The Seed of Madness

I stared at the darkness that led to the sixth level, I want to go but it would be unwise. I am tired and low on magical energy if I go now, I could get myself killed. I turned back and went to pick up my hog horn.

“I should probably drop this off at home, it would be hard to walk around with a horn bigger than me, but luckily it isn’t too heavy”

I grab the horn and carried it on my side. I have to hurry home; I could easily be spotted with a giant white horn. I left in full speed, dodging every tree while trying to be aware of my surroundings, making sure not to attract any unwanted attention. In the speed I was going it didn’t take long for me to make it home. It was usually only a fifteen-minute walk from home, but I managed to make it in four minutes. Unfortunately, I was to focus on making it home that I didn’t notice the guy tailing me until I arrived home.

” Who would have guess there’s a house hiding behind a waterfall. On top of that an illusion spell that covers the entrance by posing as a fake cave wall. Very clever never would have found it, well without your help anyways.”

The hairs behind my neck stood, someone had followed me home, the stupidest move I could have made. My parents did everything to insure it couldn’t be found and I had failed to keep my own home hidden. I had endanger myself and my parents! This person was the problem and needed to be eliminated.

“Who the hell are you!”

I turned around to see a man dress in all black. He was about 6’2 and wore a mask that covered everything below his eyes. He also had a sword on his side and behind him he had a knife strapped to his belt. He didn’t have any visible armer which meant that he relies on fast movement to kill his enemies.

“I am the last person you will ever see”

“Ya I doubt it, now who the hell are you?”

” I am an assassin hired by the dragon empire. Unfortunately for you, you chose the wrong day to walk around with a giant white horn. If I am correct that is a tri horn hog’s horn, which raise the question how did you manage to kill a tri horn hog?”

“wouldn’t you like to know.”

An assassin from the empire, just my luck. I’m already exhausted from my previous fight and now this. He is no weakling; I can tell he has magical power and plenty to boast. Meanwhile, I have a few spells left in me. That’s when it hit me, his entrance pass! He must have one to get into the empire. I can steal it from him after I kill him, but that’s a tall order. There’s nowhere to run……but I guess that isn’t an option since there’s no way he is destroying my home. I told my parents I would take care of the house and I will be dam if I go back on my word.

Assassin:” I don’t enjoy making people suffer a slow death so I will kill you quickly. Even though you are from the banish realm I will grant you that privilege.”

I threw the horn to the side of the open grassy plain.

“Well, I can’t promise you the same, but what business does a proud warrior of the empire have in a trash infested area like the banish realm. Are you no longer allowed in the empire and still want to pretend you are important, how sad?”

Assassin: “You think someone of my power would live here, you must be mentally ill. I can go inside the empire’s walls anytime. I’m just preforming my job and finding a base for the dragon test like I was asked. So don’t you dare insult me like that or you will die a painful death.”

 Just what I wanted to hear; he still has the pass to get into the empire. I successfully extracted information from my enemy and now time to throw him off his game.

“That’s all find and great assassin, but you see we have a tradition here at my home. We don’t take kindly to outsiders knowing the location of our home so unfortunately for you, you will never make it back to the empire”

Just then the Assassin looked away from me and took a look at my house. His eyes grew big from shock, unable to understand what he was seeing.

“I see your not of fan of our…. decorations”

He found himself looking at a faded red two-story brick house and while that in itself wasn’t strange the yard was. The house’s fence was made of dragon bones, and from the size of some of the bone they were a few children bones in the fence structure. The walkway outside the fence had six wooden spears impaling six heads, one was still relatively fresh as blood still dripped from the spear. None of the heads have eyes or teeth, just rotting way from birds and insects constantly picking at them. On the side of the house there was three bodies hanging upside down from a tree while a barrow was placed underneath them to collect the blood. There were also a few bodies being used as target practice, and even more rotting away in a stack next to the house. A sight of horror to outsiders, but to me it was home my safe haven.

Assassin: “What…. what type of monster are you people!?”

“I am a dragon my good man nothing less or more. Does my home make you feel uncomfortable, well I wouldn’t expect much from someone pampered in the empires walls.”

Assassin: “You sick twisted ****! You belong out here with the animals and the human garbage, a simple death is too merciful for you. I will kill you slowly.”

“What a hero, but talk is cheap, rock bullets”

He reacted quickly and moved out of the way, causing my rock bullets to miss. He countered me without hesitation and threw four knives at my head. I quickly pulled out my knife and barely manage to block his attack. He is a skilled fighter no doubt about it, he dodged and counter me without breaking a sweat. It doesn’t look like I can out power him, this doesn’t look good for me.

Assassin: “Humm you block my knives and your able to use magic, what are you doing out here in the banished realm you’re a valuable asset to the empire.”

“HA HA don’t make me laugh; I am valuable now? You’re only saying that now that I can use magic, but before I could have been dead for all they cared about. They discarded me too soon assassin, their aint no way I’ll go back.”

I launch a barrage of rock bullets. He pulled out his sword and infused fire magic into the sword, and with one slash the fire spread out and destroyed my rock bullets. I was shocked, he had a magic sword and knew how to use his magic wisely. I looked at him with discontent, and he stared at me as he got into his stance. It was a lunging stance which meant he was going to close the distance between us.

“A magic sword I see, kind of overkill for a kid don’t you think?”

Assassin: “A kid you say, I would doubt it. Your about 5’6 and seem to have well developed muscles, on top of that you have pretty good control of your powers. I really doubt you’re a kid, and if you are then I want to know what their feeding you.”

I smirked at him.

“You flatter me sir, but what I eat…….is what I kill”

I stared back at the stack of bodies, and I could see the color on his face disappear. He was uneasy and now angry with me.

Assassin: “Cannibalism?! You god dam monster!”

He lunged toward me and in a matter of seconds was right in front of me, with sword about to slice me down the middle into two. I pulled my knife above my head and blocked it. BOOM. I manage to block his attack but the ground underneath me broke, and before I could react, he followed through with a kick into my ribs. The kicked sent me rolling on the dirt about ten feet away. I was covered in dirt and bleeding from various locations, and all I could do was grab on to my rib cage unable to breathe properly. I was almost sure he had broken a few of my ribs, as I laid on the dirt holding on to my side a little longer trying to catch my breath, I could hear him walking toward me. I had to get up or else I won’t last much longer.

Assassin: “Is that it, you talked big, but a kick is going to do you in. I had high hopes after you block that strike from my sword. You have a fast reaction and could have been a real threat if you rejoin the empire and honed your skills.”

I slowly got up, still grabbing on to my ribs. I couldn’t stand hearing him act like he had won the fight. I glared at him as he got back into his lunging stance ready for another strike.

“That was just a little warm up, I was testing you but honestly you’re pissing me off”

Saying this while barely standing wasn’t as convincing as I wanted to be, but he took the bait. He lunged toward me again at full speed and I cracked one of my smoke bombs. He was moving to fast to stop, so he ended up in my smoke cloud. He infused fire magic into his sword and with one slash he cleared the smoke. Unfortunately for him he ran into my plan, his arm witch he held his sword was extended from his body and the object of my attention. I came out of the ground near his feet and stabbed him in his forearm. The sword fell out of his hands as he lunged back trying to create some distance between us.

Assassin: “you dam animal how dare you injure me a valuable asset of the empire, don’t you know your place. Using earth magic to create a hole you can hide in while you wait for the perfect strike, what a dirty trick. Where is your pride as a dragon you coward!!”

“Really, you have a magic sword and your dragon skin but me hiding in the dirt is a dirty trick? How stupid are you assassin, I don’t care about pride or these little rules you follow? I am here to survive not to be the noble dead idiot.”

Assassin: “how dare you call me an idiot; I will show you the power of a true dragon”

He looked at my knife lodged into his forearm; he was in disbelief. He was confused, he depended on his thick dragon skin to block non magical items I had. What he didn’t expect was me infusing magic into a non-magical item.

“I see you have questions about that knife in your forearm, and no its not magical at all. I just heated up the knife and lodged it into your arm as much as I could but, it is probably no longer useable. Lucky for me I got a new magical sword that I could use, and now it can actually take the magic I infused into it.”

He pulled out what was left of the knife lodged into his arm, most of it had melted inside his forearm which was causing him great pain. He threw what was left of the knife and stood once again ready to fight. He pulled out the knife he had in his belt and rush toward me again but this time he was hesitant. I cracked another smoke bomb, which he immediately stopped before entering the smoke cloud.

Assassin: “Again! Come on don’t you have other tricks!”

“You sound upset assassin not a big fan of my smoke bombs I see. Don’t you worry it will be over soon”

Another smoke bomb rolled right to the assassin’s feet. He saw it and ran to get out of the smoke cloud. As he ran out of the second smoke bomb a third one had gone off.

Assassin: “Don’t mess with me!”

He stop avoiding the smoke bombs and collected magical energy in his hands. Still in great pain from the cut in his forearm, with great forced he clapped his hands together. With the magic energy collected in his hands he created a small fire ring that expanded outwards in a six-foot diameter. His technique had cleared my smoke bombs, but to his surprise I wasn’t in the smoke. I was a few feet away from the smoke but ready to launch my next attack.

“Dragon’s breath!”

A large red burst of fire in gulp the assassin, I got him. As the fire started to fade, I could see he wasn’t dead he had used his dragon wings to block majority of my attack. I stared at him with anger, he had blocked my attack when I thought I had him. He retracted his damaged wings with a smile of relief.

Assassin: “almost had me there, but you got to love your wings their strong enough to block powerful attacks.”

“I wouldn’t know that my wings are too small to be used as a shield but looks like you are to damage to block another attack”

I used rock bullets and like before he dodged them but now a lot slower and sloppier. He is tired must have used to much magic, but I’m not any better off. I am almost out of magic, so I need to end this before that comes to pass. I lunged toward him with magic sword in hand and the assassin with his one good hand, held his knife. We collided with great force; my sword was block above his head. Before he could counter, I launched a kick to his ribs, which he dodged by jumping back. He chuckled knowing full well that was his combination but before he could talk, I launched a smoke bomb to his feet. He tried avoiding the smoke bomb by running out but the smoke bomb in gulp him before he could get out of range. I reached into my pouch and grabbed some ash; I took a gamble and tried to predict where he was going to be from the direction of his feet before getting in gulp by the smoke. Lucky for me he came out near where I had predicted and as he looked at me shocked to see me so close. I threw the ash into his eyes and with the other hand I swung for the assassin’s leg. Since he couldn’t see from the ash in his eyes, my sword attack was a success. His leg was severed from his body cleanly, and the assassin fell to the ground. He screamed from pain but unfortunately for him It was over. I quickly chopped his other leg off so he wouldn’t be able to escape. As I seen him squirm in pain, I stabbed the sword into the palm of his good hand.

Assassin: “You bastard! I’ll kill you for this! How dare you bring harm to a servant of the empire they will have your head for this!”

“The empire doesn’t know of my existence, and they won’t know what happen to you ether, your body will never be recovered and no trace of you will be left what so ever. But you can die in peace knowing your head will make a nice decoration for my yard.”

Assassin: “dam you! You’re supposed to be powerless, useless, living corpse out here in the banish realm, so why the hell is someone as talented as you doing out here!”

“Because the empire deemed me useless not because I actually am, and please I’m not that talented you just suck at what you do. I appreciate the new gifts you’re giving me; they will sure be useful.”

Assassin: “you dam monster….at least give me a warrior’s death and leave my body for my comrades can fi...”

I interrupted him before he could finish.

“Are you serious? You threaten to kill me in my own home, and you see what I do to dead bodies of enemies, and you want me to return your body to your comrades? How stupid are you!”

Assassin: “I just want……my family……. to know what happen to me…...”

The realization of the situation must have hit the assassin, as he tried to plead for some type of compromise of his remains. Unfortunately for the assassin his plead fell on deaf ears, as all I could hear were displeasing pitiful excuses. I reached over and took off the mask covering his mouth, I could see the assassin’s eyes as they teared up knowing what was next. I smirked looking straight into his eyes….

“You died assassin, that’s what happen.”

I removed the sword from his palm as I stood over him. Their laid before me a helpless man, with no legs and two none functioning arms laying in a puddle of his own blood. His eyes plead for mercy as they looked at me with tears not ready to die yet. Unfortunately for him the blood lust made me more than happy to send him to meet his creator. I raised the sword as I wound-up with the sword and with one slash, the mans head rolled off his body and into the puddle of blood. I watched the lifeless body that the assassin had inhabit and couldn’t stop smiling. A smile I wouldn’t dare show my mother, was I happy I killed an assassin of the empire or just that I killed a pleading man? I couldn’t answer the simple question I asked myself. I just ignored it; I couldn’t get distracted by meaningless questions now. I had more important things to worry about. It was common to kill nothing wrong in what I do just have to remember why I do it for, my family safety.

“There is no mercy in battle, you were raised in the empire that is what we live by and are going to die by.”

I reached over to get his entrance card. I was now allowed in the empire walls, but first a long nap because I am exhausted.

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