I Have the Power!

Part Eleven

Tila woke up and blinked a couple of times, feeling dazed. Then she bolted upright, alarmed. He-Man was there. She had seen him. She had to see him again, she had to—

"BLEATING MOTHER OF GOATS!" Tila exclaimed, feeling a sharp pain piecing at her side. Immediately she crumpled back to the ground, groaning. She suddenly remembered that goat-slaying monster giving her a set of broken ribs in their earlier fight. She cursed him for his blasphemy, silently wishing him a slow and painful death.

"Oh, good, you're awake now."

Tila sat up again, (slowly this time,) and looked to find Kyle beside her, stroking a large Jade Tiger. She frowned, certain it was the same one she had punched in the face before.

Then she noticed the sword, not a few paces away. She narrowed her eyes at it, then looked back at Kyle with the same expression.

"Your probably wondering what we're doing outside," Kyle said, "and honestly, fair. We... uh, kinda got kicked out of the city."

Tila raised her eyebrow.

Kyle grimaced. "Yeah. They don't like us—I mean, we did kind of help destroy their main inn, so again, fair. But they were nice enough to patch you and Rogelio up before we left."

He was rambling. Tila didn't care about being outside—she wanted to know about the fight. Surely Kyle knew that. "What happened to Beast-Man?"

"Oh, that huge guy?" Kyle asked. His eyebrow twitched. "Um... some buff guy came and beat him up."

"U-huh."

"W-what?" Kyle said, glancing at her and then at the sword.

"I saw him. His name is He-Man," Tila said. She pointed at the sword with her good arm. "He had that with him. I figured yew gave it to him, but for some reason yew still have it right here." She raised her eyebrow. "Odd, that."

He shifted. "Well, I was, uh..."

Tila felt her face splitting into a huge grin. "Kyle, yewr He-Man. Yew. Of all people."

"No, I... I just turned into him for a bit." He seemed to give up on his denial halfway. He muttered softly, "Didn't really know what I was doing."

"But yew beat Beast-Man," Tila said.

"Yeah... I guess."

"By yourself," she added, smiling bigger.

"Uh, yeah."

"That's amazing."

He flushed. "Maybe kinda."

She got up the rest of the way, walked over to him, and punched him in the side with her good arm. He toppled over with a loud yell. The Tiger spooked at the noise and ran off; it crouched a few paces away, looking scared, but Tila ignored it, focusing on Kyle. She held out her hand, and he grabbed it tentatively, looking weary.

"It is amazing," Tila said. "And yewr amazing too. It must've taken a lot of courage to come and face that monster on yewr own."

Kyle smiled, slightly. "Yeah, it was kind of scary."

She beamed at him. Then her glee faltered slightly. "Where are the others?" She asked. "Do they know about..." she glanced down at the sword.

"Um... actually, they're still a bit... unconscious." Kyle glanced over her shoulder, and she turned to see the two of them sleeping a short way off. "They weren't hurt as bad as you, but they got some pretty bad blows to the head. They've been out as long as you, or, well, longer I guess." He scowled. "Cringer and I had to drag all three of you out of the city while you just slept—"