Chapter 180: The Wayward Son
Chapter 180: The Wayward Son
Vim took a deep breath to keep his fury under control. Then, in what was somewhat uncharacteristic of him, he apologized to the aghast, horrorstruck lieutenant, whose eyes glistened as though on the verge of tears. Supposedly, this man had seen bodies torn apart and horrors untold, thus Vim did not believe he would be this wounded from a few little insults. “I…regret those things I said about your mother,” Vim began. “And also, your sister. And…your aunt.”
“And my grandmother?”
“Her as well,” Vim said as the conversation became even more awkward.
“They are all dead, Lord Alazar. I lost them all when I was a child. To a large monster that appeared suddenly in the night. They told me I was crazy, and they sent me to a psychiatric ward, but I know what I saw.”
Vim sucked on his tooth. “Well, clearly, I didn’tknow those thingswhen I said the thing about…you know, about how I’d use my…look, we don’t need to go over the exact things I said. I apologize, all right?”
“I accept your apology, Lord Alazar, and I hope you’ll pray the Gods treat them well in the world beyond. And that one day the truth will come out. Perhaps you will aid me in that.”
Great. He’s using guilt as a weapon.
“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about,” he lied. “A boss spawning right in the middle of Nelear twenty-seven years ago? There’s no way that could ever happen in Giant’s Fall. And you should stop talking about it.” Vim cleared his throat as he tried to get things back on track. “But anyway, the point I was trying to get at,” he continued, “is that I’m very, very disappointed in the progress you and your men are making. And what’s more, I fail to understand how—”
Very quickly, Vim stopped speaking. He threw out his right hand, squeezed it into a fist, and then opened it again, letting a bullet he’d just caught fall to the ground. “Wow, that one would’ve gotten you in the head. I think we’re even since I just saved your life.”
“Th-thank you, Lord Alazar!”
Seconds after he spoke, a barrage of gunfire came from the north end of the street, where he and the lieutenant were standing face to face and discussing the current status of the war effort in this part of the city. Halfway down the elongated city street, three windows blew out from gunfire and a woman’s voice could be heard screaming.