Settling Scores

[Strazio Rockwell]

The dunes were particularly windy upon Strazio’s return. Whips of sand and wind assaulted the poor prime, forcing him to hunch over and pull his white cloak tight against his body. Strazio growled and pushed forward through the veritable whirlwind of sand and dust. He couldn’t see where he was going and hoped that he was heading towards civilization, or at least outside of the twister. His boots dug trenches that were quickly filled with shifting sand. Eventually, after what seemed to be an eternity the worst of the wind had subsided and the prime was finally able to see. In the distance a small town crawled over the horizon. Thirsty and tired from the whirlwind Strazio hoped that they would be welcoming to newcomers.

He also noticed several other small dots on the horizon, they looked like people, but the Defender of Darkshire couldn’t be sure. They were moving towards him, but they were still at least thirty minutes away, but they did seem intent on intercepting him before he reached the town. Strazio had seen this kind of predatory behavior before, bandits would often intercept people just as they were heading into town. I am not in the mood to deal with fucking scavengers right now the prime fumed to himself. It was odd, walking towards an inevitable conflict, both parties knew that it would end in blood long before they reached one another and yet as if possessed they continued their path. There were five vultures in total, they all looked seedy and shifty.

Strazio tried to walk past them, simply brushing them off in hopes that they would have the better sense to leave him alone. Unfortunately it was simply in their nature to cause trouble.

“Hold it right there bub” the grimiest of the five commanded Strazio, who, with a sigh, froze in his tracks. The prime kept his back turned, refusing to show the scavengers any form of respect. The pack of dogs surrounded the prime, who kept his head low and hood high.

“There’s a toll to get into the town bub, three hundred O.M. And we won’t fuck you up.”

Fucking savages Strazio thought they don’t even try any theatrics, just straight to the point. The Defender of Darkshire kept his head low, hoping in vain that they would leave him alone.

“Hey! You fuckin’ deaf or what bub?”

“You bettah listen to him if ya knows what’s good for ya. Ee’s gotta tempah” the runt of the pack chuckled. Strazio laughed slightly and responded “Oh? He’s got a temper?”

“You some kinda dumbass bub? This ain’t fuckin’ Camelot, we’ll gut you like a bitch” the leader of the pack raised his weapon high, a twisted wooden bat. The bandit brought the bat down, hoping to crack Strazio’s head open. Unfortunately Strazio wasn’t a bitch, no he was far from it. A bright flash of white light ripped through the air, leaving behind a shattered bat and a thunderclap. Strazio’s hood had fallen in the exchange, revealing his white hair and a wicked grimace.
“You’ve got a fucking temper!? I’ll rip your fucking throat out!” Strazio roared, a decade worth of rage poured forth. Upon recognizing the prim, the leader of the group stumbled backwards with a yelp. The group of scavengers stood in fear and awe, realizing that their opponent was the fifth place finalist in the Abyss. Before they could react another burst of energy tore into a bandit, mortally wounding him and sending red across the sand. Like roaches they scattered, each of them fleeing frantically from the prey turned predator. Strazio moved quickly, grabbing the leader by back of his collar. He slammed the would-be bandit into the sand and stomped on his stomach.

“You’ve started this, you can’t fucking leave now!” the Avatar of Rage growled and kicked the vulture in the ribs.

“Please don’t kill me! Oh Omni, please don’t!”

Strazio’s teeth clenched tightly and sparks of energy jumped from his body. He wanted to blast a hole in the parasite’s head. An idea crossed his mind, he would use this dog as a bargaining chip to gain favor with the nearby town.

“Get up...” he growled and pulled the bandit to his feet “now walk.”

“Oh...ok ok” the bandit whined as Strazio pushed him forward, towards the town. The two trudged forward in silence and the Defender pulled his hood back over his head. Soon enough they had reached the town. It was a shabby little town, looking much like the desert enclaves from Strazio’s world. The Defender wandered around with his “friend” in tow, trying to find the local law enforcement. The town was organized as if someone had thrown darts at a map.

Finally, after getting frustrated from wandering Strazio asked his buddy “where would I go about turning you in?”

“Fuck off bub, like I’m telling you that” he barked back.

“IF you don’t tell me I’ll just kill ya”

The bandit shuffled back and forth before replying “you try it and you’re a murderer, in fact...” The vulture began to walk away from Strazio, who grabbed his arm and pulled him close.

“Where the fuck are you going?”

“Heh, let go of me bub. Ain’t no one gonna believe you if you slaughter me. So you can go fuck yourself.” Strazio’s grip relaxed, he had a point. The seedy bastard faded into the crowd and Strazio sighed. He wasn’t in a position to god chasing after some two-bit bandit in a foreign town. The defender was left with disappointment and a sour disposition. He had a feeling that this would be a common occurrence in this town.

“How fucking obnoxious.”