[Tauren]

  This wasn’t what Tauren had hoped for.

  His powerful fingers drummed a frustrated tune into the wooden desk of the office. In an office chair large enough to hold three morbidly obese men sat the hulking form of the minotaur who was the newest Supervisor of the Third Rung for the Aspect of Wrath.

  His promotion came just in time for everyone else to leave; called up for the escalating war above. His reward for being the one groomed to be next in line was to stay behind and preside over the newest recruits. They hadn’t even fully renovated the office to make his own tastes before the mass exodus through the portals occurred.

  Sure, these fresh off the train recruits offered him a healthy amount of fear and respect. He was sure to take a page out of former Supervisor Dakuwaqa’s own handbook and squashed a disrespectful upstart in front of everyone. It had been quiet since then, peaceful.

  He balled his fists in frustration.

  There wasn’t anything to do. His main rivals were packing up and leaving in droves as well. He had been hearing reports of skirmishes and leftover forces being attacked, but it was nowhere near his domain.

  It didn’t matter to him anyways, there was a much larger issue on his plate.

  “I need to go now. Are you going to see me off or not?”

  Lams stood in the center of his office with her arms crossed. Why was she always the one that seemed to get upset? What had Tauren ever done wrong? The bitch, no wonder she’s down here.

  “It’s not fair,” Tauren roared. “I do everything that you say. I get my big promotion. But you’re still going to leave me to go to the upper realms. You and all the other traitors I called siblings in arms.”

  “How long are you going to keep pouting?” Lams spat in return, her voice thundering through the office and causing a few demons waiting at the door to run off in a hurry.

  Tauren remained unmoved by the provocation. If he were going to be stubborn about anything, which he oft was, it was going to be this. He moved mountains to get them all out of the Bowels. He made the first contract and used it to buy them better gear. And now, when the tides had turned and he wanted support, they were going to run up without him?

  It could not be abided by.

  “You know that we all have been working towards this for centuries,” she continued, softening her voice significantly. “We all have to find our glory in our own ways.”

  Lams slithered towards him and pressed her hands against his cheeks. She rubbed them gently, scratching in the places she knew that he liked. But, he knew these tactics of getting what she wanted.

  “Would Pooka or Azeban or I have delayed our departures if it wasn’t care for you?” Lams asked, pressing her face to Tauren’s. “We’ve been together longer than I was ever alive, I’m not leaving for no reason. Trust that when you’re called up, we’ll get back to how it was before except it’ll be our turn to support you.”

  “What if we have to be enemies?”

  “Then I’ll kiss you after I kill you,” Lams replied with a hiss. Her tongue flickered against his nose. “So, won’t you please watch us leave?”

  A snort of air left Tauren’s nostrils. He pushed his hulking body from his chair and wrapped his arms around Lams.

  “Alright, you’re right, you deserve to see me smile before you leave.”

  Tauren lumbered through the halls of the fortress, waving off any salutes that he received. He didn’t have time for all of the ceremony now. Though, he did keep mental record of who offered a proper salute and who didn’t. More importantly, he paid attention at who gave Lams lecherous glances. He’d use it as a way to vent his frustration once his woman was gone.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “There he is,” Azeban called out. The raccoon stood in the courtyard and waved his hand far into the sky. “Look who decided to come out of hiding.”

  “H-hey Tauren,” Pooka greeted, the creature’s beady eyes guiltily looking down at its feet. “Sorry you can’t come with us.”

  “Its fine, Pooka,” Tauren said, placing his massive hand on the shapeshifter’s tiny head. “I’m sorry that you delayed your promotion to my tantrum. I care about you all and hope you do well on the other side.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, what’s with all this sappy stuff?” Azeban asked with a chuckle. “Don’t you know that I’m an ugly crier?”

  “I mean it,’ Tauren replied. “I need to you to do well because when I move up, I’m going to kick your ass.”

  “That’s more like it!”

  The pair of them shared a laugh. Even Pooka awkwardly tried to join in on the laughter. He didn’t want to say goodbye, but it just meant that he had to do a good enough job to join them. And when he did, he’d carry all of the power of a former Supervisor. All he had to do was focus.

  A loud crashing sound shook the ground and made the entire camp look towards the West. Massive boulders went flying through the air and felt down upon the camp.

  “Behind me!” Tauren called out. He slashed his axe through the air and turned the boulders to powder.

  A cloud of dust covered the courtyard, temporarily blinding Tauren from what was happening around him.

  “Azeban, can you get a visual on what’s happening?”

  “Sure! Just let me get to a tree,” the raccoon answered, scurrying in the direction of the nearest grove.

  “Pooka, please turn into a bird and go above the clouds.”

  “Okay.”

  The shapeshifter lowered into a crouch before leaping into the air. Their form rapidly mutated. Bones popped and shifted and a set of black wings sprouted on their back.

  As they took to the sky, a barrage of magic targeted Pooka. They spun and twirled to avoid the damage, but there was so much firepower in the sky that they retreated back to the ground.

  “We’re under attack!”

  Throngs of recruits had abandoned their posts and retreated from the origin of the explosion. Most of them were severely bloodied by the blast and limped into the courtyard. Signs of shock covered their faces. He grabbed one of the demons and pulled them to face him.

  “Who’s reckless enough to challenge the Aspect of Wrath?” Tauren bellowed. “What do they look like?”

  Through the dust a smoke, numerous silhouettes appeared. Tauren went through a list of factions that may have struck against him, but struggled to think of a faction with enough firepower to be willing to strike out with an attack of this size.

  “Weren’t you all supposed to be hunting me?" An infuriating voice echoed through the smoke and debris. "What the fuck happened? Why are you all so weak?”

  Tauren’s teeth clench instinctively. He knew that voice and the aggravating beast who owned it. How couldn’t he know? That atypical asshole. How much did his actions cost Tauren? His materials, his time, his relationships, his standing within Wrath’s faction; everything in his life had been bent by this son of a bitch.

  And here he was, standing outside of Tauren’s base, challenging Tauren’s authority. Who the fuck did he think he was to constantly get in his way? This was a moment that Supervisor Dakuwaqa referred.

  It was time to take revenge.

  “Ishmael! You crawled into a hole to hide from us and now that we’ve all packed up you’re going to beat your chest. How fucking typical!” Tauren roared. “What fools with a death wish did you bring with you? My people need more experience.”

  “Perfect! So do mine!” Ishmael called back. “Fodder shouldn’t get in the way of the main event anyways. You heard him, Herzblatt, clear this fucking place out.”

  A wailing howl stretched over the camp and the other side charged at Tauren. The demons on his side looked at him expectantly. So green.

  “Don’t let them overwhelm you! Charge!” Tauren screamed in return.

  A deadly battle formed a ring around the center of the courtyard. Ishmael took casual, bored steps over the cobbles towards him. He was still cocky, the world hadn’t managed to humble him yet. Nobody strong enough had made him look down towards the earth. Perhaps this was Tauren’s divine purpose.

  “You know, none of the other bases have been that impressive yet,” Ishmael remarked with a yawn. “I’ve barely taken an injury. Please tell me you’re going to be different.”

  “I’ll show you why I earned this promotion,” Tauren replied, hefting his axe high.

  “Let us help you,” Lams said.

  “No, I should do this myself,” Tauren replied. “This is my job. This is why I was tasked to stay behind. To clean up shit piles like this one.”

  “A-are you sure you can take him?” Pooka stuttered. “He looks deadly.”

  “I don’t mind if they join in,” Ishmael said dismissively. “I won’t count it against your honor. Numbers haven’t meant much yet. If you’re not good enough, I have plenty of people that could use the training.”

  “Now I want a piece of him,” Azeban snarled. “Come on, Tauren, you made us wait. Don’t think you’re going to be able to deny us a fight now.”

  “Come on, babe,” Lams insisted. “Let’s fuck him up to celebrate our goodbye.”

  “Fine,” Tauren said, pointing his axe directly at Ishmael. “I’m going to use your skin to make some boots.”

  “That’s the spirit!” The lizard screamed in excitement. “You’re going to need at least that much resolve to survive the first round.”