Strazio’s nose crinkled and he shuddered. The scent of saltwater always carried memories of his childhood. Bitter, hateful memories that, paradoxically, held nuggets of comfort within them. It was these memories, above all else, that made him so restless. For nearly a day the Lake of Fire had made camp just outside Tulum, with many soldiers even seeking what revelry they could within the village proper. Had Demetri not advised him against it, Strazio would have had them march right past the village and further towards the enemy. It was a smart decision, Strazio figured, one of his lieutenants had even managed to sway the locals to their cause.
Strazio swore under his breath as a sharp gust of wind forced him to turn his back to the sea. At the other end of the dock stood some sort of horse-man creature, it was silhouetted by the village’s lanterns. A moment of surprise took him as his brain tried to separate the horse from it’s rider, but as he looked closer he found no such distinction. There was a strangeness to the Crossroads, one that Strazio had yet to fully accustom himself to.
“Can I,” Strazio said slowly, taking time to restore his resolve, “Help you?”
“Indeed you can,” Altanis said, moving forward, “My name is Altanis.”
Her name registered visibly on Strazio’s face. They had yet to truly meet, but he was aware of her and her position within his army. He hadn’t expected her to be so… equine in nature.
“Strazio Rockwell,” He answered, walking along the side of the dock, “Good job on rubbing shoulders with the locals, I was afraid we might not have had any diplomats with us.”
There was a small tic in Altanis’s composed demeanor, like an invisible splinter had been jabbed into her skin. It was small and largely unnoticeable, but Strazio recognized it. One beetle recognizes another and he realized he had said something that pissed her right off.
“I’m not here for your… compliments,” She said, her voice still even-keeled, “I’m trying to understand why someone like you would have been put in charge?”
“Someone like me?”
“Yes, someone like you,” She reaffirmed him.
“As opposed to-”
“Someone like me,” She interrupted, “I have yet to see you do anything remotely worthy of your station.”
Strazio swallowed hard. He had noticed two other figures skulking in the shadows. At first he had assumed them villagers, but they seemed intent on staying juuust close enough to be suspicious. He hadn’t bothered to arm himself, a bad habit leftover from years of being a weapon himself.
“So, are you and your two friends there planning on killing me right here and now?” Strazio asked, keeping his eyes trained on the two figures.
Altanis shot her cohorts a withering glare, no doubt for being so damned noticeable. She composed herself and said, “As if I’d bother disposing of you with my own hands.”
“As if you’d be able,” Strazio answered, his temper overriding what little common sense he had.
This broke through her wall of indifference. What had been little more than a splinter now was a spike and he had driven it right through her pride.
“You’re quite arrogant, for a human,” She responded, no longer hiding her open disdain, “Especially one so pitifully weak, I wonder if you’ll survive long enough for your arrogance to turn into regret.”
Strazio spit into the ocean and crossed his arms, “Fucking, try me.”
Even without weapons or magick he resolved to break her stupid fucking neck. Hell, he hoped her lackies stepped in too, it had been a while since he had cracked some teeth. Was he going to have to deal with some jackass trying to usurp him every single fucking day? Was this some kind of sick joke orchestrated by Doomguy to get them to kill eachother? All of this raced through his head, upsetting him more with each passing moment. But, above all, what ticked him off the most, what really set him off was that Demetri was abso-fucking-lutely right. Even if he killed her, her forces would no doubt turn against him as well. And more people would die just because he couldn’t hold his fucking tongue. He softened.
“Look, I’ve known you for five minutes and I already fucking hate you,” He explained, “But it’d be stupid for us to throw down before we’ve even gotten out of the fucking gate.”
She laughed, “You think you’d be a threat?”
“You’re not an idiot,” Strazio answered, “Say what you want, but because you’re not an idiot you know that’s not true. You kill me and you’ve got a civil war on your hands, even if you win, well, good luck against the unmade when half your forces are dead and tired.”
Altanis didn’t respond.
“So, if, you don’t mind, let’s kill each other some other day,” Strazio said and walked past her.
