As he ran Obbst reviewed what he’d just done, the feelings, the actions, and the outcome, he paid especial attention to how it made him feel. Because he wasn’t sure he liked that at all, he was a Minotaur! Yet he’d hurled those balls of fire at the beastmen shooting at him with as much satisfaction as he’d ever had in beating down a skilled opponent.

What was happening to him?

Mages were cowardly, dishonourable, not worthy of a true Warriors consideration but why was that? He’d been trained that was so but they exposed themselves to just as much risk as any Minotaur, in fact more because they risked corruption as well as combat injury. Importantly how many other Minotaurs had the capacity to cast? All had access to the Fire Realm after all because every Minotaur was Fire and something else, why had no one else ever started casting. It wasn’t hard and Obbst refused to believe he was one of the legendary Great Bulls, he was nothing special just a skilled fighter who was maybe a shade faster than most. So why were there no Mages among the Bulls?

Once he put aside the trained in reverence for them he could think of one very compelling reason that painted the Herdkeepers in an extremely bad light. A melee only class of warriors was much easier to control when you had casters yourself.

But that meant the entire culture he was raised in was based on self-serving lies from the Centaurs, the slavery, the challenges, the place of the Herds… all of it.

He heard a chuckle from deep inside and Veldt said, “Ahhh, now you’re starting to see, starting to accept that what you’ve always been taught is not the way things really are.”

“Temptress. I have a feeling this is due to your influence in my mind, your Chaos links still active.”

“But you can’t deny that what you’re thinking makes sense. You’ve seen the evidence of it everywhere your entire life, the lies, the disrespect, the politicking for marginal gains that destroy lives. The fact the Centaurs rule every facet of this society and keep everyone else in their assigned place. Why has there never been a Minotaur Chancellor? Why has there never been a Minotaur Marshal of the Armies? Why do Minotaurs never rise above Commander? You know the answers but whether you’ll accept them or not, that is on you.”

He kept running, mulling over what Veldt had said, she was right. Had everything he’d ever been taught been lies? Even his fanatical and devoted defence of his Herdkeeper as part of his Herd was wrong in the glaring light of these realisations, Halas had never been a part of the Herd he was their owner. They’d always been slaves by a different name including Obbst himself, it was just tiers of slavery stacked on tiers of slavery all the way up with the Centaurs at the top.

No, he would not accept that. He’d tear it all down.

Veldt said, “You’ve already started, you idiot. What do you call attacking the Cadogan Expansion Force in support of a coup against the Chancellor?”

“Hrrmph. If you weren’t effectively impossible for me to fight you, I would not let your insult pass but I can no more fight you than myself. And you may be right… I will need to think on it more, but later because the drill fields are just ahead.”

He felt Veldt withdraw to the background, the walls of the drill fields grew in height as he closed on them.

The fields were unguarded, what need was there? Who would be stupid enough to attack the CEF themselves?

Obbst grinned, this would be fun. Not the killing, that was just sometimes necessary. The fight itself would be fun, he would be pitting his skills against as many Drivvas and Nrkka Drivs as there were on the fields today and their levies.

Excited to find out if he was good enough he accelerated.

*******

He ran onto the largest of the training fields. Recognising Nrkka Driv Krahgek he saw he was here today along with three of his four Drivvas and their levies and probably angry because he was drilling the fourth levy himself.

Obbst knew Krahgek’s Herdkeeper was a staunch supporter of Folscach and one of his closest cronies. Indeed Noble Trad would be attacking the Herdkeeper at his villa this afternoon, after attaching another one this morning. Actually with Chaos’ intervention it was probably now.

He’d find out about that later because right now there were two hundred rifles over there in those four slave levies. He may barely notice rifle fire but that much would take him down from the sheer weight of it alone.

He saw heads turning toward him, mostly slaves but one of the Drivvas was as well.

Roaring a challenge, he shifted and charged at the Drivva who’d noticed him, hooves beating a tattoo on the dusty ground.

The Drivva barely had time to ready himself before Obbst slammed into him, hurling him to the ground and trampling him underhoof. He was not getting up from that, Obbst had felt things crackling under his hooves and could smell both blood and bowels.

Shifting back in a battlefield roar he shouted, “Slaves! Fight and achieve your own freedom! Any of you who aid me will go free, on my honour as a Minotaur!”

He didn’t expect any real aid but it did serve it’s purpose and threw the levies into chaos as they exploded into fighting among themselves. Or at least two did, he heard bellowed orders from the Nrkka Driv and the remaining Drivva, the slaves in their levies mostly came under control because of ingrained training.

Bugger that!

Crouching his thighs swelled then he threw himself at one of the bellowing Drivvas, chaos would serve him much better.

The expression on the Minotaur’s face was comical as he glanced up far too late to see Obbst’s massive form eclipsing the sun.

Feet first he landed on the Drivva who collapsed like a puppet with his strings cut.

Standing on the ruined corpse he bellowed, “I’m fighting for you! Will you fight for me!”

Chaos spread among the ranks of the levies as three levies mostly turned their rifles on the final levy and the Nrkka Driv, who bellowed in rage.

Krahgek’s rage-reddened eyes locked onto Obbst and he roared a challenge, Obbst roared back denying the challenge as it was from someone unworthy to challenge him.

A roar even louder than before burst from Krahgek’s throat and he swelled in rage. Void tinged flames crawled over him as he bolted through the few slaves who’d got in the way, flinging them down and crushing them underfoot.

Obbst set himself to receive the charge, golden light covering his body as his muscles swelled with fiery power.

They came together with a rifleshot crack as their shielded bodies slammed into each other.

A sound like sizzling bacon came from their shields as they directly strove against each other, Void was oppositional to everything and highly corrosive.

Obbst knew his shield wouldn’t last but it didn’t have to. Pushing one leg past Krahgek he pivoted his hips and hurled him to the ground. Obbst had fought him so many times before and he always tried to simply overwhelm the shield with Void’s caustic touch, such a one trick bull.

Before he could close on him the other Nrkka Driv bounced up and his eyes narrowed, Obbst was suddenly concerned. Krahgek was thinking and that couldn’t be good.

Krahgek said, “You were locked away, how are you here?”

Incredulous Obbst snorted and said, “I escaped, moron.”

Krahgek looked shocked as he said, “That is dishonourable! You have forfeited all honour.”

Obbst growled out, “Like they did when they blocked my magic, like they did when my Herd was slaughtered without a declaration of war, like they did when I was murdered by mercenaries paid by Folscach, like they did when my Herdkeeper was raised as a monster. I have lost no honour, you can’t in destroying the honourless. That was why I denied your challenge I assumed as one of Folscach’s lackeys you knew!”

“What? Murdered? Your Herdkeeper raised into undeath? Your Herd slaughtered without a notice of war?… I know none of this and would stand by none of it. It is disgusting. Without honour our lives became nothing.”

Snorting Obbst said, “You can believe me or not as you choose but all I have said is the plain truth, your keeper’s master is the one behind all of these and I will see him brought low for it.”

“If your words are truth I cannot support any of it, it is monstrous, wrong.”

“Well stand down and walk away then and live. I don’t want to kill you but will if I must.” He abruptly realised the fighting around them had ended and the salves were standing there watching intently. “I gave my word these slaves would go free if they aided me in this fight, will you stand in the way of me honouring my word?”

He looked at Obbst levelly and said, “I reinstate the denied challenge. You win they walk free and I will take myself out of the city and away from any fighting. I win you return to your cell they return to the barracks and you await my investigation of the circumstances.”

Obbst grinned and said, “Fine by me. But I cannot return to my cell because that building is no more, the guards were unwilling to surrender and I may have become a little incensed at their cowardly hiding and sniping.”

“More fool them then. Fine in a cell of your choosing or under house arrest at an inn I don’t care I will trust to your honour when you lose.”

Obbst chuckled and said, “When! I like your confidence as unwarranted as it is. You, former slaves, form a circle of honour and observe. I’m fighting for you but you will not interfere. Am I understood?”

As they spread out in a large circle there were nods all around.

Throwing his arms wide Obbst roared at Krahgek, who responded in kind.

As the challenger Krahgek had to wait for Obbst’s attack which he did with a superior smirk.

A smirk that was wiped from his face as Obbst’s fist shattered the sparkling black Void shield over his skin.

Recoiling Krahgek threw himself backward and said, “Hrrm. You’ve improved.”

Obbst said nothing just danced forward, fists up and weaving as his hooves flickered.

Ducking behind his arms Krahgek blocked away the first few punches, then threw a vicious low kick to Obbst’s leg.

His golden shield blocked it, easily.

Krahgek closed in, arms wide and Void tainted flames dancing over his skin as he tried to grapple with Obbst.

Who backpedalled away from him, grinning.

His turn.

Dashing forward he threw a left, when Krahgek jinked it his right flicked out in a jab which just barely tagged the larger and older Minotaur’s cheek.

He ducked under the return hard right, slipped the following up left, weaved past the next left then sprawled as Krahgek ducked to grab his legs. Nope not happening, a grapple played to Krahgek’s strengths far too much.

Pushing explosively with his arms Obbst threw himself backwards away from his grab happy opponent.

Crouching he pushed off with his legs and threw himself toward his opponent violently, catching him just enough off guard to catch Krahgek with his shoulder.

The older Minotaur grunted as it caught him in the gut and drove his breath from his lungs rocking him back on his hooves.

That was the beginning of the end after a few more blurred exchanges it was clear that the shoulder in his gut had broken something and Krahgek was getting winded.

He slowed enough that more and more punches were landing and soon blood was showing as his skin split under the constant punishment.

It was not too much longer before he held up a hand and said, “Enough! You win, I would not be crippled in an honour challenge. I concede.”

Obbst blew out a breath as reason returned to his eyes.

He bowed saying, “You fought well and with honour, our matters are settled.”

The older Minotaur returned the bow and said, “Our matters are settled.”

Blowing out a breath Obbst said, “BY Gorgorot’s BALLS I enjoyed that! It’s been a long time since I last fought someone who knew the rules and the expectations in a fight. I’m not sorry to say I lost myself a little in the joy of it.”

Krahgek shrugged and said, “I’ll be weeks healing from this but I can’t say I’m unhappy about it, the better fighter won.”

“That I did, but there is no shame in how you fought. If I may ask a favour I have other matters to attend to this afternoon, could you escort the freemen out of the city, contact the Iaernide and have them deal with them. I am sure they will be happy too as they have in other cases with suddenly freed slaves.”

Krahgek said, “Absolutely, but you’d best tell them to listen to me or I may have to kill some of them.”

Obbst grunted and said, “You heard the Minotaur, he has stated on his honour that you are free men and you know if challenged he will now fight for you. Don’t give him any grief as he takes you out of the city. Of course you are free to do as you like I would suggest getting out of the city until your status can be transmitted to the relevant bureau in the government or you may be captured and treated as runaways. You don't want that.”

Looking around there were a lot of nodding heads, none of these slaves were green they knew how the Minotaurs and the Cadogan Confederacy worked. Krahgek would have no trouble from them, probably.