The man is a goddamn giant!

  “Yes,” Tex said. “To fight for your village and your women.”

  Fogu stared at Tex like a living mountain, and then glanced at Utu and the others. When he saw the elves, he briefly raised his eyebrows, but his face quickly returned to its habitual impassiveness.

  Finally, Fogu pointed with his club at Tex, and his eyes burned. “You challenge me?”

  The whispering stopped. Tension hung in the air. It was quiet enough to hear the wind rustling the forest leaves behind them. The women scrutinized Tex intensely. Some of them gave him hopeful looks, but they sealed their mouths in tight lines as if they were terrified that some criticism of Fogu would accidentally slip out.

  The entire village came out. This included about 35 women, a few of them pregnant, and five strong men apart from the chief.

  Fogu finally raised his club and pointed it at Tex's chest.

  “If we fight, I will make you feel pain. Lots of it. You’ll wish you were never born. Walk away now and spare yourself.”

  Utu’s temper boiled over. “He is Lord Tex, the Prophesied Hero! You will regret your words, Fogu!”

  This revelation caused a sensation among the women, but it had no noticeable effect on Fogu. He merely glared at Tex as if Utu wasn’t even there.

  “I'm not walking away,” Tex laughed, as Grendel and Bmimi calmed Utu down.

  “Alright,” Fogu grunted, adopting a business-like air. “Over there.”

  He pointed with his club towards the front of the village. Then he took off his headress, handed it to one of his men, and walked towards the battle arena.

  Tex saw a couple of the men stepping into their huts and reemerging with spears. Others carried clubs and wore straps hung with daggers.

  Everyone followed Fogu and his men to the front of the village, where the women formed a broad circle around the chief and his challenger.

  Fogu swung his club towards the crowd, making the village women shriek and scramble away.

  “Back up!” he roared. “Give us plenty of space, unless you want to get trampled.”

  He handed his club to one of his men while Tex passed his various weapons to Utu and Neesha.

  Fogu cracked his knuckles. “Change your mind yet?”

  Tex darted forward, his fists covering his chin, elbows tight at his sides.

  Fogu glanced at Tex’s posture with mild curiosity and then shrugged.

  Tex started dancing up to Fogu and then dashing away. The chief took little jabs when Tex came close but didn’t chase him.

  An explosion of energy coursed through Tex's blood. He felt a quickening of his senses. It was already evident that his usual fighting prowess was bolstered by his recent power gain.

  Just keep your head. Don't get too excited.

  Tex landed a solid kick on Fogu’s leg. An angry groan rumbled in the big man’s chest. After a couple more kicks to the same spot, he groaned louder and gritted his teeth.

  Yes! Get angry, motherfucker!

  Tex’s celebration was suddenly cut short. He miscalculated. A boulder-like fist swung towards his chin. It was too late to dodge.

  The world rattled violently. Everything went blurry.

  Fogu’s massive form moved towards him through a haze. Tex threw himself onto the chief, grappled his way around him, and jumped onto his back, putting him into a sleeper hold.

  After about ten seconds, Fogu slumped to the ground with Tex on top of him.

  He staggered to his feet, still lightheaded from the punch on his chin.

  Fogu’s men watched with malice in their eyes. The women of the village were extremely quiet and still. No one said a word.

  “Alright then,” Tex said, still catching his breath. “It’s finished.” He took his rifle back from Neesha, slung it over his shoulder, and grabbed his club.

  “It's not finished!” one of the men sneered.

  “It is finished!” Utu fumed. “The gods have witnessed it: Lord Tex is the victor! You know the rules.”

  “The rules are different here,” the man said, turning to Tex with an officious air. “You must fight Sogold next, Lord Tex. Those are the rules. Please put your weapons aside.”

  A grizzled man with scars on his chest stepped towards Tex.

  “Nice try,” Tex scoffed. “He's got a dagger in his belt.”

  A sinking feeling suddenly turned in Tex's stomach. He sensed death looming behind him. The village women’s faces twisted with horror while Neesha, Utu, and the other girls gasped, “Tex!”

  Spinning around, he swung his club like a baseball bat, smashing his assailant's face in. The unlucky brute tumbled to the ground, still clutching a bone dagger.

  By now Fogu was back on his feet, hefting his massive club, chest heaving, eyes flashing with murderous rage.

  The embattled chief and his four surviving supporters surrounded Tex. Two of them were spearmen. But just as they raised their weapons, Tex’s girls attacked them viscously, forcing them away.

  This left Tex with three assailants.

  His throat tightened with anxiety over the fact that his girls now faced direct danger. His entire purpose was to keep them safe!

  But there was no time to think. The three men rapidly closed in on him. Two clubs swung through the air while Sogold’s dagger swiped from behind. Tex bobbed and weaved, swinging his club.

  Seeing that the second club-wielder was a little slow, he targeted him first. One blow to the kneecap, and the man fell like a bag of bricks.

  But Fogu’s club came sailing through the air, nearly smashing Tex’s face. He leaned back just as the enormous chunk of timber swooshed past.

  Before he could recover himself, another movement came behind him.

  He pivoted, and Sogold’s blade sliced his arm instead of his neck. Tex awkwardly jerked his club upwards and tapped Sogold’s chin, knocking him down.

  This quick reaction may have saved Tex a knife to the neck, but it came with a price.

  Fogu’s heavy club connected with Tex’s back and smashed into the rifle, spinning it into Tex’s arms as he fell to the ground, severely winded.

  Tex was sure some of his ribs must have been cracked, but that wasn’t what worried him. He clutched the rifle like it was a precious artifact, horrified by the thought that it might be damaged.

  A shadow fell over him. Glancing up, he saw Fogu looming, raising his club towards the sky.

  As much as he wanted to save bullets, he was clearly out of options.

  Tex raised the rifle and pulled the trigger.

  It did not fire.

  Chapter twenty-four

  TEX WATCHED FOGU’S club fall towards him, and then he rolled out of its path before it smashed into the dirt.

  Every muscle in Tex’s body rippled and bulged as fury rose in his chest.

  Grabbing his club, he flung it at Fogu. The big man’s hands came up and batted it aside, but it gave Tex enough time to leap to his feet.

  Lunging away from a swing of Fogu’s club, Tex saw that the big man’s legs were wide open.

  So he kicked him in the balls.

  Hard.

  When lives are at stake, anything goes. Tex just wanted to get these goons out of the way as fast as possible so he could make sure his girls were okay.

  Fogu wailed in pain. His club fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

  As swift as a hawk, Tex picked up his own club and heaved it up over his head, bringing it down onto Fogu’s skull.

  The chief fell onto his back like a bowling pin, but he immediately began squirming to get up. The fear of death was in his eye.

  Tex smashed him on the forehead, this time laying him out flat on his back. Without missing a beat, he raised the club again and slammed it down onto Fogu’s thick skull —once, twice…

  That was enough.

  His head was broken.

  Emi’s scream suddenly pierced the air.

  “Tex! Lookout!”

  It was that goddamn Sogold again, lunging with his dagger. Tex dealt with him quickly, spilling his brains onto the dirt. Then, finally, he cast his eyes around for the two remaining men, praying that all the girls were okay.

  But his fear was unnecessary.

  Both men were already dead.

  One lay on his back. His torso was painted red and blood gushed from his throat. Bmimi stood over him with one foot on his stomach, her tail luxuriously flicking back and forth as she licked the backs of her hands with a contented smile.

  Tex had already been feeling a little queasy, but that sight made his stomach turn.

  The other man had been pierced in several places by Utu and Zila’s spears. Neesha had helped them by casting her magic, which did not seriously injure him, but it slowed him down.

  Emi and Grendel suddenly ran towards Tex, screaming at him.

  “Tex! Tex! Oh, you did it! You did it!”

  He looked at their hysterical little faces as they jumped up and down in front of him, tears streaming down their cheeks.

  “I did it,” he said, gathering them into his arms. “We’re all safe now. You know I’d never let anyone hurt you.”

  They sank into his embrace, and their eyes glowed. He gave them both a kiss on their hair.

  The rest of the tribe gathered around, comforting Emi and Grendel, and Tex kissed each of them.

  “I’m impressed with all of you,” he said. “You overcame your differences and worked together as a team.”

  Neesha and Utu exchanged a glance, and Tex swore he detected a mutual respect burgeoning between them.

  “I… I tried to help, too,” Emi said.

  Tex lifted her chin. “You mean you tried to join the fight?”

  Emi nodded.

  “What did you do?”

  As it turned out, the two runts had mostly stayed out of the way, huddled together under a tree. Only at one point did Emi try to take action.

  She did so right when the battle was about to reach its crisis point: the other girls were struggling against the two spearmen, and Tex was taking hits from Fogu’s club.

  Grendel gasped in horror and clutched her spear against her chest as if it was a pacifier blanket. “Oh my gods!” she cried. “I’m scared, Emi!”

  The elf clutched her spear, watching with open-mouthed horror. But then, something inside her snapped. Her little face tightened into a frown.

  “I have to do something!” she cried, but her voice was so small that nobody heard her over the fray, except for Grendel.

  “What are you gonna do?” Grendel said.

  Emi’s little fists tightened around her spear, and her chest heaved. Suddenly, with her mouth frowning in determination, she ran towards the battle.

  “Emi, wait!” Grendel said, running after her.

  Emi flung her small spear as hard as she could. It flew a short distance and landed on the ground. Emi dropped to her knees, panting to catch her breath.

  Grendel threw her arms around her and helped her back to her feet. After that, they returned to their spot under the tree, clutching each other and occasionally screaming.

  They kept screaming even after it was all over, when they ran into Tex’s arms. Tex kept kissing the tops of their heads and murmuring into their ears.

  “You shouldn’t have put yourself in danger,” Tex chided, his eyes smoldering with adoration.

  “But I… I wanted to help,” Emi whined.

  Neesha stroked Emi’s hair. “We don’t all have to help in the same way, you know. You can help us with your healing power. Some of us are gonna need it. But you’ll have to regain your strength first.”

  Emi’s eyes brightened. “Yes, you’re right! I’ll rest — I’ll rest right away!”

  The display of affection that Tex and his girls showed towards one another made a great impression on the village women.

  Most of them began making their way back into the village, giving Tex long glances as they went past.

  But several of them lingered, apparently waiting for him to address them. One of these was a broad-chested lady who carried herself with matronly authority. She had probably been quite a beauty in her youth, but she was well past her prime at this point.

  “Where is your matron — your alpha female?” Tex said.

  As if waiting for his signal, the frumpy female scurried forward, her bust shaking as she halted in front of Tex.

  “I am the matron, if that’s what you want to call it!” she gushed. “Or rather, I was the matron, before the reign of Frigith — he was our chief before Fogu challenged him and took over. That was a long time ago — gods! Fifteen winters. But I’m showing my age. Hehehe!”

  She played with her hair, tossing it over her shoulder with a girlish giggle.

  “But yes, now that the chief is out of the way, the matronship defaults back to me, since I’m not yet 40.”

  She let out a nervous giggle, and Tex figured she must have been very close to the cut-off.

  Lucky her.

  “But let me congratulate you — um, Lord Tex, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, Tex. It’s nice to —”

  The woman gingerly lowered herself onto her knees as he spoke.

  “... nice to, uh, meet you.”

  The woman’s head was level with Tex’s groin, and she leaned her head back so that she was looking up at him, pursing her lips and blinking her admittedly rather pretty eyes with a stupid expression.

  Beneath that vision of faded beauty, her huge breasts protruded over plump thighs. Her tits were squished into the same bikini-style top that Utu wore.

  Dirty thoughts came into Tex’s mind, unbidden… but not altogether unwelcome.

  Well, I guess I could bust a nut in her, if I had to, Tex thought.

  “Lord Tex,” she said. “I am Weevol.”

  She leaned forward and kissed his right hand, then did the same with his left hand. As soon as she finished, three young women rushed up.

  “These are my daughters,” Weevol said, awkwardly getting to her feet.

  In order from oldest to youngest, each daughter carried out the same ritual of getting on her knees, introducing herself, and kissing Tex’s hands.

  “Thank you for the greeting,” Tex said. “I have to tell you, though, I’ve already got my own tribe — as you can see.”

  He briefly explained that he did not intend to take Fogu’s tribe for himself.

  “I am not going to continue down the path of Fogu and the other chiefs. I intend to restore the laws so the Aramantha people can thrive again.”

  Weevol and her daughters were taken aback and disappointed. But after he explained how it was for the greater good, they were somewhat mollified.

  Weevol nodded slowly. “Who will be our chief then, if not you?”

  “That won’t be for me to decide. It’s up to you and the women of your tribe to select the men you want. There are lots of bachelor groups around, so you’ve got plenty of choices.”

  “Then there will be a contest,” Weevol said thoughtfully. “A proper contest, like in the old days!”

  Her eyes brightened as she thought over all the preparations that would be necessary for this momentous occasion. Her eyes brightened.

  “You’re right to do this. It’s noble of you… but I must say… I am disappointed for my own selfish reasons. I was looking forward... to… But that doesn’t matter. You’re right to do it. Most men in your position would just carry on the same way Fogu did, trying to take every last woman for themselves even if it meant destroying the Aramantha people.”

  Tex smiled and nodded.

  Of course, he wasn’t doing it for entirely unselfish reasons. He hoped to get the bachelor groups on his side by dangling the possibility of mating in front of their noses.

  Weevol stepped aside and had a brief, private conference with her daughters. Then she invited Tex to come into the village for a celebration feast. Besides, some formalities had to be observed, even if he wasn’t going to become chief.

  “I would be happy to stay for the feast,” Tex said. “But I’m going to have a quick word with the bachelors first.”

  “The bachelors?” Weevol looked around in surprise. “Are they here?”

  During Weevol’s introduction, Tex had sensed a growing number of eyes in the trees. Looking up, he caught sight of some shaggy men watching him from the bushes. He recognized them as Yarolk’s bachelors.

  Tex yelled across the meadow: “Yarolk! Come out.” He winced from a pain that shot into his ribs where Fogu had smashed him. They were definitely broken, but he was lucky that was his worst injury.

  After a pause, Yarolk poked his head out from behind a tree. He spoke warily: “We do not come to challenge you, Tex. We came here because we’ve been watching Fogu. We didn’t know you would —”

  “Don’t worry, Yarolk. I’m glad you came. I want to talk to you.”

  The bachelor leader emerged from the trees and approached.

  “I’ve got a plan,” Tex explained. “I want you guys to go with me to Fimm.”

  “F-fimm?” Yarolk rasped. His face lost its color, and he looked like a man sentenced to 20 years of hard labor.

  Tex winced inwardly. Oops! That was clumsy. Come on, man, you gotta sell it!

  Tex was blunt by nature. He hated bullshit. But this was going to require a little PR finesse if he wanted to get Yarolk on board.

  “Fimm?” Yarolk said again, clearing his throat. “But… why? It’s a forsaken place — cursed! Many strange happenings have been seen there, which is bad enough. But the sorcerer Alok has lately taken up his abode in one of the ancient longhouses.”

  Tex raised his hands. “I know… But hear me out. It’ll be worth it. I’m going to overthrow the tyrant chiefs — Fogu was just the beginning. The old ways will be restored, and there’ll be lots of women available.”

  Yarolk’s eyes widened with amazement. For a second, he looked at Tex with deep respect. “So… you mean to overthrow Alok?” he whispered. “By the gods, I believe you can do it, too!”

  “Join me, Yarolk. Fight. This is exactly what you guys struggle for every day: the chance to win a woman’s heart and give her your seed.”

  Yarolk’s eyes burned with inspiration. His mouth formed a determined line, and he slowly shook his head.