Chapter 45: Options

"Xzavier my boy, you have to tell us what happened. There must be some sort of guardian angel hovering over you my friend…."

Xzavier welcomed the distraction wholeheartedly. He was a brilliant soldier with a fine analytical mind, but it had been a really long time since he had been tongue tied. Yet, Tacy had managed to put him in a position where he was at a loss as to what to say.

So, when the old man offered him a way out of the precarious situation which Tacy had lured him into. Anxious to change the topic, he latched on to Kadin's soft jab and replied the old man:

"Old man, get on with it, what are you trying to say now?"

Kadin grinned.

"You're one lucky son of a gun Xzavier. Most people who are audacious enough to engage the chief orc in a battle never live to tell the tale. You my dear Xzavier should really thank God…"

Xzavier listened to the crafty old man speak. Behind his dicey words and his acidic tone, there was some hidden information which he kept to himself. As a perceptive man whose thinking faculties were top notch, Xzavier picked up on the fact that the old man definitely knew something about the chief orc. This didn't come as a total surprise to Xzavier. Considering the fact that Kadin had been in this business for a long time, the probability of him having access to hidden information was very likely.

Xzavier eyed the old man warily. Though Kadin tried to hide it, there was an unmistakable glimmer in his eyes when he mentioned that Xzavier was lucky to have escaped the chief orc's wrath. Xzavier immediately concluded that the old man knew something.

Asides from the fact that he was driven by a sense of justice, Xzavier was also a terrible loser. He had been trained to avoid failure at all costs and court success. So if there was any inside information that could potentially give him an edge, Xzavier was going to grab it with both hands.

"Kadin…" he started on a serious note;

"…do you by chance know anything about any weakness this chief orc might have?"

Kadin was taken unaware by Xzavier's sudden question. It reeked of vengeance and the desire to get even. Could he truly be planning on fighting the orc despite the fact that he had only been spared by some cosmic interference. Kadin's joking face quickly morphed into a stale expression. The mood had shifted from a happy reunion to something else. He looked at Xzavier questioningly and sighed aloud;

"Surely you must be mad Xzavier! Are you really thinking of going back? Are you?!"

Though Xzavier could tell that the old man was dead serious, he couldn't resist laughing a little. The look of horror on Kadin's face, as well as the hysterical way with which he had accosted him casted the old man in a ridiculous light. The old man was truly concerned, and the basis of his concern was rooted in fright.

Xzavier wasn't insensitive. In fact, he was cognizant of the older man's feelings. But that wasn't going to deter him from the course he had already charted in his mind.

"What's the matter Kadin? Surely you didn't think this was over right?" Xzavier said as he laughed softly.

Kadin was horrified.

The old man was pretty sure that from the moment he had met the black clad stranger who waltzed into his underground exchange that day dressed in black, he had never seen Xzavier with any facial expression other than the permanent scowl on his face. In fact, he had never personally observed Xzavier express any form of joy, or display any kind of emotion at all. Not even as much as a smile, talk less of seeing or hearing him laugh. This was the first time he had seen Xzavier laugh, and it was because he was making light of a situation that was literally life or death.

The old man shook his head and said.

"You are a sick man Xzavier. I don't get you at all. Most people would flee after surviving an altercation with that malevolent entity, yet, here you are, barely a few hours later and you are already plotting a comeback…"

Xzavier replied him casually with a sincere question that bore no atom of ridicule or aloofness;

"Why not?" he peered hard at the old man and asked again;

"That creature needs to be put down, doesn't it?"

"Put down?!" Kadin cried!

"Do you hear yourself Xzavier?! You talk as if you were referring to a wild bull or a stray dog! This is a towering, dozens of feet tall, bloodthirsty orc we are talking about!"

Clearly, the old man was visibly shaken. Xzavier had never seen him get this worked up over anything before. This subject was obviously a touchy one for him. He proceeded to try any angle; persuasion.

"Asides from the fact that you could actually lose your life, I could give you a hundred other reasons why you shouldn't do this. Take your loss and fold! Do not return Xzavier!"

The younger man wiped the smile off his face and countered Kadin's plea.

"Brace yourself Kadin, I will tell you why this is a good idea…."

The look on Kadin's face told Xzavier that no matter what he was going to say, it wouldn't make him budge on his stand against Xzavier's decision to go back. With his mouth taut, and the frightful look in his eye, Xzavier knew it would take a whole lot convincing to get the old man to see reason with him.

But that did not in any way stop Xzavier from pressing on with his argument;

"…the orc would never expect me to return, this gives me the added advantage. I can take him by surprise, and with a well thought out strategy and blameless execution, there is no way the chief orc wouldn't fall."

He stared into both their eyes as he made his closing remarks.

"This is the perfect opportunity to launch a sneak attack. The orc would never see this attack coming...."

Xzavier sounded confident, and his confidence was infectious. But it wasn't just his assertiveness, Xzavier had actually made a solid point and both Kadin and Tacy knew it. Kadin quickly shook off the feeling before Xzavier's beautiful logic could change his mind.

"Those are fine words Xzavier, but a lot is at stake here. The soul of a dangerous beast hangs in the balance here. One slip up could mean the end! The leader of this particular tribe of orcs is extremely dangerous! You of all people should understand!"

Xzavier was a man of action, he was so stiff that he could not recognize the fact that words played a very vital role in human interactions. It wasn't that, Xzavier absolutely hated and abhorred long stretches of conversations that seemed pointless. He understood the old man's reservations, but arguing now was a needless endeavor and a complete waste of time, especially when this time could be spent perfecting and exerting his plans. While the two men tried their best to get the other to see reason, someone else spoke up and changed the dynamic of the dialogue.

Tacy who had been quietly listening to both sides suddenly surprised everyone when she made an announcement. Tacy dramatically coughed and cleared her throat, it was a universal signal that said that she had something to say. Both men acknowledged her desire to butt in and turned in her direction, Kadin with a mild looks of irritation on his face, and Xzavier with his default cold stare. Having secured their attention, Tacy finally spoke.

"I have made my decision!"

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