The Darke King

Choices

Agamori spoke in Daniel's mind as he nodded his head out past the tree he was peeking from behind. "There. Past the brook."

Daniel slid his head to the left and squinted his eyes until his vision cleared the tree, and he could see the squadron of goblins and trolls camped out in a clearing.

Ever since they attacked Rosemary in the meadow, Daniel had grown very fond of exterminating goblins and was always glad to rid the North of the slimy, stinking vermin. Daniel felt particularly cruel today, with her rejection of him still fresh on his mind and ripping through his chest. So, when Agamori gave the others the command to flank the enemy and flush them toward the trees they waited behind, Daniel was more than pleased to make his presence known.

While Agamori's men charged the squadron and drove them toward the forest, Daniel showed himself as he walked to them with an evil grin. Every word Rosemary said to him echoed through his mind and stoked the burning building in all the molecules of his body. His skin tingled as the blue flame rose from his pores, and an icy wave of exhilarating hate crashed over him. His eyes turned as black as the void of space, and not even a glimmer of light or hope escaped the windows of his soul as he prepared to lay ruin to the creatures hurtling toward him.

Rosemary's presence in his life made Daniel stronger and gave him new powers he'd never even dreamed of. Still, her dismissal of his affections made him burn even brighter and hotter.

The angry, devastated pile of nothing she left him in made him especially dangerous and formidable. He could have ended things easily; he'd done it before. Incinerating his enemy was too quick today, though. Daniel wanted them to feel the suffering that sat in the pit of his stomach, knowing that he failed the very person he was born to save. The trolls and goblins would pay the dearest cost today for the sins of the Earthborn man who sired Rosemary's child.

Snatching the hilt in his fingers as he reached behind his head, Daniel drew his bastard sword when the first troll approached. While the troll swung through the air like a lumberjack and chopped his ax down at Daniel's head, the warrior spun out and plunged the sword into the beast's side between his ribs. As his lifeblood drained quickly from his beating heart, the troll fell to his knees, and Daniel looked over his shoulder, then set the troll ablaze. Daniel carved his way through the creatures with his faithful brother, Agamori, by his side.

When the flames of the last beast rose into the cool air and the ashes spread out through the wind, Daniel sensed an incoming projectile barreling toward them, and he pushed Agamori to the ground.

The 'thwump' through the air was heard before Daniel even felt the arrow sink into his gut or the next one bury itself in his chest. As he groaned and gasped against the air he tried so desperately to force into his quickly deflating lung, Daniel gnashed his teeth at the beasts racing at them. Like the blazes of hell had been unleashed upon the world, two giant balls of flame shot from Daniel's mind and cremated them mid-sprint.

Agamori crouched there on the ground with his mouth agape in amazement.

He saw many dreadful miracles since Daniel arrived in the Realm. Still, at that moment, the ancient warrior knew he was kneeling before the King of all Ruin, the legendary Master of the Flames.

As Daniel doubled over in pain, weak from his injuries and the blood pouring from them, Agamori wrapped his arm around his back and shepherded him toward the horses. "Hold on, Daniel." Feeling his very life force draining from him, Daniel clutched at Agamori's clothing when they reached the Great Hall of home.

Through noisy breaths and gurgled speech, Daniel stumbled underneath Agamori's brawny arm as he tried to hold him steady while they walked across the hall. "Tell Rosemary I love her."