Chapter 12:
The Manic Mage and the Would-Be Demon Lord
What an annoying predicament. Aggie was passed out, covered in troll blood, and I was exhausted. Not to mention there was a troll corpse missing half of its head just a few feet away. This was not a mess I could clean up.
I rubbed my head and groaned. Okay, I could at least try to get us out of here. The river wasn’t too far, if I remember correctly. I just needed to get Aggie into the water, and I could move us downstream. Guess I was doing stamina training whether I liked it or not.
The troll stank even more, but I tried to ignore the smell. It was like the troll had already been rotting from the inside before it even died. Every time I breathed in, I felt nauseous. I started breathing through my mouth. It only helped a little.
Aggie stunk pretty badly himself, thanks to the troll innards dumped over him. I almost gagged as I knelt down beside him, but I didn’t want to add to the mess he was covered in. I’m not sure I could have kept myself upright if I did.
I locked my arms under his shoulders and tried to give him a tug. Man, was he heavy! For someone so thin, he amassed weight hidden in his lean muscles. It didn’t help that I was running empty on energy myself. My body was sore from the training the day before and the added extensive use of magic from our battle with the troll. Too bad I couldn’t just use magic to move him.
It took me hours to get Aggie to the river. The sun bore down overhead, as if it were trying to burn me alive. Everything in my body hurt. My stomach long since stopped aching, my body kicking into starvation mode. My throat and lips were parched. I guzzled water from the river with no regard.
After I had my fill, I pushed the dirty demon in. He splashed in and bobbed on the surface. The water around him darkened as the blood and guts were washed away. First step done.
I knew I should probably find something to eat before I started the next leg of my trek, even if I didn’t currently feel hungry. I didn’t like leaving Aggie alone, but I had to step away to actually search for food. I hoped he would be okay for a quick moment.
I found a low hanging branch that reached out over the water. I grabbed part of Aggie’s coat and tied him up to it. The river was calm here, but I didn’t need him drifting away. It was the best I could do with the little I had at my disposal. Satisfied that he would stay put, I went on the prowl.
I didn’t have Aggie’s hunting skills, so fish was out of the question, but I did have an idea for catching an animal on land. I wasn’t faster than any of them, but I did have some range ability and a lot of firepower. Literally.
I had to be careful. I didn’t want to alert anyone to our location, not knowing if there were more trolls around or some other kind of monster lurking. I also couldn’t afford to waste much energy. I’d have to be quick and precise. One small fireball had to do the trick.
I stayed near the edge of the trees, keeping the Demon Lord’s unconscious form in sight. Birds flew by overhead, but I quickly dismissed them as targets. I’d be too visible if I tried to attack them. Any noise they made from falling could be problematic, not to mention trying to hit them when they were so high up would be very difficult. My eyesight was decent, but I wasn’t a sharpshooter. Better play it safe.
On the ground then. I’d avoid any creature climbing trees lest I start a forest fire. I might be able to dart around bushes and roots with better accuracy. I didn’t particularly care about what animal I found, but my preference was rabbit. I’d even eat a rat if that’s all that appeared. I prayed that there were only animals I was familiar with here.
The bushes rustled not far from me. I held myself still, feet beneath me and body bent low. My magic already pulled into my hands, but the flames were yet to be summoned. I held my breath. I had to make this moment count.
A squirrel skirted out of the bushes. For the moment, it didn’t notice me. It stopped several feet before me, sniffing at the air. Its ears twitched and it looked around. Our eyes met, but still the squirrel passed me over. It went back to its business, darting around the area and sniffing at the air and ground. It turned its back to me.
I let out a little breath. The squirrel turned, still facing away from me though it might catch movement out of the corner of its little beady eye. I waited to see if the squirrel would turn back, but instead it adjusted its body to the side. I silently cursed. This little bugger!
Well, I’d have to work with what I had. I steeled myself and counted down in my head.
Three…two…one…!
I brought the fire to life. The squirrel heard me moving and went to dart, but my fire found its mark. It let out a high pitch squeal as the flames engulfed it. I pulled my magic back leaving the scorched body of my dinner.
I took my already cooked squirrel back to the river. Aggie was still unconscious in the water, the tree holding him steady. I used my dagger to remove the skin and fur. There wasn’t a lot to eat on it, but it was enough to give me some of my strength back. I threw the remains aside, burying them in some loose dirt by the roots of a nearby tree.
I used my magic to adjust my clothing. Once again barefoot, I got into the water. I removed Aggie’s jacket from the branch. Holding him with one arm, I used the other to undo his jacket from the branch. It was difficult with one hand, and I muttered obscenities as I tried to pull it free. I could feel the heat within me rising. I took deep breaths to calm myself. A few more tugs later, I finally pulled him free.
At least in the water, Aggie was light enough for me to move. I kept one arm wrapped around his back, angling his arm up over my shoulders. I kept a tight grip on his arm with my other hand. I started forward, pushing against the water with the extra weight in tow. Aggie floated along beside me, still no sign of stirring. This was going to be a long day.
I took brief breaks while we traveled, never leaving the river. I drank while supporting Aggie with one arm, not caring that the water was probably dirty with our filth. I needed to keep my energy up and not pass out from dehydration.
The sun was starting to dip when I finally moved us to the shore. The river was reaching its end, and the water was shrinking around us. There was a split-off where the river narrowed and continued, but I felt we had moved far enough. I dragged Aggie along, any solace brought by the water quickly dissipated. My legs were shaking beneath me as I stumbled onto dry land. I unceremoniously dropped Aggie to the ground before falling to my knees next to him. Even my arms were trembling. I could barely crawl.
The exhaustion hit me hard. I knew I should look for a place to shelter, but my vision spun. I crawled closer to Aggie before my body completely gave out. I couldn’t even roll onto my back. The pain was too great.
I thought I saw the brief glimpse of a shadow moving, but I couldn’t make sense of it. In the next moment, the darkness finally overcame me.
----
For the first time since I came to the other world, I dreamt.
I was back in my own world, back in the dark and lonely house I grew up in. The shadows looked longer. The whole place was cast in a reddish hue. It was empty as always, save for the lone form that was me.
I was standing at the top of the stairs, staring in the direction of my parents’ collection room. My feet started moving in that direction, carrying me to the place where all of this began. Each step should have brought me closer, but instead, the hall stretched on. The gap between the door and me only grew.
I felt the panic rising in me. I started to run, trying to reach that door. The hallway around me started to warp, twisting between familiar walls I knew and the rough rock of a cave. The floor beneath me curled into stone.
The fluctuating landscape only fueled my fear. I pushed my body harder, running as fast as I could. Ahead of me, the door still loomed in the distance. Its shape elongated with the twisting walls. Slowly it creaked open. I had to reach it.
I was panting, my heart beating in my ears as I ran. My feet slapped against the stone floor, the skin smacking against it and being rubbed raw.
I glanced down. When did I get barefoot? Little legs propelled me forward, skin a touch darker than my own. I brushed it off as the lighting, but the red was fading, instead dark shadows were creeping up.
The door opened wider, and two figures stepped forward. At first glance, it looked like my parents. Their eyes were obscured by deep shadows. Wide, creepy grins adorned their faces. When they saw me, their mouths grew unnaturally wide.
‘I’ll have you go in my place.’
Their bodies glitched and shifted. One figure stood there now, a man I had never seen before. His dark hair was wild around his face. It trailed down his back. He wore white robes that were torn and stained with blood and dirt.
My legs collapsed beneath me. I glanced down and realized I was wearing a stained white robe myself, though it had been torn off above the knees. My whole body was smaller than it should have been. Just what was I seeing?
The strange man approached me with deliberate, delicate steps. My whole body trembled, but it refused to listen to me. It was paralyzed in fear from the creepy guy closing the distance between us.
He knelt down in front of me. Reaching out a bony hand, he caught my chin and lifted my head up to meet his eyes. They were red, and they glowed eerily in the darkness that shadowed most of his face. I saw the large fangs as he grinned. It felt as if he were going to devour me whole.
‘You did well. Think of this as a…lighter punishment. I think death would be too easy for you.’ He whispered in my ear. A chill ran down my spine.
I tried to speak up, but when I opened my mouth, no voice came out. The fear was too overwhelming. Something in the back of my mind told me that death would have been preferable. These weren’t my own thoughts I was hearing; I had become someone else.
He pulled back his hand and let me slump back down to the ground. My head drooped and I noticed all the wounds and blood that coated my arms and legs. What was happening before all of this? We both looked a mess.
The man reached down and yanked me up by an arm. He easily held me up, dangling me off the ground. This body was much smaller than his, as if it belonged to a child. I tried to lift my head, but my body was still frozen with fear.
He squeezed my wrist so tightly his long nails dug into my skin. His grip tightened further and it felt as if my bones would break. I managed to let out a pitiful yelp. His grin only widened even more. This guy was crazy- a bonafide evil villain.
I wanted to help the poor child break free. What kind of madman would abuse a child like this!? I felt the anger rising within me, but it didn’t answer me the way I hoped. The fire wouldn’t come forth. I knew it was a dream, but I still wanted to free the little boy from the villian’s grasp.
There was a sickening crack as the villain snapped the boy’s wrist. The child let out a pained cry. The man just laughed and threw him to the ground. The boy cradled his damaged wrist in his hand. The tears that stung his cheeks blurred my view of the psycho bullying him.
‘Blame this on the misfortune of your birth.’
The child managed to lift his head. The tears still dotted his vision, but he blinked them away. Despite the fear and pain, he managed to glare up at the man.
“No matter what ya do to me, ya ain’t gonna win. One day, for sure, I’ll getcha.” His voice cracked as he spoke. While the child’s voice was unknown to me, there was something familiar in the way he spoke.
‘I look forward to it.’
The villain brought up his hand to his own chest. He stretched his fingers out and locked them together. With a crazed grin and a wild laugh, he stabbed his hand into his own shoulder. The blood splurted out and splashed onto the child. The psycho kept going, digging deeper into his own body.
With a dramatic flip of his wrist, he severed his arm at the shoulder. It flopped to the ground, splattering more blood across the child and leaving an ugly, dark stain on the stone ground.
With the arm still attached, he reached out and grabbed the child by the face. The muffled shouts were trapped behind the villain’s hand. Even dripping with blood, he kept grinning.
‘Until we meet again, little brother.’
And he threw the child across the cave.
I was suddenly back in my house, the painting of my parents staring down at me. My eyes locked with it as I tumbled down the stairs. I bounced down, bumping into steps along the way.
It felt like it took forever to reach the bottom, my parents mocking me the entire way down. Their foreign smiling faces were the last thing I saw before I hit my head.
Please sign in to leave a comment.