Fred and Rodrigo walked for the next few hours. They spent the whole time chatting about inane things like socks and clouds. After they had walked for long enough Rodrigo declared he was tired. And decided that they would sleep.

Rodrigo created two makeshift beds from rat skins. For Fred and him.

…..

Fred sat cross legged, his leg tapping furiously against the ground. He bit his lip, his eyes squirming with lethal intent. ~Nathaniel. Nathaniel. Nathaniel.~ The lock around his heart pulled him, inciting a burning pain in his chest. Fred stood up. ~Nathaniel. Nathaniel. Nathaniel.~ He began to walk.

…

Fred crawled through a pit of rats, he was submerged up to the waist. He pushed through the rats making slow progress only barely moving fast enough so that the rats did not fall out from under him.

….

After what had to be hours. He arrived. A smooth stone floor and a smooth stone ceiling. With metal bars inserted into the ceiling and floors where the cells were placed. Sitting behind the bars was a woman.

~Nathaniel. Nathaniel. Nathaniel. Nathaniel.~

“Who are you?” She asked. Fred’s head snapped in her direction only now aware of her existence.

“I’m going to kill Nathaniel.” Said Fred with unfocused eyes and a delirious frown.

“And I murder genies for fun. Grow up kid.” Said the woman. Fred’s eyes gained clarity. The woman before him was dirty. Not in the figurative sense of the word. But in the literal sense. She was covered in blood feces and urine. Like Fred usually was after he died. Like he was right now. ~That doesn’t matter.~

His eyes lost focus again. ~Kill. Nathaniel. I’ll kill him.~ Fred walked down the halls.

“HEY!” Said the woman. He didn’t respond. “Don’t ignore me!” He kept walking.

Any prisoner that called out to him after that was succinctly ignored. All Fred could do was mindlessly walk down the hallway.

“You!” Fred’s head turned in the direction of a man in full plate armour. “You're not supposed to be here!!” ~He’s wearing armour. Very complex armour. A prisoner would be more concerned with running away instead of taking an hour and a half to put on such a complex suit of armour. He works with Nathaniel. That’s the only answer~ Fred began to walk towards the plate armoured man.

“With that suppressor you’re! As weak as a Normal human!” He pointed at Fred’s neck. Around which was a golden collar. Fred continued to walk. ~Nathaniel. Nathaniel.~ Whilst shaking the guard took a short sword from his belt and swung it towards Fred.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

Fred’s fist darted out. It collided with the guard's wrist. his hand bent at an odd angle and the short sword fell from his grasp. Fred reached down and picked up the short sword. ~There’s an exposed joint in the elbow there.~ Fred raised his blade and swung it towards the elbow that was sticking out. He cut right through the gambeson and deep into the joint.

“AHHHHHHH!” The guard screamed. And while he was paralysed by the pain Fred stabbed through the slit in the guard helmet. The angle was awkward so he didn’t get deep with the first stab. So he pulled his blade back and stabbed again and again and again.

“DIE! DIE! DIE!” With a feral ferocity Fred repeatedly stabbed into the guards eyes.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!” He screamed so loud that every other sound was drowned out as he feebly reached through the pain to grab onto Fred’s back. Fred moved the handle of the sword forward. And stabbed. “GUUURRRGH.” The guard didn’t have a chance of life at this point. Fred pulled the bloody sword out of the guard's throat. And as the guard was scrambling for life on the ground, the many prisoners around Fred looked on with a grin. He walked away.

~Nathaniel. I’ll kill you.~

….

After what had to be hours of walking. Fred had killed two more guards and finally found his way to the mansion. He walked up a stairwell. Light grew brighter with each step he took.

He climbed to a garden filled with hedges. In fact the hedges were so plentiful that you would only need to connect a few to create a maze. ~This is Nathaniel's backyard. Now how do I find him…?~ Fred shook his head at his stupidity. ~I’ll just look.~

Fred walked through the hedge mazes. Until he saw a man wearing a painted boar mask. The boar mask wearing man dropped his garden clippers and just stood there. Looking at Fred in confusion. Fred walked towards him. Without a hint of response from the boar masked man he put his sword to the boar masked man’s throat.

“Where’s Nathaniel?” Said Fred.

“W-why do you want to know?” Said the boar masked man. Fred pressed the tip of the shortsword deeper till it drew blood.

“Where is Nathaniel?” Said Fred with a teeth baring smile.

“He… He’s in his study. I’ll take you there.” Fred had the man turn around and pressed the sword into the back of his neck.

“So what’s your name?” Asked Fred.

“It’s John.” Fred’s smile widened slightly.

“Well. John… I hope I'll have the opportunity to remember it.” John shivered slightly.

“I hope so too.”

…..

John led Fred through a doorway and up the stairs. They walked down a hallway for what felt like minutes. Fred’s heart was thumping in his chest. ~This is it. I’ll kill him.~ John opened the door to a fairly unassuming room. Sitting there, with a quill in hand and a pile of papers on his desk was Nathaniel. His blue eyes were dead with boredom.

“Si. Sir.” Said John. Nathaniel turned his head up. Standing there a fearful sweat running down his back. Was John, the top of Fred’s head was just visible behind him.~There’s no way death threats of people other than himself would work on a bastard like Nathaniel.~

Without any hesitation Fred’s sword pierced through John's neck and came out the other end. “Tell my wife I love.” Fred thrust his boot in his back causing him to fall face first into the ground.

Fred stood there for a moment. A grin so wide it almost split his face as he took it all in. ~Suffer you bastard.~ His vision tinted red.