The Beast and The Brain.

J let us finish our meals before she finally decided to say hello to her…friend. “Go to the bar and stand next to him. Order a beer, act as if you don’t know me.” I nodded my head and went to the bar.

“Innkeeper, one mug.” I placed a gold piece on the counter and took the mug from the man. I looked over and saw J’s ‘friend.’ He was a young man maybe a few years older than J or I but he had a hard look about him. I dipped my head and lifted my mug in acknowledgement and turned back to drink. He dipped his head in return and did the same. It was a mutual greeting of drinking men.

A minute or so later J walked up behind the man, “Kegan, it’s been a long time.” J couldn’t see the man’s facial expression with his back turned to her, however I had a clear look. His lips froze at the lid of his cup, and his face was one of shock, not fear, but shock. He gained his composure, and his face turn to a cocky smirk. He placed the cup onto the bar counter and turned to J.

“Well, well, well…if it isn’t my darling-” J backhanded him across the cheek. His head turned slightly to one side, and I winced slightly from behind my mug. I watched the scene unfold from the corner of my eye. His hand slowly went up and touched his bleeding lip; he pulled his fingers away and looked at the blood.

He looked up at J, “That was…unnecessary my dear.” He said simply, “I’ve done nothing to deserve-” J backhanded him from the other side, and again his head turned slightly from the blow. J was strong, that much was clear.

The man, Kegan, snapped his head to one side so it cracked. This was a man’s way of saying he was getting pissed off. A small smiled played onto J’s lips, and she smirked. “Listen, doll, do that again and I’ll-” J took her right hand and moved it towards his face. He caught it and smiled triumphantly, but I knew what was going to happen before it even happened. J had once done the same exact thing to me once. Her other hand went in for the surprise slap, but he saw it coming, and grabbed her wrist, what he didn’t see was her foot, only instead of stomping his foot as she had done to me, she drov her boot down the side of his calf. I knew he had to be in pain, even if he hid it very well.

He let go of her wrist instantly. By now, everyone in the Inn was watching the little scene that had developed. Kegan leaned back against the bar; he wiped his lower lip with a cloth he pulled from his pocket. Then I saw the knife attached to the back of his belt. J did not seem to notice, his hand slowly went for the hilt and slowly the gleam of the blade became visible as it was slowly unsheathed. I unsheathed my sword and held it at his throat. It was the quickest I had ever been able to unsheathe a sword. “Not so fast. Hands off the knife.” He slowly held his hands out in surrender.

“So, it’s true then.” Kegan said looking at me, “J has actually picked up a little leech.”

“Indeed.” I replied, “And this leech loves blood.” After I said it, J raised an eyebrow. To be honest I was proud of myself for thinking up a comeback so quickly, and I think J’s reaction was saying the same thing.

“I don’t want any trouble here.” The innkeeper said, the rich people who were eating were whispering.

“No trouble sir, we will take this outside.” J said smiling, “None of this ever happened.” On cue, everyone in the room went back to their business. I knew that must have taken J a good amount of energy to do that so I decided to ease some of her trouble. “Out. Now.” I stepped back and allowed J to lead the way, and then let the man walk between us as we left.

Once outside J led the way down a dead end side street I pushed him up against the wall and held him by the folds of his clothes near his chest and neck. J stood behind me with her arms folded. I felt like a hit man and his boss. “So Kegan.” J said sweetly, “I am very curious as to what you are doing away from the swamp.” Kegan was staring J down, and J was simply smirking.

The swamp? So that must mean he has a power like J or I. I wonder what it is… My grip tightened on his clothes and I pushed him against the wall with a bit more force, “Answer her.” I growled menacingly.

Kegan looked at me, “Relax will you? J and I go way back, but by your reactions I would guess that you didn’t know that. If I were you, I would get away from her as soon as possible-”

“Shut your mouth Kegan.” J interrupted him.

“-Before she betrays you.” J reached forward and punched him square in the jaw. I let go of him and allowed J to do her thing. If she needed me then I would interfere. She punched him a few times, she held onto his clothes to keep him upright. After she beat him she asked her questions.

“Why are you here Kegan?” She demanded, “Have you been responsible for Jeremy?”

Kegan smiled and spat a mouthful of blood at her boots; J replied by punching him in the nose, “Answer me you piece of filth. I don’t like the fact you are out of the swamp, but I definitely don’t like the fact that you are so close to Jeremy’s. So I’m going to ask you this once and only once or I will force it from you the hard way, are you the one responsible for Jeremy?”

The man’s jaw tightened and his fists clenched, J tensed a little too when this happened. “Fine.” She said, “The hard way it is.”She looked at me, “Get him on his knees.” I nodded my head once. I pulled the man off from the wall, forced him to his knees, and held him there. His jaw was locked and his eyes were closed in concentration. J took her right hand and placed it on his brow. She took a deep breath and looked at me, “No matter what happens make sure he stays on his knees and make sure he doesn’t try anything stupid. He’s sneaky.” I nodded my head and she closed her eyes and concentrated.

Nothing happened for about a minute beside the fact that both of their neck muscles were bulging in restraint. I could see the movement of their eyes behind their eyelids. Then Kegan let out a whimper, it wasn’t a pathetic dog whining whimper, is was a whimper of total pain and defeat. I saw a small hit of a smile on J’s lips. Then it hit me, this man had put up a mental wall to try to block out J and she was breaking through. I also wondered for a moment if I punched him if it would distract him from his mental wall, but I decided not to interfere. This was J’s expertise.

Then suddenly the man fell forward onto his hands. The mud seeped through his fingers but J kept her hand on his head. She was winning. Then not ten seconds later the man yelled out in pain and grabbed J’s wrist, but it wouldn’t budge. He was yelling in pain and anguish. I had heard yells from the torture in the prison; this reminded me of those poor souls. Luckily, I was never tortured.

The man thrashed but J’s hand was like a leash, it would not let go of his head. Then, finally, she released and he slumped to the ground unconscious. J stood up straight and kept her eyes closed. I waited patiently for a few minutes. Then she took a breath and opened her eyes. I gasped, her eyes were bloodshot and she looked exhausted. “J your eyes-”

She interrupted me, “Well that was a fun challenge…if you could even call it that.” She commented lightly.

“J are you sure you’re alright?” I stepped forward, but she held up her hand.

“I’m fine, please.” She took a step forward and her legs gave out, I caught her before she hit the ground.

“J!” She was unconscious. I felt her forehead. She was cold. I moved my right arm to her shoulders and moved my left arm under her knee’s and lifted her. If I hadn’t gotten back my old strength with the help of Grace I wouldn’t have been able to do something like this. I left the man unconscious in the mud and carried J back to the Inn that was just a few doors down.

The innkeeper led the way to J’s room and was polite enough to open the door for me. “Thank you. She hasn’t slept in a while.” I made up the excuse on the spot. He nodded his head and didn’t ask questions. I placed J onto the bed sideways with her boots and legs hanging off the bed, they were rather muddy and I didn’t think she would enjoy sleeping in a muddy bed. I pulled the boots off and then swung her legs onto the bed fully and pulled the blankets around her. I knew that she had exerted herself to the point of exhaustion with using her power.

I sat down on a stool and wiped J’s boots clean and I decided to wipe my own as well. When I finished I looked out the window, it was getting dark out. I wasn’t tired though so I decided to go downstairs and have a beer and let J have a good rest.

No one remembered anything from earlier. J had taken care of that, so the innkeeper was friendly and gave me what I wanted. The rich nobles who were eating with their friends and ignored me entirely; they were too good for anyone else. There was a middle-aged man sitting by himself, and he was surrounded by three mugs of ale and was working on his forth. I went over to him with my own mug in hand, “Mind if I join you?” The man looked up from his mug. His hair was brown and had streaks of gray in it, his hands were hard, so he must have had a job in which he actually worked. His clothes were rich, but they didn’t scream ‘look at me’ or ‘I’m better than you’. This man, reminded me of my father. He motioned to the seat and I sat down.

“Rough day?” I asked taking a sip from my cup. The man snorted and took a swig of his. I thought about what J would do in a situation like this to help people. I decided not to ask any questions, if the man wanted to talk about it, then he would talk. I was right, a few swigs later he finally spoke up.

“It’s just, have you ever liked a woman so much that you don’t know how to act around her? Or she makes you feel like a complete idiot?” He asked me.

I nodded my head and raised my eyebrows, “You have no idea.” I looked up at the ceiling and thought about J. She definitely made me look like an idiot half the time…maybe more than half the time.

The man nodded, “Son, I’ve been around for a while. I used to have a wife, she died when we were still very young, and since then, I’ve never been interested. But a few months ago, I met this woman…wow.” He sighed, “I fell in love, but every time I see her. I look like a fumbling idiot; she always laughs at me, and walks away before I can speak to her. It’s just…so frustrating.” He finished his cup and waved the innkeeper to bring him another.

I smiled, “I know what you mean.” I told him, “I’m traveling with a woman, I’m her bodyguard, she’s too smart for her own good and it’s irritating. You can’t let them get under your skin though, or it’s all over for you.” I sat forward in my chair, “Do something bold to catch her off guard. Buy a bundle of flowers and walk up to her and tell her you think she is as beautiful as spring flowers. Then see if she laughs at you.” I slapped the table.

The man looked at me, “You know boy. That’s not a half bad idea!” He bought me a drink and we ended up talking late into the night. I found out he had a daughter who got married last fall. I congratulated him, then finally the place was empty and the innkeeper was giving us looks to leave. We were both just about drunk and so we decided to say good-bye.

“Good luck.” I hiccupped.

He nodded, “And good luck to you! Thanks for everything. I hope me meet again.”

“Likewise.” I stumbled up the stairs and fumbled with the key to my door. I knew the drunkenness would wear off in a short while. As I explained to J earlier, being a Beast meant that I burned energy a lot faster, and that meant the affect of alcohol wore off a lot faster. I pushed open my door. The embers were barely burning in the fireplace; I walked over and threw a single log into it to keep it burning.

“Nice of you to finally show up.” The hairs on my neck stood up and I went for my sword. But when I went to reach for it, it wasn’t there. Did I leave it downstairs? I don’t remember taking it off. The man in the shadows chuckled evilly for a moment.

“Missing something?” He stepped forward, and the small light from the fire lit his face. It was Kegan, the man from earlier, his face was bruised up, and I had to say he looked horrible. He probably wasn’t too happy about it, he was a good looking guy, but now he looked…well beat up.

“What do you want?” I demanded.

He smiled, “Oh nothing too much.” He said shrugging, “It was just very stupid of you to leave me behind while I was still breathing. J wouldn’t have done something like that. Speaking of which, where is she?” Suddenly my whole body shot back into the chair behind me on its own accord.

I closed my eyes and clenched my fists. The effects of the beer needed to be gone…and quick. I let myself turn part Beast I felt my talons grow out of my fingers, and I felt my eyes shift in shape inside my head. It was a strange sensation, yet natural to me at the same time. By doing this, I was burning energy and getting rid of the alcohol faster. “I asked you a question.” I opened my eyes. I could see perfectly, the shadows looked like light to me and light looked like dim shadows. Everything was reverse; my eyes were the eyes of a predator, the eyes of Beast.

“What a freak.” He stated plainly, “Why would J hang around someone like you? I don’t know what she sees in you, sure you aren’t half bad looking, but J…she’s on a whole different level than you.” I was confused at this man’s tone. It sounded as if he were…jealous. That couldn’t be right though…right?

“But J’s personal life isn’t my concern, now…where is she?” He asked once more.

“I don’t know.” I replied smoothly.

“I don’t believe you. I wonder why?” He said sarcastically.

I shrugged, “Maybe your little brain can’t comprehend the words coming out of my mouth?” I suggested. “Let me try this, shelet jundaz delt.” It was of the old tongue that most people have half forgotten, but being of a richer family, I was taught the old tongue, I never used it though, there wasn’t really any chance to. Now it just seemed appropriate. I just told him to go kiss his horse’s…

He came up and punched me in the jaw; I must admit I was surprised; it actually hurt a little bit. I let go of my beast form, the alcohol was gone from my system. Now it only felt as if I had one beer and not a half dozen. “Don’t insult me.”

“Do you even know what I said to you?” I asked him bored.

He paused, “Yes. I do.” He stood up straighter, “And for you information I do not have a small brain, in fact I am a Brain.”

I chill ran down my spine. This guy was a Brain? I was in trouble and I needed to help J. She wouldn’t be rested yet, and if this guy got the chance I’m sure he would harm her, or worse. I realized then that if this man was a Brain, that meant my sword really was at my side, I had just been fooled into thinking it wasn’t.

“What are you doing?” He asked me, his eyes narrowed. If J was exhausted then how was this guy still standing? And why didn’t he just read my mind? I closed my eyes and focused. I formed a picture in my mind. I could see my sword at my side clearly in my mind, feel the hilt, feel the blade. Think Asher, you’re sword is right next to you, reach for it, stand up, you’re fine.

I opened my eyes, stared the man straight in his eyes, and slowly stood up. He frowned, “You can’t stand up.” He spoke without emotion, and I knew he was trying to force that into my mind. I focused all of my thoughts on one picture, my sword. My legs wavered a moment, but I remained standing. Then without looking, I reached for my sword that wasn’t there, but really was. For a moment, I could feel the hilt, but then it was gone. Somehow, even though I was telling my brain it was there, he still had a subconscious control on my thoughts.

“It’s not going to be that easy.” He told me simply. I decided to stall. I had to take this guy out somehow.

“How are you still standing? J is exhausted, why aren’t you?” I asked him, acting as if I couldn’t move a muscle.

He chuckled slightly, “J is a very talented Brain, though she is younger than me, and though she is still developing her skills, she is one of the most powerful Brains in this world. Well one of the most powerful, offensive Brain.”

This caught my curiosity, “Offensive?”

He nodded his head, “Yes offensive, there are different categories of Brains. Offensive or defensive. Offensive Brains have their strength in taking over the minds of others, putting thoughts into their heads, etcetera. Defensive Brains have their strength in building just that, defenses. They are able to put strong walls on a person’s mind and they can ward off attacks better than an offensive Brain can.” He explained, “This is why I am still standing, and J is not. She is an offensive Brain. I am a defensive Brain. I did not try to overcome J, because I knew I would be unable to. That is why I put up a defensive barrier around my mind; J had to break that barrier, which took most, if not all, of her available energy. I didn’t need to use so much power. After all, I am the strongest defensive Brain that I know of.”

I nodded my head, it all made sense now. Then it hit me, he wasn’t an offensive Brain, which meant his strength wasn’t in controlling people like J. If I could tire him out then I could have the upper hand. Of course if we were outside, I would have simply turned Beast and killed him already. But I did not want to do that and destroy the building.

I took a step forward, “None of that.” He said. My legs stiffened but I concentrated on taking another step forward. I was able to, though my legs felt like they were tight and my muscles were hardening. I knew he was trying to make me not move. I could definitely tell the difference between him and J. When I had first met J she had made me believe I couldn’t walk with a simple wave of her hand, this guy was struggling to get me from taking a step forward.

I was about a foot away from him when I finally couldn’t take another step. Kegan had a light sweat on his forehead from the effort, “You’re a crafty little thing, aren’t you?”

I smiled, “Yes, yes I am.” I agreed. I reached down with my left hand. Even though my eyes were telling me nothing was there, I knew my sword was. I grabbed at air, pulled as if I had a sword in my hand, and swung out across his legs. Instantly he yelled out and fell to the ground, and in another second, a sword appeared in my hands.

“H...how?” He asked holding both his wounds on his legs with both his hands.

“Simple.” I told him sheathing my sword, “It’s like you said. Your strength is the defensive, so I knew that I would be able to tire you out quickly by forcing you to go beyond your natural ability. By forcing you to use your weak offensive power, I knew you wouldn’t have such a strong hold over making me think my sword wasn’t at my side. Even though I was unable to see or feel my sword, I knew it was there. Though Brains are powerful, you cannot truly make something disappear for real. So even though I went to grab my sword, I didn’t honestly know if I was grabbing at air or the hilt, but I took the risk, and it looked like a made a good decision.”

Kegan groaned a curse and then passed out. The wounds on his legs weren’t serious, but he wouldn’t be walking on his own anytime soon. I sighed, grabbed the sheet off the bed, and started cutting strips to use as bandages. I cleaned out his wounds and wrapped both his legs with the bandages. I then took the rope from the horses’ saddlebags, tied his hands behind his back, and leaned him in the corner of the room. I was exhausted. It was very early in the morning, and I decided to sleep. Kegan wasn’t a threat anymore, so I wasn’t in any danger for the time being. Sleep, was priority one.

I collapsed onto the bed and pulled the blankets around me. The pillow was so soft, and I drifted asleep with one large content sigh. You owe me J.