Lord Of Beasts

Ethan stepped outside alongside Darren, who was gripping a shotgun so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Kaela sauntered out beside them with her hands in her pockets, looking as though they were heading to a neighbourhood barbecue rather than what was increasingly shaping up to be a shootout.

The afternoon air was dry, carrying with it the scent of dust, weathered timber and distant farmland.

For a few moments, the property was completely silent.

The kind of silence that only made the approaching storm feel even closer.

Ethan’s gaze drifted toward the shotgun in Darren’s hands.

"You guys have a shit ton of guns out here, right?"

Darren blinked.

"What?"

He stared at Ethan in disbelief.

Now?

Now was when Ethan wanted to talk about firearms and gun laws?

His eyes shifted between Ethan and the empty dirt road leading toward the property, genuinely questioning the man’s priorities.

But before he could answer-

"Let me see that."

Kaela casually plucked the shotgun straight out of Darren’s hands with almost insulting ease.

"What the-"

She ignored him entirely.

Holding the weapon up toward the sunlight, she inspected it with surprising familiarity, cycling the action, checking the sights, peering down the barrel before beginning to disassemble several components with the confidence of someone handling a child’s toy instead of a firearm capable of turning a person into minced meat.

"I don’t think-"

Darren stopped halfway through his sentence.

There wasn’t much point arguing, and it wasn’t like he could get it back unless she decided to hand it over.

He could only watch.

"Huh."

Kaela clicked her tongue in approval.

"Old thing’s been looked after."

She slammed the pump back into place with a satisfying clack before casually spinning the shotgun once in her hand.

"I like it."

Darren simply stared.

’Why is she... enjoying this?’

Meanwhile, the Association employee who had driven them over hurried to the trio, his expression growing increasingly pale as faint traces of Kaela’s violet aura began bleeding into the surrounding air.

He’d worked in Arkansas long enough to recognise trouble when he saw it.

And trouble had just arrived.

"J-Just a reminder..." he called out nervously.

"The use of Titled abilities outside Gates, approved facilities or authorised private operations is strictly prohibited under Association regulations, and any excessive force will require an immediate investigation, followed by-"

He never got the chance to finish.

The distant rumble of engines rapidly grew louder.

Everyone turned toward the road.

Two enormous pickup trucks came tearing down the dirt track, kicking up towering clouds of dust behind them like miniature sandstorms.

They didn’t slow until the very last second.

Screeech!

Both vehicles slid sideways before grinding to a stop directly outside Darren’s property.

The Association worker’s shoulders immediately slumped.

"Not these guys."

He recognised the trucks instantly.

Everyone around here did.

The Aryan Brotherhood had become a plague across large parts of Arkansas over the years. They had money, numbers, weapons, and rumours even claimed several Titled had thrown their support behind the organisation.

Local law enforcement generally avoided provoking them whenever possible, while the Association had far more pressing concerns than dismantling criminal groups operating far away from major Gate activity.

It was an ugly reality.

The man looked at Ethan, then Kaela, then back at the trucks.

Slowly, he rubbed both temples.

"Paperwork... So much paperwork."

Without another word, he turned around and hurried back toward the house.

"I’m sure they’ll handle it."

He wasn’t worried about the two Enforcers.

Quite the opposite.

He was worried about the people climbing out of those trucks.

"I’d rather be inside when it happens."

Still muttering complaints under his breath, he slipped through the front door before making himself as small and inconspicuous as possible inside the living room.

"Don’t mind me. I’ll just wait in here until they’re done."

Thankfully, Darren’s mother couldn’t hear the chaos beginning outside.

She simply continued smiling while Elara patiently chatted with her through sign language, completely unaware of what was unfolding beyond the walls of her house...

-

Outside, Truck doors slammed open one after another.

Twelve men climbed out.

Every single one carried an assault rifle slung across his chest, with pistols strapped to their hips and combat knives hanging from tactical belts. They looked less like visitors, and more like a military unit preparing for an operation.

Darren swallowed.

His only weapon was currently being played around with by an amused A Rank.

The apparent leader stepped forward.

"Darren. We warned you. You either come back to the Brotherhood, or you pay what you owe."

A cold smile spread across his face.

"A million dollars for all those years our brothers protected you."

Another man spat into the dirt.

"You don’t get to use us when it suits you and then walk away. You’ve got our markings carved into your skin, which means you’re one of us."

His expression hardened.

"Or you die."

A third man folded his arms.

"The only reason you’re still breathing is because your old man was one of our elders."

Darren’s jaw tightened while Ethan calmly listened.

With every sentence, the blue-eyed man’s expression grew a little colder.

’I honestly didn’t think people like this still existed.’

He’d met plenty of them in prison, facing off against many of them himself. But standing here now, he struggled to understand it.

’We’re living in a world with Gates, monsters, and superhumans who can destroy entire cities, and these idiots still think skin colour is the most important thing.’

Their ignorance was almost impressive.

Darren stepped forward despite every instinct telling him not to.

"I’m never joining you cowards. But a million dollars?"

He laughed bitterly.

"You guys didn’t even do that much for me in prison. And I could sell this house, the land, and everything my family owns, and I’d still barely scrape together two hundred grand."

He raised his hands dramatically.

"What exactly do you expect me to do?"

The men barely reacted.

They’d clearly heard every excuse imaginable over the years.

"If you won’t join, and you won’t pay, then you have to die for your betrayal, and we’ll take whatever’s worth anything."

One of them raised his fist.

"You don’t leave the Brotherhood alive."

That’s when Ethan couldn’t take it any longer.

The conversation had already lasted longer than he cared for. He sighed quietly before stepping forward, casually shoving both hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

"Alright. Listen up, you hillbilly fucks."

Every head turned toward him.

"You’re not getting a penny from him, and he’s done with your little club. So how about you all climb back into your trucks and fuck right off."

Silence settled over the dirt road.

Then they erupted into loud mocking laughter, with several of them doubling over.

One pointed directly at Ethan.

"Who the hell’s this? Your new boyfriend, Darren?"

Another looked toward Kaela.

"And who’s the bitch?"

"You planning to protect him with that little shotgun?"

Someone whistled.

"I’ll give you one thing..."

"She’s hot."

"I definitely would."

More laughter followed.

Insults were hurled their way without restraint.

The entire group acted exactly like every cliche Ethan had imagined - loud, arrogant, and completely convinced that superior numbers automatically meant victory. They had absolutely no idea who they were talking to.

Ethan slowly turned his head.

Kaela was already grinning from ear to ear.

She met his eyes, and both understood each other without exchanging words.

That ridiculous confidence and complete lack of awareness from the racist group were exactly what both of them had been hoping for.

Then, without signal, they both suddenly vanished.

The ground beneath their feet exploded apart as Ethan and Kaela launched forward at the exact same time.