Broken minds

Broken Minds Chapter 1

 A cloaked figure sat contently on a chair, rocking it back and forth while he idly fiddled with a sparkling gold coin between his gloved fingers. The half-empty drink stood holding down a brown crumpled piece of paper, with a rough drawing of hooded mages and the price on their heads. The figure quietly grunted as he shifted from his position, quietly stowing away the gold coin, swinging his foot off the table and began to walk out of the small inn.

Looking back from the agar door, the figure glanced back in to the vacant room. His eyes briefly glanced over the bodies of skeletons slumped over their tables. Turning his back toward the door the infamous 'Rogue Knight', called Stefen breathed in deeply in, then out. With a small sigh, he began to walk slowly forward, the sound of metal clanging rippled through the heavy fog that surrounded and suffocated the air around Stefen.

Stefen's eyes squinted against the fog, but he knew that each step would draw him closer to his goal. As the knight's steel helmet crested a hill, a faded and blurred out-line of a tall gnarled ruins came into view. Looking up, the knight's vison was consumed by a soaring tower, its brick foundations corroded and rotten away by age turned into a brittle reminder of a once flourishing building.

A smirk played on Stefen's mouth as he carefully surveyed the ruins, but soon morphed into a sneer as he came to the conclusion that the ruins were unguarded. His reasoning was perfect Stefen thought to himself, the look out positions were empty, deserted and no lights glowed from the darkened widows. "They're probably sleeping; I'll make it quick then." He muttered, "Pity... I was itching for a good fight, seeing as this is my first time fighting against magic."

Unslinging his rifle the soldier slowly made his way to the large wooden door that separated him and his objective, but not for long. As Stefen aimed a kick to the door, the air around him began to warp, ripple and corrupt. Spinning around he felt his body change, and with a blinding flash of light, dissipated. Just as a bright light also shone from a window from the tower.

Weightlessness was all Stefen could feel, though it was only for a second before he felt his feet roughly slam down to the hard brick floor. For a second Stefen was knocked unbalanced from the fall, his heavy armour proving to be a detriment rather than any assistances. But, the second was all the time that his enemies needed.

The knight's ears were filled by the sound of incantation, and then his body was plunged in agonising, torments of pain. His scream of anguish filled the room as he withered, and fell on his knees. He watched as blood began to haltingly dribble from large gashes and wounds. Made from the arrows and dagger protruding from his body. Stefen's head hung limp and he strained as his helmet and head were wrenched upwards. A hooded figure was bending down surveying him with distaste, using its magic to hold his head up.

Three mages looked at the bleeding form of a knight and soon one of the mages run out of the room, its footsteps echoing along the stairs. The two others began to cast and new spell, but this one was cut short. As a dagger whistled toward one of the mages, drilling itself into its flesh. Then a gunshot, followed shortly by a dull thump.

Inside a blood-stained room Stefen lowered his smoking rifle, as he watched the second mages hooded form crumple and fall. Yet the damage was already done to Stefen as he desperately tried to stop the blood, which was now pouring from his more egregious wounds. Ripping and shredding cloth from the dead or dying bodies of the mages. Stefen turned to look at the mage slabbed by the dagger, and as he watched he saw the mage's fingers twitch.

Slowly he walked forwards, his armour rattling with the sound of death. The knight pulled the dagger out of the mages forehead, before plunging it down, boring the blade in and tearing flesh. Again and again he sank the dagger into the mages head, until there was only a bloody puddle. Tossing the dagger aside the armoured figure limped out of the room, slowly and murderously making its way upwards.