Gauntlet

“The worst thing about my skin is the chapped lips, no one would want to kiss me, unless they had a hammer handy,” Hyde said, puckering to a nearby squirrel. But the squirrel didn’t stay to squeak his response, scurrying off as marching, hacking, and shouted commands, alien to the peaceful habitat of the forest, drove the wildlife off in packs to the deepest, darkest, corners of the woods where hopefully no human could find them.

But luckily, Hyde didn’t have far to go if he didn’t want to be found. Standing upright, his jagged skin and mud-covered clothing made him like an alligator, a fierce predator waiting for something to come into reach.

Watching through squinted eyes, it was clear these men were from the Capital, their buffed metal plating and familiar insignias were an obvious giveaway. That and the fact that someone in their party was clearly above them all. Literally and figuratively. A living skeleton of a man sitting on a seat being carried by four of his guards while five led the brigade with scimitars to cut down anything in their path, the other five with mechanical flamethrowers followed in the rear, to burn whatever was left.

“She’s not here you know,” Hyde said, now eye level with his hollow face.

The man who still had a thin layer of flesh covering his bones turned, his blond curly locks following shortly after, as he looked and saw nothing, well… he saw a tree, to him no different than any of the thousands he had already yawned at sense he had entered the enchanted lands.

“Who ever said that will have major deductions from their pay when we return, despite sister’s lying, I know those guards couldn’t have all tripped and fallen onto a poisonous toad.”

Swinging his hammer of a fist up to knock the pompous fool off his throne, Hyde opened his eyes wide so they could see him, somewhat clearly. “Leave this land now while you have the chance,” he warned, giving an empty threat. San wass the only person who knew Hyde would never kill a mosquito, let alone a person.

The Prince rose from the forest floor with shaking legs, “So the stories are true, there is a demon dwelling in these woods.”

“I am no demon, but I have no problem escorting you to hell,” Hyde bellowed, clenching his fists so hard the thick crusty layers of skin on his palm flaked and bits crumpled on leaves below.

“Calm yourself, callused oaf, look around, you’re outnumbered fifteen to one, now come quietly and tell us where the girl is.”

“She. Is. Gone.” Hyde repeated slowly so the feeble man would understand.

“Where. Is. she.” His thin lips mimicked, pushing Hyde over the edge.

Even though he vowed never to kill again, Hyde had no problem refreshing his statement with body language.

Moving his massive body at startling speeds, he jabbed at the closest standing soldier, easily knocking him down. It was clear Hyde could dodge with his speed if wanted but it wasn’t necessary. The swinging blades of a nearby grunt who saw his arm lingering from the punch tried to take the opportunity, chopping and losing his sword deep in Hyde’s formidable flesh. Unable to pull his blade back out from the scabby forearm, Hyde reached for the man’s hips, raising him above his head and throwing with a fraction of his might, sending the armored knight across the small trail they had carved and into a neighboring tree, its shaking leaves laughing from the vibrations of their foolish actions.

“No blade can pierce me, no man among you mighty enough to take me, so I’ll ask you again,” Hyde stated as he walked through the fear-ridden soldiers, pressing his massive frame against the fat-free felon. “Leave.”

“Hensworth, use that damn thing on your back please,” the man who looked like a talking beanstalk requested. His words were met by a powerful flame scorching Hydes back, reminding him of what the summer sun used to feel like when he was a child, a gentle warmth, but he quickly tried to remove himself from the flames, as the singeing smoke was not from his flesh but from the scraps of fabric he wore that stood the test of time.

“Enough,” Hyde commanded, turning to press his palm against the force of the flame, embers darting out ecstatically, expanding in every direction as Hyde’s hand came to end the fun, finally extending a rigid finger and pressing it into the nozzle of the machine. Forcing his finger far enough in that it damaged the valve controlling how much flammable gas to release, making it all come out at once to the remnants of exposed flame. Within seconds, the man burst into Icarus, too close to the might of Hyde. His screeching wails were met with more of his surprisingly fast actions, throwing his flaming body into a nearby brook, and steam mixed with the rising smoke from his body.

It would appear the guard was okay, but branches above his explosion had been exposed to the flames, as Hyde desperately jumped to try and stop the fire from spreading, shaking the soft earth below with every bound, making the unstable anemic man crack a thin smile.

“Well, it’s clear you could kill us all here and now if you wished, your impenetrable armor clearly is impressive, but I will now give you a counteroffer, come with us now, tell us where the girl is, or we’ll burn the forest to the ground, even if you kill us all today, the order had already been given to bring a hundred more men with torches here, unless I go home with you as my captive to dismiss the order.”

The smell of the burnt branches lingered through the air as a silent tension was finally broken, Hyde thudded to his knees placing his hands above his head, looking rather unimpressed by the checkmate.

The skinny sire snapped his fingers as the men opened a latch on the mobile throne that once held their leader, dragging out thick steel chains and large metal spikes to stick through their hoops, making sure to lock the links as they bent the spikes with metal pliers.

Confident in binding him, three of the men tried their best to get the sword stuck in Hyde’s arm out, only really having luck when they heated it first with a flamethrower.

Hyde followed the troop back out of his home, his arms locked behind him. They only finished chaining his legs when he stepped from his protective warmth, out to the cold world that had rejected him. Climbing into the horse-drawn carriage, a pit of despair filled his stomach, knowing there was nothing he could do in the end. He couldn’t protect his home, the place that had protected him for so many years from men who wanted to kill the monster.

“Sire?” a guard sounded from outside Hyde’s prison, “Are we really not going to burn this wretched forest down?”

“Don’t be silly, Archibald, of course I am, there’s no telling if that beast was actually telling the truth.”

Hearing this made Hyde’s anger surge as he flexed, snapping one of the metal rings by accident. Surprised by his own ability, he quickly tried his best to pinch the snapped steel on his side, he couldn’t let them know how easy that was.