Wounds and Whispers

Conrad and Dante had finally taken down the beast. The battle had pushed them to their limits, but they had prevailed. Dante limped beside Conrad, wincing with every step as his knee throbbed from a deep gash. He had tried to pull his sword free from the gorilla's armor, but the struggle had sent him flying back, leaving his leg battered.

They staggered toward the village, bodies sore and spirits low. All they wanted was to bring peace to the villagers by telling them they'd dealt with the threat—and maybe get some rest.

As they walked through the village, children stared with wide eyes, recognizing them as the boys who promised to deal with the soldiers. They were back—alive.

"Hey lady! We're back, we dealt with those bastards," Dante called, dragging himself into the woman's house. He collapsed into a chair, still aching. "But, uh… we might need some help. Big fight, huge beast, a hundred soldiers..."

The woman froze, her gaze flicking to Dante's gash. "Oh my Lord," she whispered. "You really... did it?"

Dante smirked despite the pain. "Yeah, but we need some help, y'all got doctors round here?"

The woman nodded quickly and led them to the Doc's tent, where he was already preparing bandages. He looked them over with surprise and concern, especially when he saw Dante's injury.

"Well now, what trouble have you two gotten into?" the Doc asked, giving them a warm smile that faded when he saw the extent of Dante's injury.

"We fought off the soldiers terrorizing the village. Took down a giant Armored Gorilla," Conrad explained.

The Doc's smile vanished, and he knelt to inspect Dante's knee. "A hundred men, and a gorilla?"

Dante nodded, wincing. "Yeah, the thing was huge—easily twenty meters tall. Tough fight, but we managed."

The Doc's expression turned grim. "And the soldiers? They're gone?"

Conrad shook his head. "Some scattered. Doubt they'll come back."

The Doc stared at them, his face darkening. "It's not over. What you faced today was just the beginning."

Dante frowned. "But we got rid of the soldiers."

The Doc sighed and pulled down a map, pointing to a marked area. "Those soldiers were pawns. The real threat is an ex-lieutenant of the Iron Fist. He controls the group terrorizing us. Only reason why he's allowed to continue is because the he and the Iron Fist have some sort of truce, for unknown reasons."

Dante stared. "An ex-lieutenant? What's that mean?"

The Doc took a deep breath. "He was once a top commander in the Iron Fist, ruthless and cunning. He was kicked out, for unknown reasons, but he got his hands on something very dangerous—an artifact. It gives him power beyond anything you've seen."

Conrad blinked, he was shocked and in utter disbelief. "So, he's stronger than the gorilla?"

The Doc nodded grimly. "Far stronger. And that artifact? I don't know what it is, but I've heard rumors—it's ancient, and with it, he could crush villages, even cities."

Dante and Conrad exchanged uneasy glances. They had thought they'd faced the worst, but this... was something else entirely.

They also had ulterior motives, they needed a reason to be doing this in the first place, for a village they've just came to today.

"So, we've got to take him down, right?" Dante asked, trying to sound confident, but secretly was terrified of a force capable of destroying damn cities.

The Doc looked at them seriously. "You'll need more than just strength. You'll need strategy, preparation... maybe even allies."

The young woman who had brought them to the Doc spoke up. "Please, stop him before it's too late. We've lost so much already."

Conrad nodded. "We'll do whatever it takes."

The only reason they weren't running away was the artifact—it could help them gain strength to fight the Iron Fist. And Conrad had sworn to destroy anyone connected to the Iron Fist, no matter their rank or past.

The Doc studied them for a long moment. "I just hope you're ready. This fight won't be easy."

As the Doc finished tending to their injuries, Dante's knee still injured and painful but bandaged, the weight of the situation pressed down on them. The village was safe—for now—but the real battle was just beginning...