Reveal

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!!!Warning!!!

This chapter contains dark content

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As Vinncent asked for the man to repeat himself, his words made Llorva and the other man freeze. His voice didn't quite sound human, the tone of it caused the second man to stare at the back of Vinncents head while his instincts screamed at him to run. Llorva also looked at Vinncent however she had an understanding of what the voice meant. Coupled with the way he was acting it was likely that the man who had offended Vinncent would soon be just like Warin. However, this time if Vinncent changed his form they might lose an ally that they had just gained.

The stout man from earlier, completely ignorant of the horrified looks on both his friend and Llorva's face replied with a snobbish tone.

"Are you deaf? I asked you how much you wanted for the woman?"

Vinncent turned his head and looked over his left shoulder showing one of his black eyes to the men. While the detail slipped the fat pudgy man's attention his friend was much more observant and quickly began to sweat.

"I do not sell people especially my companions. You have some nerve to ask for such an egregious thing." Vinncent's eyes narrowed as his pupils turned into slits and his eyes became a more transparent black.

"I don't think it is outside of my ability to ask as it was only to be courteous. I suppose I will have to use my connections to the emperor to get her then." The man snobbishly said prompting his friend to whisper in his ear.

"Shut up, If his posture and voice haven't already given you a clue it's probably not a good idea to provoke him!"

Confused as to why his companion was so concerned the portly man looked at his friend and laughed at him.

"What is he going to do? If he so much as touches me it will spell the end of his pitiful life."

His friend's response was only to sweat harder as he looked between Vinncent and his companion. Vinncent had a small smile on his face as he turned completely to face the two men.

"You should listen to him. Sometimes there are darkness's so deep that even the light cannot pierce them."

The two men stared at Vincennt's eyes. Looking into his eyes the two men could see the cosmos through his eyes and silted pupils that devoured all the light in the room until all the men could see were Vinncent's eyes. The men shuddered as they stared into his unblinking eyes, the combination of darkness and silence made them hesitant to breath.

"I leave you with this knowledge to guide you and shape the sins inside you."

Vinncent turned to the door as his eyes returned to their normal look and walked forward to hold it for Llorva. Who upon seeing his action quickly followed before leaving the Inn with Vinncent.

The two men looked at the door then each other. They had only looked into Vinncent's eyes for two seconds however in their mind it was an eternity long enough for them to relive their lives ten fold. Their every action fresh on their minds washing over their minds like the waves of a ocean.

The stout man looked from his friend to his half empty mug of ale. Tears began to flow down his face as he remembered every moment he shared with his wife. Her laughter, her beautiful eyes and hair, their dates, arguments, and moments of passion. Then he remembered her death that he had spent all of his waking hours and money to prevent. How in his struggle to save her he had lost his title of a noble and all his land. The memory of her last moments kept repeating themselves infinitely in his mind. He could almost smell the room as he saw her gently squeeze his hand as she looked at him with teary eyes as she mouthed 'I Love You' before she stilled and her grip on his hand ceased to exist.

All he could do was watch as she died helpless to do anything. Now here he sat at the bar his past brought back for him to suffer through all over again. As he looked at his ale and saw his wife's laughing face on its surface he down-heartedly spoke.

"You were right, I should have left them alone."

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Vinncent didn't care how the men were doing as he silently panicked. He had no control over himself during that whole event he could only watch as an observer as it happened. As he watched the head of the Xenomorph king briefly appeared behind him and sneered before disappearing as Vinncent once again could control his body.

Having been startled by what happened as soon as he could control himself again he went straight to the door ushered Llorva out of the Inn before quickly leaving. Vinncent simply walked toward the city gate that led to the abandoned mine, not paying much attention to Llorva.

He needed air and he needed it yesterday. His head throbbed every time he saw a slave and stung every time someone laughed at their predicament. Llorva quietly walked at his side as he walked. She wanted to talk about what had just happened however Vinncent clearly wasn't in the state of mind. As he walked toward the gate a deadpan look on his face and his eyes slightly glazed.

Llorva did not want to worry too much however she couldn't stop herself. Vinncent had again confronted someone directly because of her and caused a concerning scene. While he hadn't changed his form she did see that his eyes had turned black but that was not nearly as concerning as his voice. It sounded sinister and alien, it was unlike anything she had heard before and it sent chills down her spine to remember it.

Her worries only worsened once they reached the gate, its massive portcullis slowly being lifted. Off to the side behind a tall corral fence was a sight so vile it made Llorva feel sick.

In the middle of the corral a group of centaurs both male and female were being forced to turn the reel that controlled the gate. Their arms had been severed from their shoulders, their eyes were covered by thick bands of cloth with dried blood on their faces beneath. A ring piercing in their nose was chained to the spindle of the centaur in front as they blindly pushed causing the centaur to cry out in pain if it slowed too much. Brands were put into their left shoulder, the scarred tissue made a sharp contrast to their bare chests.

A group of guards stood outside the corral and watched with smug looks and laughed whenever the centaurs were whipped for going too slow by an overseer on top of the massive turning reel.

Llorva looked over to Vinncent. Surely he had seen it but she hoped he could control his emotions. However Vinncent wasn't there concerned Llorva looked around and saw him sprinting to the gate.

"VINNCENT!"

Llorva shouted after him but he kept running. With no other choice Llorva quickly sprinted after him and while she tried to keep up Vinncent simply kept getting farther and farther away as he shoved through crowds and knocked aside carts and wagons with superhuman strength. Llorva sighed in relief when she saw Vinncent run past the corral and through the gate. People started to notice the man charging through the street like a mad bull and began moving aside to avoid his path. They watched him passed with stunned faces as he blazed past and watched with curiosity as a woman ran after him.

With their pace they quickly made it outside of the city and entered the wild forest nearby. Llorva was panting as she saw the silhouette of Vinncent disappear into the woods. Tired from trying to catch Vinncent she walked off of the path and into a thicker section of woodland and sat against a tree in the tall brush. While she collected her breath a small wind rustled the forest around her moving the shadows cast by the leaves of the trees. Llorva sat and watched the beautiful way the tree branches swayed and the leaves rustled as she thought about Vinncent.

It was almost certain that he was heading to the mine whether he would get there or not she couldn't guess. It was concerning to her how easily Vinncent became agitated by the man at the Inn. He had not been bothered by the women when they talked about her and seemed relaxed once their attention shifted onto him.

He also seemed different when it came to how he reacted to the centaurs. She had expected him to change and charge at the guards but he only moved faster toward the gate. Their treatment disgusted Llorva she had seen and experienced her fair share of oppression yet she had never seen anything to that degree. She then remembered her conversation with the Innkeeper and how he said the church promoted slavery. Anger surged inside her at the thought of a governing body with their power and claim of salvation for all only had a positive effect for humans. Llorva still wanted revenge for what they had done to her kingdom and people but now she also wanted to see the church burn for how they used their power.

A wave of motivation and energy washed over her as she thought of the church's 'Holy city' burn to the ground. Llorva quickly got to her feet and again began to run after Vinncent. The one man she knew would make her dream come true.

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Vinncent eventually regained his senses and found himself in a damp cavern. Observing his surroundings he managed to find what looked like a tattered rail system leading into a tunnel. Along the wall and floor of the cavern deep white claw marks had been left in the stone. What made them Vinncent didn't know until he looked at his hands and saw claws. He quickly realized that he had changed his form and made the marks himself as for when he changed it likely happened some time after entering the woods.

Vinncent had calmed himself for a brief moment before worrying about what had happened at the Inn. The fact that he had stood up for Llorva made him smile slightly but he was concerned about how he lost control of his body. It wasn't right that he should be acting yet have no control over what he did and while this time it was a minor incident what about next time. What if he lost control of his body and killed someone or hurt Llorva.

Sure Llorva trusted him but how could he trust himself with her. She had done nothing to him and being an enjoyable companion the very thought that he should cause her harm sickened him.

For a few minutes Vinncent crouched on the floor as he was consumed by worry. Knees to his chest with his arms around them and his tail wrapped around his feet and back. It was completely silent except for the sound of his breathing.