Killer

May 28th, Year 450. Unknown location on the Human Continent Orgus

I stood over a large round table looking down at a map of the five nations. A short bearded man with wild red hair stood at my side with his chin in his hand, thinking about what actions we should take next. This man, of course, was my longtime friend Orreth Flaskforged, or better known as the King of the Dwarves. To my left was a black scaled figure shrouded in black leather armor with two ruby-red eyes and two large wings sprouting from his back.

This man was the King of the Lizardman, Thrishk Ishkugot and, to his left, was a stunning woman with long silver hair and blue eyes. Her name was Amnestria Aradove, and she was the Queen of the Elves and, hopefully, my future wife, ehehe...

Ahem, anyways, there was another woman pouring a glass of liquor on the far side of the room. She had black tattoos that curled up her arms and legs, along with fair white skin and a dual-tone hair color of white and black. This was Hotaru Nassomu, Queen of the Beast-People as well as a rare breed known as a Snow-Leopard.

While Hotaru was busy drinking away and playing around with her sharp nails, the rest of us were trying to think of a strategy to overcome the blockade inside of the Human Kingdom, Orgus. "I think it would be best if we send my best magicians to fly over the blockade and bombard them until they scatter..." Thrishk's raspy voice echoed through the room.

I quickly looked over and shook my head, saying "No, we can't do that. Those are civilians who are fighting for their own reasons, not just to spill blood. If we listen to their words, maybe we can reason with th-" Thrishk slammed his clawed hand down on the table and yelled "Those "civilians" killed my people! People who were trying to flee from the rebellions in my own damned Kingdom!! If you think I'll let this slide, then you are sorely mistaken!"

I sighed as Thrishk walked out through the large ornate doors, slamming them behind him. Hotaru laughed mischievously as she trot over toward the table and looked at the map from over my shoulder. "We could just send my best scouts to sneak past the blockade while Amnestria's mages disable whatever kind of magic formation that they have."

Orreth nodded his head with his arms crossed before saying "Look lass, we don't even know if they have a damned formation or not. We have no intel, and the last of our troops are runnin' out of juice. We have to decide on what we want to do, and now." The room went silent and Hotaru put her hand on my shoulder with a radiant smile before saying "I agree with Asta!" as she put her arm around my shoulder.

I brushed her off and said "I told you my name is Astaroth, not Asta!" Amnestria cleared her throat and said "I, too, agree with Astaroth's plan." Soon after, Orreth said "Aye, me too. I just hope that these people will listen to what we have to say..." We concluded out meeting and Orreth went to go inform Thrishk of our plans while Hotaru, Amnestria, and I all went to our separate rooms to get some sleep before the invasion tomorrow.

"What's wrong? You felt off today, Amnestria." I could tell something was wrong because, usually, she would actively participate in our meetings, but she kept mute until the end. "It is nothing. I have been having trouble sleeping, that is all." She kept her eyes forward as all three of us continued to walk down the long hallway that held our rooms.

"All right, I'm off to bed! See you tomorrow Asta, Amnestria!" Before I could correct Hotaru, she slipped into her room and, just like that, I was left with a slightly scowling Amnestria. 'Scary...' I thought as I felt the icy aura radiating from her body. "Goodbye, "Asta"." Amnestria slammed her door shut and I flinched as a piece of splintered wood hit my forehead.

"Pfffffahahahaha! You should see yer face!" A familiar red haired Dwarf came waddling down the hall with a large smile on his face. "I'm assuming Thrishk calmed down and shared his favorite wine?" I said while turning to walk to my room. Orreth laughed merrily as he pat his stomach and said "Yep! And it was mighty fine! I'd pay the Lizardmen a hefty sum to give me their entire stock!"

I shook my head at the Dwarf and couldn't conceal my smile. I've actually known everyone since I was a kid, but I've known Orreth ever since I was a newborn. Orreth was actually born in the Human Kingdom, but was the son of the Dwarven King. We attended the same academy and later moved on to the prestigious Archon Academy, where Thrishk, Hotaru, and Amnestria were attending. Eventually, the rebellions broke out soon after we graduated, and the Kings and Queens of the five nations were killed, leaving it up to us, their descendants.

I didn't even know that my father was the king until he died. Although my Uncle was the current King of Orgus, he was only a place holder until I got more experience in leading my people. Hell, I couldn't even remember much about my father; the only thing I had was the katana that he gave me. I stroked the blades polished wooden sheath and let a small sigh escape from my lips.

"Don't ye worry lad, I'm sure that you will be a good King. I'll help you every step of the way. That's what friends are for! That is, if you give me some of that Firebrand liquor..." I chuckled and opened the door to my room before walking over to the desk in the back and pulling out a large flask of liquor before swirling it around. "Want a few sips for the night?"

- - -

The morning sun hit my face as I walked outside with a fully armored Orreth by my side, his hammer and shield clinking against his plate armor. "Astaaaa! Wait for meeeee!!" An overexcited Hotaru leapt toward me and I dodged instinctually, forcing Orreth to grab her by her shirt and prevent her from falling to the ground. I saw her tiny, fur-covered ears drooped down under her hair as she began to pout. Thrishk descended from the sky as Amnestria walked toward us with her usual expressionless face.

"You guys ready? We're running just a bit late." Everyone nodded their head and the mana in the air began to twist and react to my calling, summoning a gale to lift the group up before shooting us forward toward the blockade. Amnestria conjured a barrier to prevent the wind from harming us, and I took this time to go over a plan b strategy.

"If they aren't willing to listen, then we have to find a way to slip past the blockade without killing the civilians. This is Orgus, and I was charged with the affairs here, so do not try and go against me. Is that clear?" Everyone nodded their heads as they donned their armor and equipment from their dimensional jewelry. Amnestria was wearing a sleek blue dress with a long cut going down the side of her left thigh, as well as an icy silver-blue crown atop her head.

Hotaru had on a very small shirt, exposing her midriff, as well as a pair of black shorts coupled with her white daggers. Thrishk had his usual black leather armor on while his arms, legs, and face were covered in black bandages; his red and purple spear whistling through the air beside him. We landed a few kilometers away from the front of the blockade, and a strange feeling began to well up in my stomach.

We landed inside of a thick forest on the West side of Orgus in a little place called Kier. We walked through the forest and slaughtered a few large, scorpion-like mana beasts before emerging from the trees. The shouts of many people filled the air as thousands of poorly equipped men and women ran toward us with their rusted swords and pitchforks. "W-Who are you! What are you doing here!?"

A tall man, around 20 years of age, with short blond hair, square features, a large nose, and thick eyebrows held a sharp sword out toward me, barely clipping my hair in his haste. I watched as a lock of white hair fell down to the ground, and I had to hold Orreth back from going on a rampage and pounding the poor guys skull in. "Excuse our sudden arrival, but I am the Crowned Prince of Orgus, Astaroth Arlore."

The people up front paled and their bodies began to shake as they realized just who they pointed their swords at. "It...it's the bastard Prince!!" One man had the nerve to say something with an angry dwarf nearby, and it was all I could do to keep Orreth from blasting the poor fool with a fireball. "Look, we're here to negotiate, not fight. Please, let this end in peace, not blood..."

The man in front of me spat on the ground and yelled "What rights does a half-breed bastard like you have to order us around!? You should have died with your father..." A murderous aura spread from my body as I gazed into the man's eyes. My face was expressionless, but my eyes were devoid of all light, and were colder than the void itself.

A pungent smell came from those directly in front of me, but I ignored them and turned toward a muscular man with sharp features and a bald head. "You. What's the situation here." The man's eyes opened wide as he bowed low and said "S-Sir! It...It's dire. We're running low on food, water, and clean clothes...please, just bring this to an end...we're being held cap-"

Suddenly, a bright black-purple beam shot down from the sky, incinerating the man and a few others close by. An explosion sounded out from the back of the blockade and the shockwave eventually made its way to the front, carrying a few bodies with it along the way. "Amnestria, Hotaru. You two conjure a barrier since you're the only ones with enough skill to do so. Thrishk, take to the sky and see if you can engage the one above while Orreth and I take this one..."

Hotaru and Amnestria began to conjure a barrier around the civilians immediately while Thrishk spread his wings with a blood-curdling shriek, taking off and leaving a large cloud of dust in his wake. Orreth readied his shield and glanced at me before asking "Are ye sure you're ready? I feel...uneasy about this one..." I laughed and drew my katana, its silvery blade glistening in the sunlight.

"Don't get cold feet on me now, friend. Let us end this and grab a drink, just like usual." Orreth nodded his head and responded shortly. "Aye. Let us do that..." Most of the civilians of the blockade were wiped out; either dead or severely injured. A man in a long, flowing black robe walked up toward us, a hood covering his face. "Greetings, great Astaroth, son of Aalreth Palefang, and Siora Arlore..."

My knuckles turned white because of how hard I was gripping my katana's handle. I wanted answers, and this man seemed like the best source. "How the hell do you know my parent's true names? How the hell do you know who my mother is..." The hooded man cackled and said "How!? Well, I knew them of course! That's how!!"

A black, deformed scythe appeared from thin air and landed in the man's hands, radiating a foul stench of death. The man twirled the scythe around and sent out five line of black mana toward Orreth and I. Orreth clad his body in fire and blocked all of the attacks with his shield as I settled down into a low stance and closed my eyes.

The mana within my was stirred, angered almost, and it pointed at the hooded man with the intent to kill. I guided the mana along through my body, strengthening it and filling me with power. A bright green line shot up through the middle of my katana as I snapped my eyes open and flashed toward the man, slashing out in the process.

The sound of metal ringing against metal filled the air, and I caught a glimpse of the man's eyes. They were a pure violet, and they radiated a coldness that far surpassed my own. "Don't you are look at me with those eyes! Those damned eyes that think they know suffering!! I'll make you go through only a fraction of the pain you made me endure, but you'll end up being just as broken as I am in the end!!!"

Our attacks were a blur to the others and, with every clash, the earth beneath us would shatter and crumble. For some reason, just being near this man filled me with such a rage and bloodlust, that I completely forgot about the survivors of the recent attack. My strikes were infused with wind, making me faster than anyone else, yet this man could easily keep up with me, and even read my attacks.

I was like an open book to him.

"Move yer ass boy!" I jumped back and Orreth appeared in front of me with a wild grin on his face. His flaming hammer drew a perfect arc toward the man's scythe and blood sprayed everywhere as dust rose to block my sight of the battle. After many tense moments of silence, save for the few shrieks from Thrishk and his spear above, the dust settled.

I felt my knees go weak and I fell to the ground as the headless body of Orreth filled my eyes. His body was entangled in some kind of purple chains as a purple fire smoldered over his body, filling my nose with the stench of burning flesh. My vision turned blurry as a lump in my throat stopped me from breathing. Blood flowed from my hands as my nails dug into my palms; the pain bringing me back to reality.

I grit my teeth and infused my wind attribute into my legs, speeding up my movements as I leapt forward. The man had a hideous smile on his face as he swung his scythe down toward my blade and said "Let us see whos weapon will hold up the longest. My cursed scythe, or your holy sword..." I was flung back from the impact and I was forced to brace myself for another attack as the man leapt up and slashed out with his scythe.

I slammed into the ground and rolled to the side, barely dodging the man's attack, when a sudden boom from the side caught my attention. I whipped my head around and saw the other hooded figure standing on top of Thrishk with his spear in their hand, its blade embedded into the Lizardman King's stomach.

He coughed up blood and reached his clawed hand out to me as he was tried to speak. "Please...please...pro...tect...my...Kingd...om..." In the very end, his final wish was for his people's safety. How could I say no? I wanted to stay alive so that I could beat these people and keep the world safe, but I had this upsetting, dark feeling in my stomach.

I wanted to just...kill.

Before I knew it I was already in front of the hooded figure that killed Thrishk with my katana deep in their chest, piercing their heart. I pushed the figure off of my blade and watched as their hood fell from their face, revealing a woman with short green hair, small features, thin eyebrows, and pure purple eyes, just like the other hooded figure.

I felt no remorse or regret for killing the woman, for she had killed someone I knew and thought of as a friend, even if he was a bit hotheaded and brash...he was still my friend. Tears began to slowly fall from my cheeks as I turned my furious expression back to the man with the scythe. He began to laugh like a madman when he saw my expression, but then his face twisted into that of annoyance as a multilayered, translucent barrier formed around my body.

The man sighed and said "Well, now this is just getting annoying instead of being fun..." He suddenly disappeared and a loud scream echoed through the air. I turned my head and saw the man holding Hotaru in the air by her neck, squeezing the life from her body by the second. A scream tore through my throat as the man looked back at me with his sickly purple eyes; a loud snap following shortly.

A scream of pure rage sounded out as Hotaru's lifeless body fell to the ground with a sickening thud. "You bastard! I'll fucking kill yo-" Amnestria ran forward with her ice bow in her hand, but the man flashed forward faster than she could react and slammed her into the ground. "Now, aren't you a pretty one...I will look forward to having some fun with you once I kill Astaroth..."

My katana swung in a clean arc toward the man's neck, but his hand appeared and he grabbed the blade with only two fingers. "Pathetic. To think that you would be able to wield Convergence." He threw me across the open field and I tumbled over many dead bodies, covering my clothes in blood and dirt. I recovered and moved my katana up just in time to block the man's fist, however, the katana shattered into pieces.

The man reached out and grabbed me by the throat, lifting me up before tossing his hood back, exposing his face. His skin was pale and gaunt, and he had dark circles under his eyes with long, silver hair. One could tell that his features were once handsome, but they were now twisted and devoid of any emotion except for hatred and anger.

But, even still, I knew who this man was. How could I forget about the bastard who killed my parents? The man once known as my little brother, Amos Palefang...

"Hoh? So you do remember me? Your poor little brother who was always overshadowed by your pitiful and fragile glory! You forced me to kill father, and you were the one who banished me from the Kingdom!! Now, I have returned to take what was rightfully mine..." His grip became tighter and I began to see visions of the past, the one where my brother and I were always playing together, and were closer than ever before.

Suddenly, an ice spike pierced Amon's gut, making him cough out blood as he grit his teeth and dropped me. I watched as Amon turned to the still prone Amnestria and began to slowly walk over toward her. "You bitch! I will show you your place!" Using the last bit of mana I had left, I conjured a large tornado where Amon was, lifting him up and spinning him around while debris began to slam into him.

"Amnestria...Now!!" I yelled out with the little energy I had, causing Amnestria to raise her hand and summon a massive ice spike above the tornado. She flung her hand down and the spike slammed into Amon, clashing with his barrier before finally impaling him and smashing into the ground, leaving the surroundings quiet.

"We...we did it..." Amnestria said as she slowly crawled to her feet. I couldn't hear a word she was saying, as my vision was already turning black. I knew what was about to happen. 'I'm coming, Orreth, Thrishk, Hotaru. I'm sorry, Amon...I should've paid you more attention instead of letting the fame get to my head...I'm so sorry...I'm sorry...I'm...'

Tears began to pour down from my face as all of the regret and grief I had been holding back for so long invaded my soul. My vision dimmed, and I could barely make out Amnestria's crying face above mine. A voice entered my mind in that moment, making me wonder if I had gone crazy.

'Poor mortal. It seems that my vessel has been broken, and I thank you for that, mortal. Allow me to give you your heart's deepest desire. Please, I think your soul will be able to recover this way. I wish you safe travels as you right your wrongs, mortal...'