“Here,” Jade, returning from the town, appeared before Alexander with a long, black kilt in her hands. She threw it at him and shifted her weight. “I found this for you, and I’ve got some info.”

Alexander, who had spent his time alone cleaning and stretching, was sitting down meditating. He did not have the reflexes to catch the kilt, so it hit his face. With a sigh, he grabbed it, and started to put it on. “Thanks.” 

“Don’t mention it,” Jade turned around, letting the berserker have privacy. “Now, that Riverman is no joke. The whole town is scared, and the streets are almost completely empty, besides guards of course.”

“Doesn’t sound good.” Alexander admired the new kilt. His previous one had a green, crisscrossing pattern and was quite cheap. But this one was nice; it was made out of a thick, durable material and was much bigger. He put it on and it fit perfectly. After fastening the straps, he moved around a bit to get a feel for it. “I’m clothed now” 

Jade turned and had a look of concern. “Not good is right. We’re going to need an army, Alexander. There’s no way we’re going to make it out of this alive.”

“Well, we just need to kill the riverman, right? But will that buy enough time? He’s just going to respawn.” Alexander spat out the sentences hoping the universe would respond. It didn’t. 

“Yes, but I thought we’d be in a better position. The Riverman is out a ways and on the river itself, but there are way more guards than I thought. We want to make it out with loot, of course.”

“Doesn’t that Obadiah have a plan? What about the UNAA?” Alexander sighed and rested his arms on his head.

“If they do, I wasn’t exactly told. I feel like we’re out of our depth. And I also don’t know if we actually have enough time to train.” 

“Yeah.” Alexander frowned. She was right, but there had to be a way. “Well you went through the town just fine, didn’t you?” 

“Blending in isn’t hard if you know what you’re doing. I spent some time surveying, and while there are a lot of places to hide, this fight will bring spectacle.” 

“Would the guards interfere with the fight?” Alexander rubbed his chin.

“Probably not, or at least, they haven’t in other attempts to challenge the Riverman.” 

“OK, then hear me out. I’ll go fight the Riverman, and you set up distractions throughout the city.” 

“Distractions?” Jade raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah like explosions or like, well, explosions really.” 

“Not the worst idea I’ve heard. But what happens if you die during the fight?”

“Just don’t set them off. Wait until I win, or lose, then initiate the distraction. Maybe in the ensuing chaos we can make it home free.” 

“I don’t know… the original plan was for us both to take him on. That was the only way it was going to be possible.” Jade cocked her head and looked up at the leaves. 

“Then how about a test run?” Alexander took a step to the side and turned his palms. “I go fight the guy, and if I lose, we’ll have gathered intel. Then we just go at it again and we can have you be the surprise that gives us the edge. And we’ll hopefully know his weaknesses.” 

Jade frowned and let the information circle through her mind. “Still, if you lose then the town will be on high alert. We won’t have many chances.” 

“So you just set up everything you need during the first fight. Besides, the most attention will be on me and you’ll have some breathing room in the city.” 

“You have a point.” Jade paused. “Fuck it, it’s worth a shot.” 

Alexander grinned and cracked his knuckles. He was going to have a fight. 

---

The two walked through the forest and out onto open plains. They were far outside the city, but they were closing in on the Mississippi river. The air was hot, humid, and had a certain heaviness to it. And while the breeze cooled them off, it never seemed to be enough. By the time the river was in view, Alexander had built up a sweat, and he was starting to fear that he’d get a sunburn. 

After more walking, they reached the bank of the river. The body of water was massive and much louder than Alexander had anticipated. But the view was incredible. From where they were, they got to see the whole city, from the tallest skyscrapers to the massive arch adorning the capitol. 

“So, where exactly is he?” Alexander said as he started to do some stretching. 

“Well, we’re a ways off from the actual port, but rumors are that he likes to hang out at the bridge. There is, however, a large military garrison there, and we need to stay far away.” 

“So, what do we do?” Alexander continued to stretch. 

“Well, Obadiah told me to stay away from the town itself and to be around this area. He also told me that if we yell out his name, he would come..”

“Seriously?”

“Yep. So uh, Imma go a distance away,  activate my stealth, and let's see if this works.” 

Before Alexander could object, Jade suddenly disappeared. His nerves started to mount, and he felt his stomach drop. OK, this is happening now. Alright, you can do this. You defeated Basher, how hard could this be?

Alexander rolled his shoulders, took in a few deep breaths, then screamed out for all he was worth. “RIVERMAN!!!” 

Alexander stood there for a second, waiting. The air got thin, and he saw a figure arching through the sky. Then, suddenly, it splashed into the river, and a massive ripple of water shot out in all directions. It slammed into Alexander, and flew him back. And by the time he got his senses back together and the water out of his nose, the Riverman stood before him. 

“Who speaks my name?” The man was massive. He was almost seven feet tall, bronze skinned, and had muscles that looked like they’d been chiseled from stone. His dark brown hair, now wet, flowed gently in the wind as the sun christened his body, accenting the tribal tattoos covering his skin. To Alexander, they all flowed together and seemed to tell a story. 

Alexander copied the Riverman in a way, as both of them only wore one garment of clothing. For the Riverman, he only had a pair of skin-tight swimming shorts on, the rest of his body bare. He looked at Alexander right in the eyes, his own a beautiful and oceanic blue, and bore into his soul. Alexander, still reeling from the dramatic entrance, finally spoke. 

“I did.” Alexander spoke between rapid breaths. “I summoned you here.” 

“I see… Alexander, is it?” Riverman spoke in an incredibly deep yet immaculately soft voice. 

“Yep, that’s me. And do you really want to be called Riverman? You’re not showing a name.” 

“Riverman is what I am called, and it is what I shall be called.” Riverman took a few steps forward and found more stable ground. 

“Alright, an interesting nick-name at least.” 

“And same for you, Alexander.” Riverman raised up his arms. “Alexander the Mountain Man, Alexander the Berserker, Alexander the demon.” 

“What the-” Alexander took a step back. “How the hell did you know any of that?” 

“Do not be so naïve.” Riverman suddenly produced a large, dark oak oar and twirled it around. “I’ve known about your venture, and I have done my research. Your name is being spread, as your deeds warrant attention.”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, being well known sounds awesome. But this is kind of creepy.” Alexander raised up his hands. 

“Do not play coy with me. You were told about me and what I have done, how I have claimed this river and that none who face me live to tell the tale.”

“Yeah, that's kind of the jist of it.” Alexander scratched his chin. “But come to think about it, there’s been nothing on your abilities, just that you use an oar… well, that oar in specific I’m guessing.” 

“None have pushed me to my limits, so none have seen my skills. But you have faced great challenges. That necklace you wear tells a story, Mountain Man. You have slain the death knight, you have achieved unknown abilities, and you have defeated Basher. These things do not go unnoticed, Alexander.” Riverman slowly raised his oar and pointed it to Alexander. 

“Fair enough.” Inside, Alexander was both giddy and terrified. “Now, how do you want to do this?” 

“Like this.” Riverman disappeared from view, only to be replaced by an oar in the face. Alexander was slammed to the ground, his nose broken and his skull fractured. His vision blurred and he couldn’t see Riverman anywhere. He moved too fast for his eyes. 

“And like this.” Riverman abruptly appeared, and Alexander only saw him for a split second before he slammed his oar right into Alexander’s chest. Immediately, several ribs broke, and Alexander could feel his heart starting to beat irregularly. He felt his chest tighten. He screamed out in agony, but there was nowhere to escape to. His mind had no more reserves of strength. And finally, the oar delivered its last message as it slammed into his face again, killing him instantly.