The rhythmic scrape of my blade running over stone rang through the forest. I had snagged a sharpening stone on my way out yesterday after noticing the edge of Igzil’s sword had gone dull with use. These monster’s didn’t deserve straight forward battles, not to mention I didn’t relish the idea of facing down hundreds of soldiers at once. Therefore, I’d kept with my hit and run tactics during the night. That Jihadian knight during my first excursion had been a lucky find, as since then I’d only slit the throats of common soldiers.
Today was a special day. I had finally located the location of the company’s general. More precisely, what his tent looked like. It was time to take the Jihad contingent down from the top.
The last week and a half went smoothly, as I only had a few close calls with soldier’s stumbling around corners where they shouldn’t have. Luckily, I was quick on my feet and ended the problems before it became a serious issue.
The woman in that knight’s tent came to mind as my blade sharpened. An unfortunate occurrence, but that is the way of things. Sometimes people are in the wrong place at the wrong time. But she had been in my thoughts for the past few days. As I cut her lover down, had she been smiling at me? That couldn’t be right, she was probably already dead by the time I dispatched her man. Nevertheless, another vicious smile on a dead mouth came to mind. Back when I had said those fateful words.
I refocused on the task at hand, making certain my edge was sharp. Today would likely be much different than the normal operation, for I wasn’t leaving until the general’s blood coated my blade.
My bloody excursions had paid off. My body felt stronger than ever before, whipcord and ready to spring into action. However, I hadn’t gained any muscle recently, in fact I was persisting on random berries, nuts, and river water I happened upon. Base desires like hunger or thirst controlled me no more, the fire took care of that. I could feel my strength grow with each night of killing, so it seemed my power agreed with the direction I was utilizing it for.
Thankfully, that voice hadn’t spoken to me again. I shivered remembering the booming power that penetrated my entire being.
DO YOU ACCEPT
It was horrifying to ponder the ocean of strength behind those words, and I hoped to never hear them again. Whatever had spoken to me that day could stay silent and leave me to my mission.
My jaw set at the thought. It was almost time. I would execute in the cover of night as normal. But this time I would be venturing deep into the war camp to find the general’s tent. There would be no room for mistakes. With one last swoop down my sharpening stone, I stood and snapped my fingers to extinguish my campfire.
These soldier’s on the night shift were much more alert than the first day I snuck into their camp. Recently, they’d all been on high alert. They’d even doubled the soldier’s on the perimeter. I didn’t blame them. After all, the past few days showed the highest mortality rate for those on the night watch.
Lucky for these two, I didn’t plan on killing them. At least, not yet. I placed my palm to the ground and sent my fire into the earth beneath me. It tried to rage from my body, but I kept a tight grasp on it, wrangling with it like a man on a wild horse. This part would be tricky.
I kept the flames low, and slowly ran them along the forest floor towards the tent at their backs. My muscles twitched at keeping such close control of my fire from so far away, but I kept the flames far out of the soldier’s field of view as they snaked around. The tent caught, and slowly started going up in flame. I quickly pulsed energy through the campfire at their backs, making the logs pop and sending embers flying through the air.
“Shit!” The soldier exclaimed while turning to examine the fire.
“Fuck man. The tent caught!” He said frantically.
Turning to his partner he said, “quit standing there! Go get some water and help me put this shit out. Mahri is gonna have our hides for this.”
His partner turned and ran for help while he went to beat at the flames with his coat in futility. I took the moment to slip from the foliage and run into the confines of the tents. All I could hear were the curses of the man fanning his jacket and crackles of fire. Good, they hadn’t noticed me. I looked down at my stolen Jihadian uniform, hoping it would help suspicious gazes slide from my form.
I made my way deeper into the camp with no trouble, only having to dodge the sight of a single patrol. The whole camp was asleep, leaving behind a sea of white tents protruding from the earth like gravestones in a cemetery. In fact, it was so easy to spot the large general’s tent that I began to worry. It rose to the sky multiple spans taller than the rest surrounding it, decorated with a metal eagle perched at the precipice. The tent certainly cut an imposing image. I couldn’t wait to see what it looked like on fire.
My path took me closer, and I made sure to peer around every corner before rounding them. My movements were quick, confident, and when I moved from one cover to another it was with precision. I knew a grin graced my face, as heat spread through every limb of my body. I felt like a panther stalking its prey, each step getting me closer to the kill.
The massive tent was close now, only blocked by a few rows of tents. However, standing between me and my goal was a huge increase in patrolling soldiers. Not to mention the clearing of tents in the immediate area surrounding the general. There would be no sneaking past this obstacle.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
I readied myself to make a sprint towards the tent when I heard a loud voice behind me.
“Hey! Where’s your partner soldier?” The man shouted at me with hostility. He was accompanied by another man, both wearing the light leather armor which currently hug my own body.
I straightened, and turned towards them but kept my gaze on the ground. I’d learned not to show them my eyes.
“A case of food poisoning I’m afraid. I’m alone on this patrol,” I responded.
“Eyes up when I’m talking with you Private,” he said with a snap.
They had closed the distance towards me, not yet brandishing their steel, but with hands hovering near the hilts of their weapons. It was time to go loud.
I raised my eyes to meet his gaze.
They both took an immediate step back, faces going white.
“Babayaiga,” they both gasped as blades were unsheathed.
“He’s here! Babayaiga is here!”
I drew my sword in my right hand and dagger in my left as they raised the alarm. I burst into movement.
Fire blazed forth from my eyes and knocked the soldier’s in front of me off balance, giving me an opening. I stabbed my short sword forward into one of the men’s stomachs as I twisted around the other’s frantic slash. His blade met air, and my knife found the side of his neck.
They collapsed to the ground screaming as boots pounded dirt towards me. I shot flame on either side of me, setting tents alight to sow chaos. I sprinted around the corner towards the general’s tent, not slowing as a line of men blocked my way.
The fire wanted more. I concentrated that energy into my short sword as I barrelled towards my enemies. A few feet away from the line of brandished steel, I stopped on a dime. Twisting my body at the hips, I hurled my sword into a powerful horizontal slash. A wall of billowing orange flame sprang from the blade, roasting two soldiers directly in front of me in their armor and dazing the rest. Ear splitting screams filled the air.
I chased my own flame and stabbed one man in the eye with my dagger through his visor. Another jabbed at me with a spear, which I contorted around before sending a leaping kick to his chest, knocking him into his comrade. Steel cut the air to my right, and I held my sword to parry the blow. My strength knew no bounds. These common rats could do nothing to challenge me. The thoughts came unbidden to the forefront of my mind, and I accepted them with a feral grin.
I swept the strike aside and slashed my sword to open the man's throat. He fell with a gurgle as I hurtled his prone form, slamming my shoulder against the shield of a man in full knight armor. His feet slid backwards against the dirt, but he held his ground.
I sidestepped a man’s slash and deflected another’s off my knife as I locked eyes with the knight. His gaze was firm, and he stood unwavering before his general’s tent. I threw my dagger at his eyes, which he swept away with his shield. I used his moment of blindness to step past him and kick the back of his knee. He grunted as his knees hit the ground. My flaming sword found the space where his helmet met cuirass and I stabbed with all my might. The chainmail he wore beneath parted like butter and my blade went clean through his neck.
I heaved my sword from his body in a spray of gore and dove to the side to avoid a flurry of stabs and slashes from his companions. They had delayed me long enough, it was time to meet their general. Reinforcements poured into the clearing as I sent a powerful gout of flame to drive back my opponents. They screamed as hot metal seared their flesh. I dashed for the tent looming only a few paces away.
The entrance flaps parted around me as I bulldozed into the spacious room. A man in a prim black uniform stood with hands clasped behind his back at a desk towards the back of the tent. His strong jaw sported a graying beard, but his eyes held no sign of aging decline. To his right stood a knight in polished armor. A chain hung around his neck and circled down his right arm, where he held the thick metal as if grasping a spear.
“So you are who my men call Babayaiga. The demon who snatches naughty children in their sleep,” he said with an unfazed sniff. “I expected a man more intimidating than the child who stands before me.”
I took a step forward as soldiers poured into the tent from outside. The general held up a hand to stop them from cutting me down.
“I would hear why you have been terrorizing my men. Tell me, what is it that troubles you?”
Fire almost exploded from my ears. It raged so strongly in my system. Here was the man who commanded the destruction of my home. Who led the soldiers which tore everything from me. Who was he to ask me why?
“What troubles me?” I said with a snarl.
“What troubles me is the death of my family! You slaughtered Johnny! You took EVERYTHING from me!” My voice boomed through the tent, fire encircling my hands and dancing in my eyes.
“So, just a simple war orphan. Here I thought it would be something special.” He said with a sigh of disappointment.
Special? My family was special to me. They were my whole world. I couldn’t contain myself any longer. This monster had to die, he had to be roasted in the flames of my vengeance.
Rage bubbled to the surface. Energy churned within me, screaming to be let out. I gave it a path to follow. A ferocious yell boomed from my body as I sent a torrent of angry flames towards the frowning general.
“Enough of this.”
The knight with the chain stepped forwards, snapping the interlocked metal between his gauntlets in a resounding ring. A wave of force rippled through the air, dispelling my fire and knocking me to my knees. He whirled the length of chain through the air at me. I tried to leap aside, but my body moved as if through molasses.
Metal wrapped tight around my body, pinning my arms to my sides and sending me face first into the floor. Cold seeped into every pore of my body as my flames sputtered to death.
“Keep him chained and throw him in a cage. We will know soon enough where he comes from, and what deity gave him this power.” Came the sharp voice of the general.
“At once General Murcatto,” responded the monotone voice of the knight.
The chains squeezed around me, and I felt my consciousness fading. Sinking away with my strength.