As more of the dust settled, I was grateful to see none of us, nor our horses, were hurt, but I also realized just how large the Thran really were.
This one in particular stood well over a head taller than Irun, with claws nearly as long as my forearm wrapped around the haft of a large, two-handed axe. The curved blade was brutish, almost like it had been forged by an inexperienced smith who lazily wrapped the haft in an unidentifiable leather. Judging by the size of the axe's head, it likely weighed at least over a hundred kilos, though it was probably about as much as a small horse.
I admit, I was impressed at the sheer strength it must take to wield such a weapon. However, there was something about the belt he wore that caught me off guard, as the dried half-skulls that were tied to it hung like trophies, though they made little to no noise whenever he moved.
That's because they're hunters and trappers by nature. If they wore anything that made a lot of noise, it would be an issue for them to capture their prey, Kalia sent me after sensing my mild confusion. That makes sense. Buruz killed over twenty of them together the night we fought Nexis. But then, why is this one here alone? I asked almost instantly. Not sure, but don't worry, I'll handle it, Kalia sent us all with a nod and a slight scrunching of her eye through the slit in her helmet.
Even after two weeks, I still hadn't gotten used to the fact that she willingly wore that armor.
"What is your name, Thran? I like to know who I'm dealing with before I kill them," Kalia said as she began to step toward the massive creature confidently, prompting the large beast to laugh. "Hah! I never thought I'd meet such a bold warrior in this Realm, but there's a small problem, you see," he began, swinging his axe to let it rest over his shoulder confidently. "And what problem is that?" Kalia asked, drawing the blade Maikell had made for her.
It was nearly identical to the one she could create with her kataki, though I could only attribute how he knew what that looked like because of Athar's descriptions.
"I was told that there was an elf here who would be the most likely to put up a good fight. I'll still end you quickly, but I'll only give that one my name," the creature said, pointing his axe toward my mother. Don't take the bait, Siraye. This is how they operate, Kalia sent with an air of caution. I know. I started reading your memories the moment I didn't recognize the creature before me, Mom sent back with a wry grin.
"Give us your name, then, beast," Mom said, not even drawing her weapon, causing the Thran to laugh heartily. "You're nearly as arrogant as she is!" he said between laughs in blatant disbelief. "My name is Gheraak Grayeater," he said proudly. Grayeater? But I thought Buruz killed the last leader, I sent Kalia quickly. They take on the name of the clan when they become the next leader, though given his size, I'd say he should have been the leader from the start, she explained briefly.
"But enough of this banter. I take pride in my skills and I wi-..." his words suddenly cut off as Kalia appeared behind him, already flicking the blood from her blade. I knew my mother was the most shocked at Kalia's display of skill, but the sense of realization that the hegraphene might be just as fast as her poured through our connection.
"Thank you for telling me your name, Gheraak," Kalia said over her shoulder as the enormous creature suddenly dropped the axe and slumped to its knees. Blood began to pour from wounds at Gheraak's wrists, armpits, groin, and crooks of his knees. "H-How did you…?" Gheraak snarled, obviously frustrated that he was no longer able to move however he wanted, as Kalia leaned in beside his ear.
"Do you have any idea how many of your kind I've killed, Grayeater?" she asked, moving in front of him and lifting her helmet just enough to reveal the marked eye socket of her faceplate. "You? What are you doing here? I wasn't told Kalia the Annihilator would be here," Gheraak said with fear widening his large, dark eyes. "So you do know who I am. Good, then this will be easier than I thought," Kalia said as she stood upright, lowering her helmet to cover her face again.
"You said you weren't told that I would be here, which means someone sent you here. Who was it?" she asked calmly as if she'd been doing this her entire life. Now that I think about it, she probably has been, Ysevel sent, having read my reaction to Kalia's calm demeanor, as the creature struggled against its own body.
"You're not getting any information out of me, brak," Gheraak said through bared teeth, prompting Kalia to tilt her head to the side as a child would to a curious object. "I don't think you understand the position you're in, Grayeater," she said, shaking her head momentarily before reaching for the axe at her feet.
Gheraak's eyes widened in realization, as if the stories of her exploits suddenly resurfaced in his mind. "N-No, wait, I can ex-..." his words halted and transformed into a wolfish yelp as the lower half of his arm was severed in a single swing of his axe. Blood began to pool just beneath the wound, but the Thran could do nothing to soothe the pain since the tendons in his other arm were also severed.
"Damn you, Annihilator!" he shouted between grunts of pain as he curled his abdomen inward, making him double over. "I'll ask a second time: Who sent you?" she asked in the same, calm tone. It was almost unnerving to hear her speak like that, but I knew that if I interrupted, it would have just dragged on longer.
Gheraak snarled with a defiant glare and spat a large wad of spit at her face, which she dodged with minimal movement. What little movement she did use, however, was seemingly transferred into the enormous axe, severing the other arm at the shoulder. Blood sprayed out in an upward arc following the massive axe head, and I knew that the next time she asked would surely be the last.
"Who. Sent. You?" she asked, pausing at each word as she put her face right next to his wolfish features. "I have asked you thrice, and I will not ask again. Tell me now, or your eventual replacement will have to suffer even more than what you've endured so far. Now, speak," she said without a single hint of a change in her tone. The creature stared into the slits of her helmet, but after a futile search for any sign of mercy, he lowered his head in dejection.
"L-Lord Mideia sent me here alone, but the rest of us will not let you live for long once they find out I'm dead. You've made a mistake in killing me, Annihilator, but I suppose you'll find out why soon enough," he muttered with a weak chuckle, his voice beginning to grow numb and distant from the blood loss.
"Thank you for the information. You may die knowing I will live up to my name when I find the rest of you," she said, swiftly lifting the axe above her head and burying it in the creature's hardened skull, nearly splitting it down the middle. The spurt of blood and brains that rose from the wound was primarily due to the impact, as the creature's heart had likely stopped beating just before the blow landed.
As the large body slumped backward, Kalia released the haft and used the base of her palm to wipe away a speck of blood that landed on her helmet. "We need to hurry. Where there's one, there are more, and I fear that if Mideia already knows we're on our way to the Gramm Isles, the people there won't be safe for long," she said, ignoring the fact that most of us had never seen her act the way she did.
Athar approached the body to burn it with mana, but Kalia held a hand up to stop him. "No. Leave his body here as a message to the others, who I'm sure will come looking for him," she said in the same, cold tone. "R-Right," Athar stammered, still visibly awestruck at her display of skill and strength. "Siraye, please continue to lead the way," she said, already mounting her horse as if nothing had happened. "Of course, Kalia, but I am curious about the name he called you," Mom said, hoping to get an answer to her unasked question.
"Oh, you mean Annihilator? Well, it's not without good cause. After all, I lost count after killing over a million of their kind," she said with a shrug, causing our eyes to widen in surprise.
While I knew their clans had been at war for a long time, I'd never suspected there were that many of them. It was apparent, however, that my mother was in a deep state of shock at the amount.
"I-Impressive," she said with an astonished look in her eye. "I'll have to take some lessons from you on how to deal with them," Mom continued in a half-chuckle to herself. "Of course, but that will have to wait. We still need to hurry," Kalia nodded, signaling for the rest of us to get moving.
Devyr probably has a kill count that high, too, I realized, recalling she hadn't flinched at the brutal sight of Kalia's interrogation. It's very likely that she does, since much of their homeland was probably ravaged by these Grayeaters, Ysevel noted. That's fair, but how long do you think that's been going on for? I asked, nodding my head back toward the carcass. Probably long before she lost count. Although I will say, I feel bad for Athar if he ever breaks Devyr's heart, Ysevel sent with a disbelieving chuckle as she nodded in his direction.
As I glanced at my friend, I could tell he was likely thinking the same thing, even though Irun tried to ease his mind. It never ceased to amaze me how both mature and childish she could be at times, but even after spending a decade with her, admittedly fucked up, sense of humor, it always made me smile.
As we continued down the path that would eventually lead us to the docks, there was a slight lull in our conversation. I could sense that there was something she wanted to ask me, but she was figuring out how to phrase her question most effectively.
"What's on your mind?" I asked, giving her a gentle nudge on the shoulder with my elbow.