Today, Asderia would hit rock bottom, for the Emperor had claimed it as his. Asderia would be ruined forever, and it was all Lord Helretum’s fault. If he had been just a little bit courteous, maybe the Emperor would not have scolded him, and maybe he would not have responded the way he did, which had almost gotten him imprisoned. Almost. Fortunately, he had escaped from the carriage in the Wild Woods, which was directly next to Asderia. He looked up at the sky. It was pitch-black, there were no stars, and the moon did not light up the sky as it usually did. Winter was coming. The land around him was like fog, only darkness instead of mist. Here he was, all alone in a forest at night. Brilliant idea, Harry, isolate yourself in a really dangerous place, and have no means of transportation!

There was a rustle in the bushes. What was that? A shadow came forwards. From its shape, Lord Helretum guessed that it was none other than a wolf.

‘I am not afraid of you.’ He talked to the wolf, even though it probably would not talk back to him. He held out his blade and pointed it at the wolf’s head.

‘I would not do that if I were you.’ Lord Helretum looked around. It was just him and the wolf. Could the animal really talk? No, I must be hallucinating. Animals have not talked since magic was stripped from this land.

‘Are you real?’ Lord Helretum was in a state of disbelief. It was impossible. This wolf had to have been thousands of years old if it could talk.

‘Travellers always ask me that. Usually, I respond by attacking them. They do not expect it, and I get free food. I have not had any food today, so you will be such a scrumptious meal.’ The wolf leapt at him. Its jaws dug into his neck, forcing him to fall backwards. The blade had fallen out of the man’s hand. Shit. He fumbled for it with one of his hands, but the dark setting made it useless. With the other hand, he punched the wolf.

‘You will pay, kasten.’ The wolf spoke the final word in a language that was unknown to Lord Helretum, but it sounded like the tongue of the Dark Being, Mansylan.

‘No, you will pay, with your life!’ Lord Helretum picked up the blade and thrust it through the wolf’s head. It screamed in agony as the blade dug into the creature’s flesh. Blood spurted from the wolf, staining Lord Helretum’s hands. He dropped the blade and the wolf went with it. The creature was dead. The man panted. The wolf had almost killed him, it was sheer luck that he had picked up the blade when he had, or else the wolf may have dined on his bones for dinner. He felt a burning sensation in his neck, the same place the wolf had bitten him. That was no ordinary creature. In his thirty-five years of living, Harry Helretum had never seen anything like it. The world was changing.

‘I am impressed.’ A voice came from behind him. ‘Those wolves are tough to defeat. I should know, for they are mine.’ Lord Helretum felt a hand over his neck. He was being strangled. ‘Now you will feel what my beloved creature felt. Does it feel nice?’

‘You sick bastard.’ Lord Helretum choked. His face was going purple. He had to do something; the owner of the wolf would kill him otherwise. He drove his leg into the man’s stomach, freeing himself from the clutches of the wolf’s owner.

‘My wolf showed you mercy,’ He punched Lord Helretum in the ribs, ‘But I will not.’ Lord Helretum stumbled over. The hunter kicked him in the face repeatedly. Each hit stung a little more than the last. Finally, Lord Helretum had had enough. When the hunter had reached to kick him, he had held the man’s leg, got up, and with his elbow, drove it into the side of his leg.

‘How does that feel?’ Lord Helretum retorted, ‘Or this.’ He threw the hunter on the ground. ‘I am a Lord, not some brawler.’ The man picked up his sword and walked off. The hunter whistled. Lord Helretum did not care. Then, a pack of wolves stood in front of him.

‘You hurt our leader, we hurt you.’ They charged at him. He could not fight them all at the same time. The only choice he had was to run. Lord Helretum did not look back, he just ran. If he stopped at any moment, the wolves would kill him. So, Lord Helretum ran faster than he had ever done in his damn life.

‘Trap the human.’ The Pack Leader nodded to the other wolves, who slowed down. Then, the other wolves jumped out in front of him. They did not attack him, they only stood. Lord Helretum was not stupid to know that it was a distraction. The hunter had returned.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

‘You really thought that you could outrun a hunter? Foolish man. Perhaps I would have spared you, if you would have given me the chance.’ He smiled. The wolves stepped back and formed a line.

‘Now, you deserve death. A life for a life.’ He clicked his fingers. The wolves all leapt at him simultaneously. The man had no choice but to fight them all individually. They bit into his flesh. He bit his upper lip. His hands tried to get them off; they kept coming back. Their teeth sunk into his skin. Creatures of the Dark Being himself. The hunter watched as Lord Helretum’s life was ending. He applauded every time the man screamed in agony.

‘Please end this. End me!’ He sobbed, ‘End me! I don’t want to live anymore! END ME!’ The wolves kept biting through layers of his skin. He had stopped trying to shake them off, now. Lord Helretum had accepted his fate. The man’s life flashed before his eyes, every memory he had ever had replayed, leading up to where he was now. He saw Queen Hilyun, and how they were such good friends, also, he saw the funeral he had attended days after the Queen of Asderia’s death. He saw the girl in the church, the meeting with the Emperor, and finally, the time he had escaped the carriage and killed the wolf. He had lived a good life and did not care if he died now. Asderia needs you. They need a ruler. The words that the girl in the church had said resonated in his mind. She was right. She was right! Lord Helretum refused to die now. He stabbed each wolf with his blade and ensured that today would not be his last.

‘No!’ The hunter cried, as his plan had failed. The man had survived. The hunter felt miserable for the first time in his life as a hunter.

‘Maybe you should try and fight me your fucking self.’ Lord Helretum walked towards the hunter.

‘Let’s finish this.’

The hunter took out a small dagger. This was it. The fight that determined Harry Helretum’s life. He could not lose now, not after he had gotten so far. Lord Helretum was the first to strike, and got the hunter exactly where he had planned: the thigh. The hunter staggered backwards, and Lord Helretum pointed the blade at his neck.

‘Get your wolves to take me to Asderia or I'll slit your throat.’ Lord Helretum had become a man of the forest in the brief time he had spent there.

‘You would not have the guts to kill someone!’ The hunter laughed. ‘You are a man of the city. You have no idea what it is like in the forest.’

‘I would have the guts to kill you, but it is my last resort. If you do what I want you to, then, I will not murder you.’

‘The forest was quick to change you.’ The hunter smirked. ‘What do you want me to do?’

‘I want you to take me to Asderia.’ Lord Helretum responded.

‘Why me of all people?’ The hunter inquired the man.

‘You are a man of the forest. You will know the route. I need to get to Asderia by dawn. Take me there and you will never have to see me again.’ The hunter stood up.

‘Fine.’ The hunter shook Lord Helretum’s hand. They began the journey to Asderia, in the middle of the night. It was silent, they did not speak at all; the breeze was the only noise the forest made. The wolves accompanied them.

‘So,’ The hunter started a conversation, ‘What is your name?’

‘Lord Helretum is my name.’

‘A royal, interesting. My name is Rory Rilderwood, the finest hunter in the Wild Woods. These wolves were given to me by my father.’

‘How can they speak? Animals have not been able to do that since the Dark Being rose. I am thirty-five years old and have never seen anything like it.’

‘My animals, they are more advanced than the others. I have given them minds of their own. However, they are scared of overthrowing me, so I constantly remain their leader. They follow my every command. When I whistled, they knew the command and carried it out. Speaking of which, why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance?’

‘Because that would not be merciful. I have never killed a single person in my life, for I know it is not necessary to my survival.’ Lord Helretum spoke from his heart, ‘I had no reason to kill you. Now, how far are we from Asderia?’

‘Wolves, how far are we?’

‘A quarter of an hour.’ The leader of the pack responded to his master’s question. Lord Helretum closely observed the jaw movements of the wolves as they spoke. It could not have been magic. It was as Rory had said: they really were that advanced. Remarkable. This could change everything.

‘Rory, have you ever thought of using your animals to do things for humans? They are so advanced that they could do that.’

‘Are you telling me that I should allow my prized pets to become slaves to horrible mortals who are lazy, while people like me break their spine off every single day just to provide for themselves!’ Rory walked away, taking his wolves with him.

‘Wait! This was not part of the deal! You promised to take me to Asderia! If I see you again, I will kill you and your wolves!’ Lord Helretum walked away, acting as if he were the victim, but deep down, he knew what he said had been immoral. Animals are humans were supposed to be equals, not slaves to each other. I could have been at Asderia by now if I hadn’t been so rude. I would not even be here if I was polite for once in a while. Harry Helretum sighed. He was back at the beginning once again. He climbed up a hill. Asderia was in view. Rory Rilderwood and his wolves had led him straight there after all.

‘Yes!’ He cheered. There was still hope for Asderia after all. He could change the fate of Asderia, and make sure that it would not become part of the Empire. The Emperor had not taken over just yet. He could stop the Emperor and rise against him. A revolution was about to start, and at its heart was Harry Helretum.