Damecus loudly counted down from five. The men who had swarmed the room looked nervous but a group of four of them stepped forward, looking very sure of themselves.

  Upon reaching zero, Damecus jumped down from the balcony, landing on the armoured knight that he bested earlier. If he wasn’t dead before, then he will definitely be dead now.

  Four men instantly charged him. He kicked one out of the way, tripped another two with his tail and stabbed Vox’s jawbone into the remaining one. He crushed the skull of one of the men that he had tripped with his foot. The other rolled away and the one he had kicked lunged forward in an attempt to stab Damecus. Damecus simply moved to the side and imbedded the jawbone in the man’s eye socket. The surviving man panicked and attempted to run, but due to the large crowd was unable to escape quick enough before Damecus grabbed him and snapped his neck.

  The rest of the room just stared at him; I can smell fresh urine… from at least seven different people.

  Damecus: “You are no doubt thinking that with your numbers you could take me down. I have no doubt that that is perfectly possible. However, the more intelligent amongst you will be well aware that I will take many of you down with me. Probably the first ones to attack… and it seems like such a shame to die for a man who is already dead?”

  He ripped the jawbone out of the eye socket of the man who had just attacked him and he began to brandish it in the direction of the crowd in front of him.

  Damecus: “So come on then… which of you shall be first?!”

  He sent out a roar so loud and I swear I felt the building shake. The crowd proceeded to evacuate the room at a speed that I genuinely would not have believed possible had I not seen it happen. Well… all of the crowd apart from one man who seemed to be stood completely still… paralysed with fear. Definitely one of the ones that pissed themselves earlier.

  Damecus walked up to him and waved his hand in front of the man’s eyes… the man didn’t even blink. He remained completely motionless.

  Damecus: “Dwynfel, I believe I may have broken this one.”

  Woman: “That’s nice and all. But there are still people trying to break through this door!”

  Damecus swiftly moved up on to the balcony next to ours. He disappeared into the corridor and after hearing quite a significant commotion on the other side of the door… there was a polite knock.

  We moved the furniture out of the way and opened the door. A man was thrust through the now open door. Damecus was holding him by the head, his feet weren’t even on the ground… Damecus was holding the man’s entire weight… with only his head. The man looked terrified.

  Man: “Dreadfully sorry for disturbing you, my lady. It shall not happen again.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Damecus pulled the man back through the door, placed him on the ground and bent down in order to look him dead in the eye.

  Damecus: “Now, fuck off.”

  The man turned and ran off down the corridor.

  Chloe: “For fuck’s sake, Damecus!”

  We turned to look down into the main hall once more, to see Chloe stood with the rest of her knights. Damecus picked up the woman and child before jumping down from the balcony. He placed them on the ground and gestured for me to follow. I slowly lumbered over the balcony and tried to lower myself as delicately as possible… and it still really hurt my legs when I landed. How the fuck does he do this shit?

  Chloe: “You agreed to wait!”

  Damecus: “I agreed to no such thing.”

  Chloe: “Yes, you did!”

  Damecus: “I said that I would not fuck this up. And I have not. I did what I came here to do. Nobody was hurt.”

  Chloe gestured around the room.

  Chloe: “Nobody was hurt? Are you insane? You’re holding a man’s jawbone!”

  Damecus: “I shall rephrase. Nobody was hurt who did not deserve it. The hostages are safe and Vox shall no longer be an issue. I fail to see the problem.”

  Chloe: “He was supposed to be put on trial.”

  Damecus: “He would have got out of it.”

  Chloe: “Probably, but you can’t just massacre this many people because you’re pissed about a tree!”

  The woman and child looked at each other with a look of pure confusion.

  Woman: “You’ve lost me now.”

  Dwynfel: “Vox cut down his daughter’s favourite tree to make some furniture.”

  Woman: “Seriously? That’s what all this is about?”

  Damecus: “It sends a message.”

  Chloe: “Yeah… a message that you’re fucking mental!”

  Damecus: “A message that I will destroy anyone who causes my daughter distress… crime lord or not.”

  Chloe: “Without evidence that he was a crime lord, you just look like a violent psychopath!”

  Damecus: “With his family no longer being held hostage, Timothy will testify. As will this rather stationary gentleman.”

  He gestured to the paralysed man from before.

  Chloe: “If he ever speaks again. The man is clearly traumatised… by you!”

  Dwynfel: “For the purposes of the law… it was self-defence… they attacked first.”

  Chloe: “That’s not what the hysterical woman that showed up at the guard post said.”

  Damecus: “That was a pre-emptive strike to reduce the number of hostages.”

  Woman: “I can confirm that once inside this room, it was the crossbowmen that struck first…”

  She gestured to the bolt that was still sticking out of Damecus’ shoulder.

  Woman: “…you should really get that looked at by the way.”

  Chloe: “Urgh… fine… whatever. But I want full and complete statements from all of you.”

  Damecus: “Tomorrow.”

  Chloe: “Now!”

  Damecus: “No.”

  He pulled the crossbow bolt out of his shoulder without even wincing. He rubbed something on it from the pouch on his hip before stepping forward to be toe-to-toe with Chloe.

  Damecus: “I would see my daughter now. You may have your statement tomorrow.”

  Chloe looked pissed for a moment… but then conceded and stepped to one side, allowing Damecus to return home.

  I think it is safe to say… that whatever I was expecting from today… this was most definitely not it.