The Death Of A King.

In his bed chamber Im Tae slept next to Queen Sandi. The faint light of a candle soaked the two and their features could be seen. Im Tae silently caressed Sandi's belly, and Sandi silently smiled with her eyes closed.

The day tommorow seemed to have great promise.

Two months passed and tensions inside the empire and outside rose.

The crown prince Im Wu the younger brother of the current king Im Tae challenged Im Tae for the throne. A public declaration was spread outwards and numerous parties who were against Im Tae, or were scared of the seven dragon empire's growth showed great support. Not only had Im Wu joined one of the nine martial dynasties and received their support to correct a vile insurrection of truth and help Im Wu reclaim the throne, Im Wu had also asked for the hand of the second daughter of the FIre Suzerain of the west.

Great numbers of the public drove to the streets either riled by their patriotism or by the seemingly limitless opportunity Im Wu brought to them. Never before had the martial society tried to enter the four countries, this was notably a good thing but also a bad thing. The opportunities the martial society provided was always exclusive and so if Im Wu an affiliate of a martial society became king their empire would thus have the same opportunities as the martial society. Of course the marriage of Im Wu and the suzerain of the wests daughter helped incredibly.

Im Tae sat upon his throne frowning deeply. Frankly he hadn't expected such a blatant and obnoxious strategy to show cracks in the empire he bore. Im Tae was greatly cornered by not only his own people, but those he made alliance's with.

Im Tae felt that only by killing Im Wu could he keep the throne, yet if he did so the public opinion would hang him.

Im Tae had always been someone who acted in response to other's decisions, yet against an ignorant and unresponsive mass of noise such as the populace of the empire this couldn't work. No matter what he thought or tried it could reach their hearts or scare them.

Im Tae slammed his hand down on the arm of the throne, "These monkeys! Banding together to try and hunt me!"

Im Tae called Gu and said, "Leave the palace immediately. Take Sandi with you as well as the three witches and their coven. Leave for the east immediately."

Gu knelt, "Your majesty?"

Obvious fear and worry traced in Gu's voice.

Im Tae said loudly, "Immediately."

Gu screamed with all he could, "Your Majesty!"

Im Tae exclaimed, "I said leave now! This is a royal decree! Never look back!"

Gu screamed, "Im Tae! I won't leave! It wouldn't be worth living without you!"

Im Tae exclaimed, "Need I repeat myself! Leave!"

Gu was dragged away by two guards.

Im Tae sat on his throne biting his lip.

Im Tae sighed as he slouched on his throne.

Yet suprisingly there was a smile of relief on Im Tae's face.

Im Tae asked himself, "Do you think it will be today? Tommorow? Finally we'll be able to remove this burden, perhaps only in death can I truly be alive."

Day's passed, then months and then a year.

It was actually a little more than a year when the world seemed to shift.

Winter had passed and spring had spread. Life birthed from all corners and the cold death that had grasped all of existence seemed to whittle away with the snow.

The sun shone brightly down upon the world and the skies seemed clear.

Green bushes filled the ever extending world and the sound of beasts reappearing spread everywhere.

Yet in the seven dragon Empire the city was laced in large fires and smoke puffed into the blue sky polluting it with a eerie darkness.

A loud sound as if ten thousands of mad horses were roaring simultaneously spread through the captial and the large city gates made of thick steel tore open. It seemed as if hell had been born as a red menacing glow spread across the world. The earth shook violently and even larger plumes of smoke rose to the sky. A large black monster crawled through the crack, purring violently.

A panel on the monster opened and a young man full of heroism and charm came into view - Im Wu.

Im Wu seemed to carry an unquestionable arrogance and roared, "Today I shall reclaim what is rightfully mine from the deceptive and traitorous King Im Tae!"

Through the crack of hell various men and women poured in. A majority wore purple and black robes or tight cloaks they all wore a purple demon mask. Another majority wore thick crimson armor and a sword latched to their side, most notable was they wore a cape with a emblem of an orange sun.

These men seemed to abide by no orders and spread quickly like birds towards the Royal palace.

Numerous bodies littered the streets from children, to adults, to soldiers and even animals. Yet even in the sight of this devastation and apocalypse the people of the seven dragon empire who had seen their fellow countrymen die before them by these invaders roared, "Kill the king!"

Even as there homes were being looted and their people killed the people believed foolhardily like fanatics that they were doing the right thing that this was the natural law.

Numerous blood soaked villains approached the palace and cut their way through the winding halls.

Five men and six women of which three wore purple garments and eight red armor. They stood in front of a jade palace preparing.

Eventually one of the women pushed the large and heavy doors to enter, yet right as a portion opened a powerful and penetrating spear shot out and struck the woman in her brain.

The woman seemed to be in shock and her body remained still even though she was completely dead as of now. With a violent force the spear was pulled back and a clean hole appeared in the woman's head following which she collapsed like a rope to the ground.

Before anyone could react that same spear shot our tens of times each hitting a person.

Finally all eleven was poked full of holes.

A man wearing a black leather armor with shimmering metal gauntlets, a chest plate and leggings walked out and sighed.

The man pointed the spear towards the ground and said, "How many can I take with me?"

This man was Im Tae who had already resigned himself to death, but he would not allow himself to go on the yellow road alone.

Im Tae slowly pressed a floor tile and a secret corridor opened and Im Tae slowly descended.

The wind blew with great fervor and the smell of blood had already seeped into every corner and would most likely never dissapear. This was death, this was chaos. The earth would for more than a hundred years be dyed a deep red.

A purple cloaked man came and bowed towards the black monster and said, "Young master the disciples sent into the palace have almost all died. Many have fallen into well placed traps and a few towards a spear wielding opponent."

Im Wu stood outside the black machine looking through the city, when a voice from inside the machine said, "Hm. I expected Im Tae that treacherous man to do that, furthermore I heard his spear skills were even comparable to some spear sects. Very well take great care, I don't want too much loss and send the hunting dogs to fetch Im Tae."

The purple cloaked man bowed and quickly moved.

Im Wu muttered with a twisted smile, "Finally today I will reclaim my throne."

Inside the black machine a young woman sneered, "Fool."

Black rain began to pour as the battle had spread to the evening.

Past the royal palace upon a wasteland lacking vegetation or even sunlight, Im Tae ran. Im Tae grasped his stomach as he saw the red blood flow out, he felt nauseous.

Im Tae looked behind intermittently.

Im Tae slid into a open patch of dirt. His eyes darting around.

Im Tae sighed, "Ah. Those freaks, they are incredibly coordinated and each a master in their own right."

Im Tae slouched feeling the cold and boney grasp of death. Truly he felt as if a large black hand had gripped tightly his heart, and numerous smaller hands had wrapped his limbs.

Im Tae looked dull and sluggish, yet he suddenly rose up and looked around obvious fear and surprise in his eyes.

Im Tae wondered, "What was that. I felt as if something was watching me."

Im Tae held his breath in fright and terror. The feeling of weakness as if a simple sheep against a fox, as if every action was needless and worthless drowned him and even his dragon like eyes flickered in trepidation.

Even the chilling grip of death wasn't as fearsome as that gaze that landed upon Im Tae.

Im Tae gulped and suspiciously scanned the environment, but saw no change.

The feeling of death flushed back into his nerves and the previous fear dissapeared as if snow in summer. Im Tae was dying what was he really scared of?

Scoffing at his own foolishness Im Tae's eyes beat violently like a war drum. He looked at the spear on his back and huffed furiously.

Im Tae roared, "Unlike that spearman I suppose I won't be allowed to sleep on clouds. Hehe, let's no be shameful shall we?"

Im Tae then sprinted towards a flickering shadow.

Im Tae jumped off a small cliff and spun violently like a wheel and pushed out the spear, the spear dug into the black shadow instantly destroying his heart.

Im Tae used the spear as a pole and shifted his body like a snake and used the still air born body of the shadow to further climb above.

Yet as he proceeded to dive towards another shadow, a arrow blitzed through the air and stuck itself into Im Tae's stomach. Im Tae swallowed the hot blood that rose uncontrollably.

Im Tae clashed with the shadow below who wore two thick gloves. The shadow grabbed the shaft of the spear allowing Im Tae to be completely defenceless.

Im Tae used the stuck spear like a branch and swung like a monkey hitting the shadow in his side with great force causing him to fly off.

Im Tae couldn't even relax as three arrows dashed and struck his arms and right leg.

Yet Im Tae seemingly oblivious to the pain rushed madly with great fervor.

It wasn't a great exaggeration that Im Tae's spear play hadn't stunned and even slightly horrified the hunting dogs. Yet they had braved great hells and fallen havens, a dying king wasn't something they were stuck on for long.

Soon enough a fight that lasted seemingly forever. The moon hung brightly at the top of the sky. The pale moonlight illuminated a man coveted in blood standing. The man was full of arrows and looked like a great demon who had crawled from the ugliest and cruelest depths of hell. Yet that demon had blank dead eyes.

A shadow neared and said with a deep sigh, "He managed to kill nine of my elites. He's truly fearsome. If he learnt true martial arts... What a pity."

The still figure ot the demon like man eventually collapsed to the ground with a bone chilling wind.

The shadow looked at the moon and pronounced as if telling the heavens, "The king is dead."