Tales From the Woods #16

Later. . .

Guyamo sat slumped in what had been his dining hall. He was exhausted, but the rebuilding of everyone's homes was almost done. Except for his home. No one seemed likely to lend a hand reconstructing his castle. He felt a flash of anger at his situation, but was too tired to maintain it. At least everyone had moved out, and his home was solely his again.

"Not looking so hot there, big guy," came a low, but upbeat, voice from the shadows.

Guyamo straightened. "Who is there?"

"No one you know," came the response. "Pretty sorry state of affairs. This hole wasn't much, but it was yours. And you let a girl, a pet, and an idiot take it from you."

At this, Guyamo rose from his chair and lunged towards the voice. A figure slipped back into the doorway. Guyamo pursued. He chased the figure through the halls, often so close to having the upstart's throat in his grasp, but always just missing. Finally they reached a dead end where a portion of the castle had collapsed.

"Nowhere to go now, interloper." Guyamo wheezed out. The chase had taken a lot out of him - he wasn't built for running - but it would be worth it.

The intruder turned and a big smile appeared on his large, stubbled face. "Of course there is: back down the hall through you."

"You think to best me in battle?" Guyamo roared.

"Well, I certainly didn't come here to die. Use your brain, though if you had a working one you wouldn't be a villain of his." This last bit was said as the smile changed to a sneer, and the stranger drew a small pistol from inside his overcoat. The other large hand reached into an exterior pocket and removed what looked like a cigarette case. The stranger calmly opened the case and removed a single bullet.

"That is what you expect to save you? A bullet?!" Guyamo laughed incredulously. The stranger's expression didn't change.

"It's a special bullet. See? It has your name on it." He holds up the bullet, and while Guyamo is too far away to read it, his name is indeed printed on the cartridge. "I'd have been here sooner but it takes time to make these." He popped the chamber open and inserted the round. Guyamo took a hesitant step back, but froze as the stranger's face took on a knowing look, making his smile even more infuriating.

Yes, he had suffered reversals of fortune recently, but he could not back down to one man with one bullet. Whatever the peasants around here though, he still knew he was their sovereign. He bulled forward, prepared to pulp the intruder beneath his fists. The stranger, still calm, leveled the gun and fired. Guyamo felt the sensation of the bullet striking flesh, but continued forward. Within 2 steps, his body had ceased listening to his commands. Looking down to see if the bullet had done more damage than he expected, he saw his body vanishing in blue flames. He fell to his knees, then pitched forward, and uncomprehending look on his face.

The stranger stepped nimbly around the dissipating giant, coming to an abrupt stop after a few steps, snapping his fingers as he did so. He spun around to see Guyamo fading quickly, but his face still faintly visible amongst the flames. "I almost forgot why I came here!" He reached into his coat again, this time coming out with a chunk of the rock Guyamo had used to seize control. "I wanted to thank you for making me aware of this mineral." He hefts it experimentally in his hand, turning it left and right, watching the light catch its facets. "Don't fret, I'll make good use of it."

With that said, he spun on his heel again and strode out, ignoring the flickering light that signaled Guyamo's end. The wind from the stranger's passing snuffed the candles as he left, leaving the now empty castle dark and silent.