me... into their tribe and Stronghold.

There was particular resistance from the female warriors, but Barak seemed to hold enough authority to dismiss and dissuade their opinion with a single thought.

'It was a good idea to keep him alive after all.' 

I had to admit, however, I wasn't sure what I was going to do if Barak had kept on attacking me even after trying to dissuade him from doing so.

Well...worse case scenario, I'd have killed him...and the women...but then I'd be left to travel the Apocalypse in search of other reasonable members of the Tribe of this region with an injured and a dumb kid on my hands. 

"Yes," I earnestly nodded to myself, "keeping him alive was indeed the wisest decision."

"We've... arrived," a female voice interrupted my thoughts, pulling me back to reality. With short trimmed silver hair and piercing blue eyes, it was clear she wasn't thrilled about our destination. But really, how many fucks could I give about her opinion? 

Maintaining a steady aloof mask, I surveyed the surroundings. It was... not much different from the usual scenery I'd grown accustomed to over the past three days. You know, the usual: destruction and chaos.

"... We have?" I uttered doubtfully.

Before I could receive a response, I instantly sensed various life signs and the presence of numerous individuals scattered around us.

"Stop right there! Intruders!" In less than a second, our little group found itself surrounded from all sides by over twenty Natives wielding weapons and ready to attack.

I remained still and impassive, already prepared for a potential confrontation. It would be a pain if a fight broke out; that would mean I'd have to display peerless arrogance and explosive strength. Perhaps take down a Native...or two. Then, a subtle release of aura and bloodlust to instill fear and break their spirits, followed by a few cryptic and chilling words like, "It's a fine night for slaughter, but how the heavens weep for the senseless blood spilled."

"Actually, that's pretty cool... why didn't I think of that earlier?" 

Sure beats the "We need to talk" with a low growl from earlier. 

However, before I could even move a finger, Barak stepped up, one hand placed against his wounded torso, and the other raised in the air.

"Lower your weapons. We have visitors," he growled, and the Natives all shifted in their positions, confused and ultimately wary. 

"Chief Warrior, what has happened?" One of the Natives, a fine young man, walked up cautiously and inquired. "What happened? The shattering storm in the distance, does it have anything to do with...." He shifted his azure gaze towards me and spat out in disdain — "these Devils?"

"Bite your tongue!" Barak's eyes sharpened as he roared at the man, his irritation palpable. "Watch your words before this Warrior, lest you seek punishment. These are my visitors, and as such, you will treat them with as much respect as you would treat me."

"Da~mn..." I suppressed a whistle from behind, impressed by Barak's authoritative demeanor, I certainly had not gotten that initial impression. 

The young man flinched but grunted. "But, Sir! These two are clearly from the Walls... how could we let them into our village?"

"You dare..." Barak growled, but was stopped by the silver-haired lady who placed a hand on his shoulder and stepped up to the young man.

"Stand down, Captain. You have your orders, all of you. The entire village will be briefed shortly. For now..." She turned around and directed her gaze at me. 

"Take this man to the Professor."