"Bul-Kathos, they're Hydra! Pure evil! You can't let them go!"
Coulson didn't even let out a scream. His grit impressed Bul-Kathos, shifting his view of the man slightly.
Even now, Coulson was focused on taking these guys down—something that caught Bul-Kathos off guard.
Coulson thrashed violently, as if trying to provoke the agents into shooting him, giving Bul-Kathos an opening to end the Hydra goons once and for all.
Clearly, Coulson still hadn't figured out why Bul-Kathos hadn't already dealt with them.
To a barbarian like Bul-Kathos, Coulson's actions screamed betrayal. In the Sanctuary, humans dealt with each other openly, directly. He wasn't used to the spy world, where everyone suspected everyone else.
Coulson's shout made Bul-Kathos nod slightly. He decided to give him one more chance—a chance to explain himself.
At the very least, he wanted Coulson to say, in his own words, what he was thinking when he aimed that gun at him.
The bullet in Bul-Kathos's hand split evenly into three pieces under his strength. The three agents collapsed, unconscious.
Their guns fired reflexively, but Coulson was already in Bul-Kathos's grip.
Where Bul-Kathos had stood, two half-inch-deep footprints marked the ground. With a quick charge, he'd neutralized the problem.
On the table inside, Baalza's shrunken head greedily sucked in air—God knows where it went without a body.
Bul-Kathos tossed Coulson to the ground.
"So, what were you thinking when you pointed that gun at me?"
His hand reached instinctively into his pack for a bottle of liquor, only to remember he'd drained them all.
Finding nothing, he considered slicing his arm to drink from a blood vial.
As for Coulson's leg wound? Not a priority.
The necklace Coulson wore would heal the injury soon enough, though Bul-Kathos forgot about the bullet still lodged inside.
"Would you believe me if I said it was just instinct?"
Coulson gave a wry smile, pulling his phone from his pocket. He needed to contact Fury ASAP to report the Hydra situation.
The chaos had hit him hard, and he was still piecing together his thoughts. Now, he was starting to believe Bul-Kathos's stories.
In the distance, Matt Murdock tapped his cane against the ground, moving like any ordinary blind man.
In his hand was a bottle of decent-looking red wine.
He'd come looking for Luke, who'd mentioned heading to Bul-Kathos's place. With some free time, Matt figured he'd swing by Mount Harrogath to seek more guidance from Rhyker.
While he was at it, he wanted Bul-Kathos's take on handling Baalza. Matt's vote was to wipe the demon out completely.
Luke, however, disagreed.
But as Matt neared the blacksmith shop, the thick stench of blood hit him.
"Bul-Kathos, if you need legal help, I've got you covered."
Matt Murdock hadn't forgotten that, alongside being a warrior, he was a damn good lawyer.
"Perfect. I hear you need to know how to dodge taxes to live in this place."
Bul-Kathos hadn't even considered that his shop hadn't made a single sale lately.
He sat calmly at the table, then slammed his hand down on Baalza's pendant, embedding it into the wood.
The demon's forging wasn't complete. Once it was, Baalza would be reduced to nothing but a talking trinket.
The souls of the dead Hydra agents had been devoured by Baalza, and that pissed Bul-Kathos off.
Even if they were scum, their souls didn't belong in a demon's gullet.
His slap forced a long exhale from Baalza, and the souls vanished from the world.
"I think it's time you cooled off in a toilet."
Bul-Kathos pried the Baalza pendant from the table. Whether Luke would mind the pendant's toilet bath wasn't his concern.
Before handing it over, it'd face fire and another round of forging—good as new, no questions asked.
Matt, meanwhile, broke into a cold sweat, wondering what he'd done to earn such treatment from Bul-Kathos.
Unable to sense or see legendary gear like Baalza, he hadn't noticed the pendant on the table and was genuinely spooked.
From his time at Mount Harrogath, he knew Bul-Kathos was a man of his word. Now Matt was frantically wondering how to stay calm in a toilet.
Coulson's phone finally connected. Before he could report, Fury's voice came through.
"Coulson, go dark now! The enemies in S.H.I.E.L.D. are moving. They're Hydra!"
Coulson froze, managing only a "Roger" before the line went dead, cutting off his chance to share what had just happened.
He knew a few safehouse locations, all provided by Fury.
For now, that'd have to do. He just needed to wait for Fury to find him.
Though, honestly, Coulson felt safest sticking with Bul-Kathos. Too bad he didn't want to drag uninvolved people into this mess.
"What'd I do?"
Matt's voice trembled as he asked.
"Not talking to you. Don't overthink it."
Bul-Kathos didn't look back, heading toward the bathroom with Baalza's pendant in hand.
Despite its old-school blacksmith vibe, the shop had modern amenities.
Matt tapped his cane and sat at the table, setting the red wine down.
The stench of blood outside made him frown.
He could sense Coulson's presence but figured now wasn't the time to weigh in.
Coulson stared at the corpses littering the ground, a headache brewing. S.H.I.E.L.D. was a mess, and even calling a cleanup crew risked drawing more Hydra agents. The bodies were a problem, but he couldn't just leave them.
So he dialed Rumlow.
After every mission report, Coulson received files from Rumlow to help with his task of contacting Bul-Kathos.
Since Rumlow's reports mentioned initial contact with the barbarian, having him handle cleanup seemed reasonable.
At least Rumlow, knowing the barbarian's power, wouldn't screw it up.
That's what Coulson figured.
(End of Chapter)
------------------------------
🌟 Hi everyone! 🌟
If you love my work and want to support me on this creative journey, you can support me here: [patreon.com/DaoistRoeoNQ] 💖
By joining, you will get access to exclusive content, behind-the-scenes updates, and some special perks that I have prepared just for you. Every support really means a lot and helps me strive every day! 🙏✨