Wait! I'm not a Demigod, I'm a Gamer!

Chapter 11: Truth

Back at Sam's house while Yuuya fought the bandits, Rick lays on the floor still stunned from Thorburn's attacks unable to move as the remaining bandit moves towards the cellar door. "D-don't you dare t-touch them..." mumbled Rick as he moves his eyes to glare at the bandit. The bandit merely scoffs at his pathetic form and grabs the cellar door handle, the door not budging. The bandit stares confusedly and grabs the handle with both hands while exclaiming, "Fuckin thing!" Sam pushes his mother and sister behind him, shielding them. Ruby sobs in Evelyn's dress, scared out of her mind. Evelyn tries to comfort her while trying to calm her own nerves. Sam bites his lip, trying to come up with plan to escape. "Dad must be knocked out or worse...No! Don't think about that. Focus on keeping them safe." They hear the cellar door being banged on, the icy barricade holding against the beatings. Sam looks between the door and his mother holding his sister. "I got to help him!" Sam turns towards his mother and states, "Stay here. I'm gonna help dad and the others." Sam turns to go, but stops when a hand grips his arm hard. "No! You are staying right here. It's too dangerous." Evelyn pleads while holding tightly to Sam's arm. Ruby hugs Sam, tears streaming down her face. "P-please don-don't go..." Sam gently takes his mother hand that was on his arm. "I'll be fine, I'm stronger now. Dad needs help." He lets go of her hand and kneels down to Ruby. "Listen, everything's gonna be okay. Yuuya is out there, remember when he saved me from that monster couple of months ago?" Ruby shakily nods her head. Sam smiles trying to calm his sister as the banging gets louder, "That's right, he's super strong! Those bandits don't stand a chance against him." Ruby slightly smiles, recalling the times Yuuya brought back large prey and several monster cores. "Now the villagers need help, they need a leader to direct them. Yuuya can't do that while holding off the bad guys. That's why I have to go out there. Dad needs help." Sam explains to Ruby while also trying to get his mother to understand his decision. Ruby shakes her head, not wanting her brother to leave. "N-n-no! Pl-please don't g-go!" Evelyn closes her eyes, taking a deep breath, accepting her son's choice. She grips Ruby's shoulder and gives Sam a hard look. "You better come back to us. Both of you." Sam nods as he goes towards the door, trying to ignore his sister's cries.
The banging continues, "You can't hide in there forever!" Sam exhales slowly, calming his nerves. He uses his magic to remove the icey barricade and forces the water up through the cracks, surprising the intruder. "What the hell!?" Hearing his opportunity, Sam slams the door open to crash into the guy's legs. The bandit falls over in shock, allowing Sam to use his magic to hold him down by freezing him. The man struggles in vain to escape his icy prison. "Don't move," instructed Sam knowing full well that the man can't move. He looks down the cellar door and gives an encouraging smile to the inhabitants below before closing the door. Using his magic to seal the door shut for good. Once that's done, he looks to the side and sees his father on the floor unmoving. "Dad!" He rushes to his father's prone body, gently placing a hand on his back. "Dad! Are you okay? Say something please..." Tears start to fill his eyes before a groan from the older man draws his attention. "Dad! Thank Goddess you're okay!" Rick doesn't say a word and tries to sit up, failing terribly. Seeing him struggle, Sam helps him sit up while holding his chest making sure the man doesn't fall forward. "Arrgh...That stings," moans the injured man. Screams outside draws their attentions. "The village...We have to help them." Rick moves to stand up before yelling out in pain and falls back down. Sam holds his father the whole time and says, "Dad no! You're hurt, I'll go." Sam pushes his father to rest against the stairway. He moves to stand, but his father grabs his hand in a death grip. "Samuel no...It's not safe." Sam smiles sadly and gently yanks his hand out. "Dad I have to. The village needs to get to safety, they need a leader. I'm the only one besides you that they'll listen to." Rick blinks tiredly, the pain slightly overwhelming him and breathes out, "Fine...Stay safe son..." Sam nods and exits out through the broken doorway, running to the center of the village.
Along the way, he bumps into a group of villagers, one of them holding an unusual staff. "Hey! Are you guys okay?" The group nods while the man with the staff steps forward. "We're okay, but Yuuya is fighting the bandits all by himself!" Sam looks behind the group, worried for his friend's safety, then looks back to the strange staff. "What's that?" The man looks at the staff and shrugs. "I-I have no idea! Yuuya gave it to me and said that it could protect us against the bandits. I just have to say uhhh..." The man explains, trailing off at the end. Luckily, a woman speaks up after remembering the conversation. "He said Imbolc." Once she says the command, the crystal ball on the staff glows a bright yellow and shoots up a few feet above them. The light spreads downwards like a curtain, encasing the group in a bright yellow barrier. The group gasps in wonder and slight fear at the unusual tool. A few shouts away from the group is heard, several bandits heading straight for them. Before the group could move, the bandits bounce off once making contact with the shield. Sam's eyes widen and looks at the staff. "Thank you Yuuya. You're just full of surprises!" Thankfully, as Yuuya had stated, the force field kept the bandits away while the retreating villagers were able to cross through it easily, puzzling both sides. Sam sees more villagers rushing to the shield and sees some of the bandits trying to break through with no success while the rest ran back to the center of the village where Yuuya is. Sam looks over the increasing number of villagers around him and yells out, "Listen everyone! I don't how this thing works, but it looks like it's keeping the bandits at bay. Head north of the village where my family's house is! See if you can pick up more people along the way." The group nods and heads north, some of the villagers noticing Sam going in the opposite direction. "Wait! Where are you going?" Sam continues to run while answering, "I need to help Yuuya! He's still fighting!"
Sam hides behind the stables, seeing Yuuya running around avoiding lightning strikes. Sam looks around and sees a tall man in a dark trench coat with one hand up, smiling at the destruction in front of him. "He must be the one in charge. Looks like he's using a magical item to keep Yuuya away. I need to draw his attention away from Yuuya." Sam quietly goes behind the bandit leader, making sure to stay out of his line of sight. Thankfully, Yuuya has him focused on him, giving Sam a chance to jump the man. He summons water in his hands intending to freeze the guy, however, two bandits tackle him to the ground before he had the chance. "Where do you think you're going?" "Why don't you sit back and watch the show." Sam desperately tries to escape their hold. "Sam!" He looks up and sees Yuuya running straight for him. "No Yuuya no! Stay back-" his thoughts caught off as he hears the bandit leader say, "Too slow," and a flash of lightning strikes right where Yuuya is, hitting him and leaving a pile of smoke in its wake. "Yuuya!" Tears fills his eyes, "No..." A few tears run down his face as he thinks, "This is all my fault...If only I hadn't gotten in the way...Yuuya would still be here if I hadn't..." The bandit leader shrugs his coat in accomplishment. "Well that takes care of that. Such a shame. I would have loved to invite him into our gang. Oh well." He walks over to the trapped human and kneels down to his level. "Thank you. If you hadn't have come, I'd never be able to get rid of him. Guess he had a soft spot." Rage takes over his grief, he glares at the man in front of him with tears running down his face and struggles more aggressively against the bandits on top of him. "You bastard!" The man simply laughs at his useless efforts and reaches over to grab his face, allowing Sam to see strange markings on the leather gloves, when a loud growl draws his attention. Everyone looks over at the pile of smoke, faintly seeing a shadowed figure rising, its eyes glowing a bright violet color that Sam knows by heart who they belong to. "Yuuya?" The figure looking less like a human and more of a beast. As the smoke clears, everyone gasps at what they see.
Tall, white-tipped, red ears twitch in agitation as the same colored, puffed up, bushy tail sways occasionally. Fangs poking out as a snarl escapes and sharp claws grabs the discarded sword. Yuuya stands tall in his true form, no longer caring in keeping up with appearances. Thorburn slowly stands back up, unsure what next step he should take. Yuuya narrows his eyes, seeing Sam still trapped. His ears flatten in clear annoyance as he positions himself to strike. The bandits all take a step back, including the leader, waiting to see his next move. Before Thorburn could raise his hand to summon more lightning, Yuuya rushes forward as if he himself was lightning, and blows all the bandits on top of Sam away into the stables, the men screaming before being cut off as they crash. Sam blinks owlishly as Yuuya helps him up. "You okay Sam?" Sam says nothing and hugs him tightly, "I thought you were gone..." A few tears fall on Yuuya's ruined shirt. Yuuya hugs back before his ears pick up the sound of stumbling footsteps. Yuuya pulls Sam off gently as he pushes him behind, acting as a shield for the startled human. "W-well! That certainly surprised me..." Thorburn starts as he walks side by side, not taking a step forward as he observes the new specimen in front of him. "A beast-man in a human village...Now I know I was fighting a human earlier." He stops walking, standing in front of Yuuya still a few feet away. "How did you do that? You got some magical item on you? Allowing you to blend in as a different species...Must be worth a fortune." Yuuya bares his fangs out as he speaks, "I said this once and I'll say it again...I.Want.You.Out!" The bandits behind Thorburn takes a few steps, some falling backwards, fearing the beast-man. The leader makes no movement, clearly showing no signs in backing off. "I don't care if you're a beast-man. I've seen your kind before and honestly, I'm not afraid of you. Especially now that I know you can wield wind magic. Big mistake." Yuuya narrows his eyes, wondering why showing him his wind magic was a bad idea. "I guess he thinks I can only wield one magic type. Ha! Oh he's in for a surprise." Yuuya holds out his sword, its blade pointing right at Thorburn. "You're gonna wish you never crossed paths with me." Thorburn laughs mockingly and looks behind him. "Hear that guys. He's gonna make me wish..." As Thorburn mocks Yuuya with his men, Sam whispers in his ear, "Listen, I think that guy is using a magical item. I saw some markings on his gloves. That must be how he's summoning the lightning without chanting." Yuuya nods in understanding, never taking his eyes off of Thorburn. When Thorburn finally finishes, he looks back at Yuuya, amusement no longer on his face. "Let's continue shall we?"
Thorburn holds one hand up, summoning lightning right where Yuuya is. Luckily, Yuuya picks up Sam in his arms, shoving his sword in a black space, and dodged the attack. Yuuya teleports behind one of the nearby buildings, placing the human down gently. "Stay here Sam! I'll take care of him." Before Yuuya leaves, Sam grabs his arm, feeling a sense of deja vu, and pleads, "Please be safe! I don't want you to get hurt again.." A tear runs down the terrified human that is softly wiped away by the beast-man. With a small smile, Yuuya says, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I got plenty of tricks up my sleeve." Yuuya gets up suddenly, forcing Sam to let go, and teleports back to where Thorburn is. The bandit leader looks up, surprised the beast-man appeared out of thin air. "How did you-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as Yuuya roundhouse kicks him in the side, making him crash through a wall. The other bandits charge all at once at him, however, he anticipated this and uses his earth magic to make the ground act like quicksand, thus trapping them all. The bandits scream and yell, trying desperately to escape. Yuuya grins slightly, proud he caught them all, before his ears picked up another lightning strike heading right at him. Instead of dodging, Yuuya raises his hand and uses light magic to create a shield, successfully blocking the spell. He looks over and sees Thorburn clutching onto the collapsed wall breathing heavily. His hair slightly messed up as his eyes full of rage and confusion. "What the fuck are you!? No beast-man can use more than one magic type, much less light magic!" Yuuya stands his ground, glaring at the hysterical man as he trips over the ground a couple of times. The bandit leader pants as he focuses on controlling his emotions. "You must be using magical items! There's no way a wolf man can use this much magic!" Yuuya's ears flatten, finding his observation ridiculous. "Ugggh for crying out loud. I am not a wolf!" The leader scoffs, "Whatever! Either way *laughs* I'm gonna kill you!" He raises both his hands, the markings on his gloves glowing a bright yellow. "Breaking Storm!" The marks glow brighter as sparks appear in his hands, growing stronger and bigger before he shoots a beam of lightning. Time moves slow as Yuuya thinks, "I can't dodge! The lightning will hit the other bandits! Doesn't this man care about his gang?" Yuuya glances at his ring, the demon lord ring. "Well if he wants to battle using magical items, then let's battle!" Yuuya quickly raises his hand and activates the demon lord's ring. The ring absorbs the lightning, surprising everyone, stealing the gloves magic power. Once all the lightning was taken, a moment of silence stretches for a few seconds before the ring glows and sends the lightning back at Thorburn. Not expecting the attack, the bandit leader holds his hands up, praying the gloves would protect him. The lightning strikes his gloves, allowing him to be spared, until rips appear on the gloves. "N-no no! Th-this is impossible!" Thorburn continues to hold his ground, his gloves ripping more until they rip all the way, turning to ashes. Without the gloves' protection, Thorburn is left vulnerable to the lightning attack. He screams in agony as the lightning strikes his hands, burning them in the process. The bandit leader falls to the ground, writhing in pain. Yuuya slowly stalks over to him, feeling no guilt over the man's pain. He picks him up by the collar of his jacket and holds him in the air, his feet dangling a few inches off the ground. "Now you listen. You are going to leave this place. You're gonna gather your men, leave behind any valuables, and never come back. If you so much take one step in this village again..." He pulls the trembling man forward, baring his teeth, "I will end you and your little gang. Do you understand?" The man shakily nods his head before being dropped carelessly. Knowing the bandit leader was vulnerable, Yuuya turns around and releases the bandits from his earth spell. He glares at them and snarls, "Get out..Now!" Shouting at the top his lungs. The bandits rush to the exit, but not before a couple of them grab their boss and drag him away. Once they were out of sight, Yuuya sighs and looks over his shoulder, seeing the villagers.
Yuuya turns all the way around, smiling in delight that everyone was safe. "Glad I gave them that staff." Before he takes a step forward, he takes a closer look and see many faces full of fear. This confuses Yuuya until he realizes, his disguise! Yuuya's ears flatten sadly and tries to take a step forward, however, his actions led everyone to gasp and scurry away. He stops moving instantly, remembering when he met Sam for the first time. "They're afraid of me..." Through the crowd, Sam pushes past and runs in front of everyone and extends his arms out. "Please everyone listen! Yuuya is not gonna hurt us! He saved the village!" No one says a word, until a voice yells out, "He's a beast-man!" That was the start, everyone yelled and screamed, "He'll kill us all." "He's gonna eat us!" "Look what he did to the village!" Many more voices cry out that overpowered Sam's voice. "Everyone...please...just listen!" Sam's pleads falls on deaf ears. Yuuya tries to take a step forward, however, an arrow is shot right before his feet. He looks up and sees the man that took him in. Rick is holding onto his bow, being held up by a couple of men. "Leave." That one word broke Yuuya's heart, he looked up to that man as a father. His eyes filled with anger and fear instead of kindness and warmth that he once knew. Seeing his father, Sam yells out, "Dad! Please wait!" He runs to his dad to try persuade him, but is pushed back behind him. "Stay back Samuel." Sam tries to go past his father, "Dad please! Yuuya saved us! He didn't hurt anyone of us!" Yuuya's eyes narrow in sadness, his friend trying desperately to help him. "I can't let him..." Yuuya speaks out, "I'm sorry!" Everyone silences instantly, Sam looks back at Yuuya, fearing what comes next. "I'm sorry. Everyone. You took me in as one of your own and...I lied. To all of you...I'm truly sorry." Yuuya bows his head, surprising all of them. Once he raises his head, he smiles sadly. "Thank you...for giving me a place I could call home. And for being my friends." Yuuya looks directly into Sam's eyes, seeing tears build up, "Especially you Sam. You were my first friend. I'm sorry I lied to you." Sam eyes widen, "No..." Yuuya turns around and with a shaky breath says, "I will never forget your kindness and love. I wish you all the best. Goodbye...Sam." He mumbles towards the end and slowly walks out the gates. Sam pushes harder to get to Yuuya, "Wait Yuuya! Don't go! Please wait!" No one says a word as the poor man pleads for his friend. Tears run down Yuuya's face as starts to run deep into the forest, getting further and further away from the village. The place he once called home...