Truth be told, Jin did not expect to hear from Mattoro again. When he last saw him, he had a look of peacefulness to him that Jin had never seen. The proverbial weight was lifted from his shoulders, his conscious cleared. Outside of a social visit, which Mattoro knew Jin was not exactly fond of, there would be no reason for Jin to be contacted. However, Jin found himself once again heading towards Mattoro’s base of operations. The shack comes into view as Jin increases his pace. Before long, Jin stands in front and knocks on the door. A few seconds pass before one of Mattoro’s crew opens the door.

“Come in…” he says quickly as he opens the door fully before retreating back inside. Jin steps in and sees every member of Mattoro’s crew preparing for battle. Some inspected weapons, others made final adjustments on equipment. Towards the center of the room, Jin spots Mattoro sharpening two large pickaxes. He takes a few practice swings before he spots the approaching Jin. A faint smile comes across his face as he holsters one of the axes.

“My friend, it is good to see you.” He says as he shakes Jin’s hand. “What the hell is going on? I thought you guys were done.” An angry expression crosses his face as he moves towards the window and motions for Jin to follow. “As did I but even in death, those bastards continue to cause us trouble. During the time it took you to gather the necessary information to kill them, they have repaired the mines. Their personal overseers are there to ensure that their legacy remains even in death.” As he talks, most of his crew stops their individual tasks and listens intently. Anger is reflected in their eyes. “For too long we have allowed these men to have their way. I refuse to allow the dead to continue this injustice. The Cold Colliers are going to fight. We will take them all out with our own hands. Out of respect for everything you’ve done for us, I hope that you will join us in obtaining our vengeance. Besides, I’ve always been curious of how you really operate when you are given the opportunity to cut loose.” A dark chuckle escapes from Jin as he shoots a knowing glance at the man in front of him. “So, you decided to invite me to have one last party? Sure, let’s raise some hell.”

WC: 411

Jin and Mattoro walk side by side with the full crew flanked behind them. They marched down the streets of Baska with a purpose. They didn’t care who saw them as they knew no one in their right mind would dare challenge them. The innocent miners who worked had all gone home so there would be no collateral damage. Anyone who remained at the mine had a death wish, exactly what Jin wanted.

The mine came into view as the group stopped. Jin takes survey of the numbers around the mine, a smile forming across his face. Clutching his twin pickaxes, Mattoro turns to Jin. “How many do you see?” “About thirty. Could be more within the mines.” Jin staggers his feet, shifting his weight equally between them. He brings his arms to a slight angle and clenches his fist. Slowly, he begins focusing his energy as the ground shake violently. His eyes become brilliant green in color as his hair and eyebrows rapidly flashes back and forth between their usual jet-black color to golden blonde. His body become more defined as a golden bioelectrical aura surrounds him. A deep guttural yell escapes from Jin’s mouth as a shockwave of power radiates from him. Mattoro stands amazed at the transformation, having heard of it through rumors and from the word of his men but never seeing it in person. The sound from Jin’s transformation alerts the men guarding the mine. Seeing that they will have a fight on their hands, the overseers charge the group.  “Are your men ready?” He asks as he glances over to Mattoro. The man takes a step forward before turning to address his crew.

“We will not allow these men to violate the memory of our comrades any longer. It is here that it ends. It is here that we stand and fight. I stand amongst you today, not as your leader, but as your brother. Your comrade in arms. To live or die among you. To lay down my life for you and honor your sacrifices and the sacrifices of those who lost their lives to the evil of these men. Come on brothers! To quote our friend here, it’s time to raise some hell!” The men roar in approval as the group charges towards the approaching group.

WC: 384
TWC: 795

The land was strewn with dead bodies, bodies of the defeated. Of those bodies, one could make out the plate armor, the dragon scales, the swords and arrowheads, all defeated and laid on the surface. Those that still remained among the living attempted to continue the fight. Jin and Mattoro fought side by side, each of them losing themselves to the thrill of the battle. They were impressed with the other’s fighting prowess. Though he had a build very similar to his own, Jin was worried that Mattoro would not be able to keep up. Thankfully, he was pleasantly surprised.

A sickening thud is heard as Jin fells the man in front of him, his laughing echoing throughout. Out of the corner of his eye, Jin sees three of the enemy forces approach him. Two of which were armed with knifes while the third was unarmed. Given his stance, it was obvious that this one was a close combat magic user like Jin. It was clear to why they targeted him. They knew that Jin was the most dangerous of the group and decided to take him out with superior numbers. The three surround Jin who could only smile underneath his mask. “Come on! Fight me!” he yells as one of the men charges him. As the man nears, he thrusts his knife towards Jin who easily avoids and disarms the man. As his knife falls to the ground, Jin quickly and efficiently ends his life with a brutal display of punches. The other two, seeing their companion fail, decide to charge Jin together. Jin quickly knocks the closest one away before brutally assaulting the second. Jin finds himself in something of a trance as he repeatedly pummels the man.

Suddenly a familiar pained yell shakes him out of it. Jin glances behind him and sees the man he knocked away plunging his knife deep into Mattoro’s back. “Mattoro!” Jin yells as he quickly sprints towards the two. The man, seeing that his life was in immediate danger, sprints towards the mines. Jin quickly slides towards Mattoro, checking the wound to see just how bad it was. “I’m fine. Get him.” He mutters as he spits out some blood. Realizing the severity of the situation and seeing that the rest of Mattoro’s crew had finished their battles and were already rushing to their fallen comrade’s side, Jin takes off in pursuit of the man.

WC: 404
TWC: 1,199

Fear is etched on the man’s face as he runs deeper into the mine. For each step he took, he could hear another set rapidly approaching. He knew that if he was being followed by that man with blonde hair, he was screwed. They knew that he was the strongest one there and thought that if they ganged up on him, took him head on with superior numbers, they’d win. It would be as simple matter. They didn’t, however, realize the monstrous strength he possessed. He easily and rather brutally murdered the other two, leaving only him. Frustrated at his own powerlessness, the man plunged his blade into the first enemy he saw. Fortunately, that unlucky victim was Mattoro, the leader of the unruly bunch of upstarts. He was the initial target anyway. Unfortunately, it seemed to provoke the ire of the blonde-haired man. The rage in his eyes spoke volumes. Instinct took over and he ran as fast as he could away from him. He thought he could lose the man in the mines but the rapidly approaching set of footsteps said differently. Glancing behind him, he could see a faint glow steadily coming closer. “Shit…” he mutters as he attempts to run faster.

Unfamiliar with the mine’s tunnel system, the man rounds a corner and heads towards an older part of the mine. The equipment he passed seems old and there was dried blood on the ground. As he moves deeper inside, he begins to hear a low rumbling which gradually increases in volume. The man realizes his mistake, all too late, as a part of the mine begins to fall down. Rocks crash down and crushes the man’s lower body, trapping and crippling him. Through searing pain, the man attempts to crawl his way from underneath the rocks that pin him but is unable to do so.

To his horror, he hears slow and methodical footsteps approaching. He knows all too well who they belong to. He glances up towards the man in front of him, seeing a small orb of energy radiating from his hand. This is how it ends. The man, now consumed with rage, violently spits at Jin and swears. “Goddammit! Frankan never warned us of you. I hope that son of a bitch gets what’s coming to him. And you! I hope you…” His words are cut short as the orb of energy evaporates him completely. Jin, staring at the remains of the now deceased man, releases his transformation and goes back to check on his fallen comrade.

WC: 425
TWC: 1,624

Upon exiting the mine, Jin could see Mattoro slowly being patched up by one of his men. The others slowly moved throughout the battlefield to collect their weapons and retrieve the bodies of their now deceased comrades. A somber look showed on their faces as one by one, they picked up the bodies with care. It was senseless and they knew it. More friends to bury. More families to deliver bad news too. Just more victims. Mattoro flashes a ghost of a smile when he sees the approaching Jin, pain quickly halting any further movement. “I let my guard down and the son of a bitch made me pay for it. I assume he won’t be doing that to anyone else.” Jin is silent for a moment as he contemplates the man’s dying words. He knew that Mattoro would not take it well but he owed it to the man to let him know the truth, if only for him to get the revenge he truly desired.

“It was Frankan.” Jin says plainly. “What?” “Frankan. The man I just killed confirmed that Frankan sent them. Don’t know if he was with the others from the beginning or just decided to capitalize on the vacuum left by their deaths.” Mattoro says as he pushes the crewman away. His face was flushed with rage. He attempts to stand but pain once again hinders his movement, likely for the best. His eyes narrowed on Jin before he begins to speak with an eerie calmness to his voice.

“Frankan. He will pay for this. The blood of my men, my brothers, will be on his hands. I’m going to get this wound checked out. Once I’m ready to go, I’ll call on you. Together we will end this man. In the interim, thank you my friend for all your help. We’ve left something for you back at the hideout. For now, I need to be alone.” Jin nods, completely understanding the rage Mattoro currently was experiencing. Bidding his friend farewell, Jin heads to the hideout to collect his deserved reward.

WC: 346
TWC: 1,970