"Careful there, princess, your fear is leaking outside."
Gear let out a loud laugh, the kind that echoed like a villain with too much free time.
He had just remembered the words of his so-called liege—cryptic, smug, and annoyingly correct—and figured, why not spread a little darkness again?
Just like yesterday. No effort, no strategy.
Just let it seep out like smoke and see who starts choking.
So yeah, he did it. Again.
Did he really think it'd work this time?
Hell no.
He honestly figured the so-called "heroes" were still crying into their pillows somewhere, nursing their ego-shaped bruises after he smacked their asses into next week.
He thought they'd at least take a week off, maybe do a team-building retreat, get a priest to cleanse their shame.
But nope. Here we are.
Face to face.
'Just like he had said.'
Gear stared out over the cliffs with a grin that could cut glass.
His army was on standby, weapons sharpened, monsters extra cranky from being told to wait.
