"You let Crossbones go?"
After Jill fell asleep, the Ancient One, fresh from a discussion with Mephisto, sat with Bul-Kathos by the ruins of an unrepaired structure, chatting.
Bul-Kathos briefly recounted the earlier events.
"Talic, come out."
He called softly for Talic, mindful of Jill sleeping on the hard stone bed.
To keep him warm, Bul-Kathos had placed a fire basin in the room.
"About today…"
Talic's soul materialized before them, hesitating.
Though he didn't regret his actions, defying the next Immortal King left him uneasy.
But he was fearless.
"No need to explain. Mokot made his decision. He's yours now."
Bul-Kathos held no grudges; barbarians were famously thick-skinned.
Once his anger faded, he reverted to his carefree demeanor.
"I mean, when you become the Immortal King, will you retaliate?"
Talic sat, staring into Bul-Kathos's eyes, seeking any hint of deception.
"When you said I couldn't inherit Proof of Shame, did I retaliate?"
Bul-Kathos snatched a bottle of strong liquor from Talic, brought by the Ancient One, and chugged it.
"That's because you later got Andariel's Oathkeeper."
Talic pulled a flask of Water of Life from his pack and drank.
"You always hide the strongest stuff for yourself!"
Bul-Kathos shot him a mock glare.
"When you all died to Baal, I was heartbroken."
"Who'd have thought you'd be the last one standing at the Battle of Arreat?"
They clinked their bottles and drank deeply.
The Ancient One watched with a smile, her bald head reflecting moonlight, exuding calm.
"Do you really think that guy can inherit your legacy?"
Bul-Kathos's gaze burned into Talic, his tone drifting.
"Don't think I didn't notice you wanted to kill him. If Mokot hadn't shown up, you wouldn't have stopped."
Talic snapped back:
"Only those who've waded through darkness can awaken the purest light. He's still too weak, though."
"I hate your kind because you spout nonsense about redemption. Don't the victims' lives matter?"
Bul-Kathos, irritated, tossed his empty bottle aside, snatching Talic's Water of Life to keep drinking.
"When have I ever pitied a demon? That guy's human, and he'll atone."
Talic shot him a look, stretching out his legs, leaning back to gaze at the night sky.
"You know Proof of Shame's power."
Bul-Kathos finished the flask, belching.
"I'm skeptical about its ability to instill conviction."
He pulled a gold coin from his pack, twirling it, its surface marked by blade scratches.
"How old are you this year?"
Talic's casual tone felt like a trap to Bul-Kathos.
"How should I know? Can you remember how many years you've been dead?"
Bul-Kathos replied gruffly, flicking the coin into the air with his thumb.
"About three hundred years dead. I remember guarding Arreat's gate for years before that."
"Why didn't you bring your wife and kids?"
"That damned seer said Harrogath's ancestors chose me, though I still don't know which bastard it was! They never said I could bring my family. Damn it, I was only nineteen!"
Talic's tone was full of complaints but no regret.
"Maybe you should ask Volusk's soul."
Bul-Kathos caught the falling coin, slicing his arm with it, then chugged from his potion flask.
"That jerk never talks to me. Besides you, who can get a word out of him?"
"I bet he chose you. Only his word could silence all the ancestors. Even mine doesn't carry that weight."
"If you'd accepted the Immortal King title back then, even Madawc would've obeyed you."
Talic reached for Bul-Kathos's flask, but he dodged nimbly.
"Legend says after Volusk became Immortal King, did he ever fight again? Wasn't he just chasing women, trying to leave a kid?"
Bul-Kathos spoke with no respect for the second Immortal King.
"I died in battle, you punk!"
A furious roar accompanied a heavy gauntleted fist swinging at Bul-Kathos's head.
"Talic, Volusk's here. Ask him if he's the one who called you to guard the gate!"
Laughing wildly, Bul-Kathos drew Merciless from his waist, meeting the Immortal King's iron fist.
"I'm Volusk, the Immortal King who kills barehanded. You're nowhere close!"
Volusk wore the full Immortal King set, but left his ornate Stonebreaker hammer at his waist.
"If not for these gauntlets tougher than monk fists, your hands would be shredded!"
Bul-Kathos swung Merciless, staggering Volusk.
"You're dead! I'm the Immortal King!"
He aimed Merciless at Volusk's head!
"You haven't claimed the title!"
Volusk finally drew his massive Stonebreaker, striking back.
As the weapons clashed, the Ancient One's loose robes clung to her body in the gale, revealing her graceful figure.
She conjured a mana shield, blocking the wind, and asked Talic, "How long will they play-fight like this?"
Able to discern Bul-Kathos's combat state, she could only call this sparring. Without the Time Stone, even this level of power would fill her with despair.
"Probably until Volusk admits he's dead."
Talic sighed. Volusk's arrogance was legendary; on Harrogath, only Bul-Kathos could talk to him.
He was haughty, unlike a typical rough barbarian.
(End of Chapter)
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