Several hours later, the Vanguardians were huddled around the campfire reminiscing about their past and occasionally discussing ideas for what to do next. Suddenly they were all startled by a
THUD!
as what looked like a deer carcass landed next to the fire between Ozzy Baxter and Phil Smith.
"Fuck!" Ozzy shouted as he darted out of the way instinctually. A fragment of broken deer-antler struck him in the eye, though it did him no harm due to his invulnerability.
"Ho, Vanguardians!" Mason Templar shouted as he landed Erasmus a few feet away from them and tied the great bird up to the tree. Erasmus immediately began feasting upon another deer carcass, the stomach of which Templar had slit open for it. "I come bearing gifts of food and drink!"
"You fat fuckhead!" Ozzy cried out, still angry. "You could've killed someone with that trick!"
Templar laughed mockingly, "Oh-ho-ho, Mr. Baxter! It seems your much-vaunted 'toughness' does not extend itself beyond the physical... Our psionic, here, had no worries about being damaged by this fine specimen of meat, did you, Mr. Smith?"
Phil shook his head and said, "Leave me out of this, you two."
"One of these days, Templar, someone's going to lose patience with your attitude," Ozzy added as he regained control over himself. He never allowed himself to be angry in a boxing ring before, and he wasn't about to begin now with a fellow teammate.
"And are you that 'someone,' Mr. Baxter?" Templar said, all laughter gone from his voice. "You should know that I've heard countless similar threats over the course of my lifetime."
"Yeah? So?"
"So, Mr. Baxter, each and every one of my enemies is now very deceased. I've outlived them all." Ozzy was about to reply, when Templar spoke up again with his usual booming, careless voice, "But enough of this nonsense! Let us eat, drink, and be merry!"
"...'for tomorrow we die'," Phil added glumly.
Mason Templar laughed once more and said, "Just to show there are no hard feelings, Mr. Baxter, let me offer you a flagon of mead." Ozzy Baxter took the mead warily and nodded once in appreciation. This wasn't over between the two, but this was likewise not the time for such things.
