48 (First Part)

He bursts into the leader's house, shining his flashlight and shouting Nadjela's name in every room he enters. The foyer, the dining room, the kitchen, the bathrooms. Climbs the clay stairs in the direction of the bedrooms, planning to wake the other princesses if necessary. Such a plan is half-laid when he nearly runs into a six-foot mass in the middle of the hallway.

Chester prepares a slash, but Bironte already had his hand raised near his face. The komodo's dragon warrior blows, and the powdered poison crashes into the nobleman's face. Chester recoils with his eyes burning and his nose stinging. He coughs, drops the lantern, loses his balance, and in trying to grab hold of the wall ends up sitting on the floor.

"Shit! It hurts!" He carves his eyes with his fists.

"Does more than just annoy" Bironte's voice is particularly calm and soft, in contradiction to his cyclopean musculature that ventured a serious tone. "Such a powder is a poison of my own creation, a mixture of different plants, fruits, and animal entrails, among which are included several of the most toxic of the forbidden lands. In the next few seconds it will choke your throat, and the lack of air will soon kill you. I recommend that you make the most of what little time you have left and pray to your gods. You fought well, stranger"

Confident in the lethality of his product, Bironte turns his back on Chester to head for the bedrooms and reassure the princesses, who are sure to be restless from the commotion. He doesn't even take two steps when the tip of an electrified baton plunges between his ribs, jolting his entire body and turning the saliva in his mouth to foam.

The Lancaster keeps the baton stuck in and turned on at full power, until the cessation of the buzzing sound indicates that the entire charge has been consumed.

Bironte stops jerking and, with misty eyes, plants a knee. Chester throws the unloaded baton to the ground, grabs the second baton from the holster, and delivers another thrust to the side. Bironte's hand catches the nobleman's wrist, and forces him to drop the new club. Chester pulls away from the grip, steps back, and kicks the champion in the temple, sending him rolling.

The champion repeatedly pummels himself against the steps before landing on his back on the floor. He blinks, his left ear buzzing and bleeding, and as he looks up, he sees Chester standing at the top of the stairs. The Lancaster, still teary-eyed, draws a MAC-10 with silencer and, from the waistband, opens fire. The burst lasts less than a minute.

Chester blinks, watches, and discovers a stupefied Bironte staring back at him, surrounded by small smoking dots.

"Fuck"

He throws down the MAC-10 and descends with hurried steps.

At the same time Chester goes halfway down the ladder and pulls a Taurus Raging Bull revolver from the modified holster, Bironte draws from his scaled cloak a throwing knife, its edge glinting with potent venom. Chester aims the pistol, Bironte throws. The knife whistles and strikes the revolver before Chester can fire. The pistol jumps from between the lion's fingers.

"Fuck!"

The Taurus Raging Bull bounces and ends up on Bironte. The champion grabs it and stretches out his arm. His trunk-thick fingers have a hard time getting into the trigger, and when he finally does, the katana slices through his entire forearm. Bironte grits his teeth.

"How is it possible...?" Bironte asks with wild eyes. "My masterpiece is capable of exterminating the largest beasts, a human would be no problem.... How can you be more than human?"

"Magic" Chester answers. For the first time in a long time he is grateful that his family played with his genes. Standing on the first step, he points the sword at Bironte. "Tell me where Nadjela is"

Bironte's countenance turns from surprise to a frown congested with pain.

"The leader has her at the top of the mountain. She will serve her punishment, and I will fulfill my mission. I may not be able to bring her your head, but at least..." He plants his only remaining hand, and slowly rises to his feet. From among the cloak of black scales, gets a small bag tied very tightly.

"Stop it, I'm immune to that crap" Chester says.

"You are... But I'm not"

He tears the bag with his teeth and throws back his head to swallow the contents, which are a yellow powder. Bironte shudders, his stump begins to smoke.

"Are you killing yourself?" Chester raises an eyebrow.

"I killing you" says Bironte in a hoarse, choked voice.

Now every orifice of Bironte is smoking. From one second to the next, the chemistry inside him is disrupted and the champion becomes a human torch. The light and the spontaneous, intense heat cause Chester to tilt his face and grit his teeth.

The champion, turned into a ball of fire, stretches out his hand to draw him in so that the flames consume him as well. Chester easily moves away and away from the flaming fingers. Bironte is choked by a scream, and only manages to take a couple of steps before he plunges headfirst into the first step, landing on top of the severed arm. He burns lifelessly.

"Poisons are for sissies" says the Lancaster.

Aware that the fire and smoke would be dangerous for Nadjela's sisters, he unzips and lets it all flow.