Fate of the Empires

I have failed again. I have allowed Slade to take more unnecessary lives. I’m not focused! While preventing a war is my main concern, I can’t help but drift back to the thoughts of my father. Who is General Fang? Is he truly a man of honor? Or did he rape my mother and slaughter her village? And if he is not responsible for her death, why did he not protect her?! Why did he leave her alone?! Why did he leave…me…alone? I think…I think I want to kill him.

Slade is on the loose somewhere within the Imperial base. He has killed two guards and injured four others. His movements are erratic. There doesn’t seem to be any method to his path of travel. He is clearly making his way towards the front gates, but he is creating as much confusion as he can along the way. Slade will show you one hand while he strikes you with the other. The skilled Densetsun soldiers are so busy investigating the scenes where he attacked guards or servants they will never catch him.

Draccus, Magnus, Leaia, and I make it back to the training yard. Lieutenant Motori is already waiting there with my father and two squads of armed troops. Motori dispatches the guards to the front gate. This doesn’t make sense! Why is Slade leading us this way? He is trained in shadow magic and could rift out of the base at any time. Why the show? There is an objective he has yet to accomplish. I need to find out what that is before it’s too late.

“Did you find our traitor?” my father asks.

“Kwon Zhang has made a deal with an Athusian,” I answer.

“That’s impossible,” he doesn’t want to believe the treachery runs so deep.

“It is true, General,” Leaia supports my statement, “One of the Kodasai forfeit his life by sharing this information.”

“And who is it that has my base in an uproar?”

“His name is Slade,” I say, “And I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”

“You are familiar with this man?”

“We’ve met before,” I say.

“What options do we have?”

“I would lock down the base and increase security around you and Lieutenant Motori,” I answer, “Either one of you could be a potential target.”

I want him dead, yet I find myself trying to keep him alive. Perhaps it is because I won’t allow anyone to take away my revenge. If the General is to die it will be by my hands, not Slade’s.

“I want this slime found!” my father shouts in anger, “We will not be prisoners in our own base!”

“Yes, my lord,” Lieutenant Motori bows.

Motori quickly rushes off to form another search party. My father looks at the four of us. “If you are familiar with him I want you to use this knowledge to find him,” he says in a very sharp tone.

He walks away without waiting for a response. He joins Motori to go search for Slade. I look to the others. “We will pair up and fan out,” I say.

I want Leaia with me so that I can watch over her, but I know that feeling is just my emotions blinding me to logical thought. Tactically, she and Draccus are a more efficient team as well as Magnus and I. “Magnus, you’re with me,” I order, “We meet back here at dusk. Be safe.”

We split up to assist in the search for Slade. I know this is not a good idea, but I cannot argue with my father, the General. I don’t think Slade will show himself again until he is ready to attack. I just need to figure out his game before then.

As I anticipated, all of the running around produced nothing. People miss so much when they are scurrying about frantically looking for something or someone in this case. If you take the time to stand back and just observe you find so much more. I am certain that Slade has been laughing to himself as he sat back and watched the futile search attempts. My father was a fool for making us look and I was a bigger fool for following his order.

Magnus and I meet with Draccus and Leaia in the training yard as the sun begins its descent below the horizon. Everyone looks exhausted from the day’s events. Leaia, who should be falling over after her remarkable duel with the Kodasai warrior, seems the most alert. I believe the changes overcoming her will play a big part in the outcome of our mission. That is partly why I must distance myself from her. I cannot get in the way of her destiny. Listen to me…when did I start believing in such drivel?

Leaia…I’m sorry if I am hurting her by staying away. I never thought my greatest weakness would be…her. If anything were to ever happen to her I am not sure what I would do. And I don’t want to be the one to hurt her. I’m not used to feeling this way and I hate it! I feel…vulnerable. It’s that vulnerability that makes me run from her. I can rationalize it any way I want, but that is the real reason.

I also feel a similar vulnerability when it comes to my father. I didn’t think seeing him would affect me in this way. My feelings are uncertain. The man I see is completely different than the one I’ve imagined. I must confront him, but now is not the time. I must concentrate my efforts on Slade. Where an army failed, I will succeed. I will find him. It’s simple. I will wait for the others to rest and I will make my move under the cover of darkness. That is when Slade will make his.

I sit on the rooftops of the barracks. I am camouflaged by the night. After my last encounter with the Kodasai I created my own night suit modeled off of their ninja garb. It’s light in weight, dark in color, and mildly protective. I look up at the full moon. It peers through the dark clouds that fill the sky. There’s moisture in the air. Rain is coming. That could be good. If there is thunder it will mask the sound of combat should I find Slade.

I move silently along various rooftops within the base. All is quiet. Soldiers go about their routine patrols although their watches have been doubled. I catch a glint off the top of a distant building. That may be what I am looking for. I leap from roof to roof quickly making my way over. A figure is crouched on the building. His back is to me, but he is not oblivious to my presence. “I knew you’d find me,” I hear Slade’s voice, “If I stood out in the open.”

The figure stands. He faces me and steps into the light to reveal his scarred, one-eyed face. He wears a Kodasai night suit. He keeps his hands behind his back. “What are you doing here, Slade?” I ask.

“Thought you could use some assistance on your mission,” Slade answers in his gruff voice.

“Is that why you tried to have us killed?”

“That was Deacon’s idea and he only wanted your mage.”

“He would’ve murdered us all to get to him.”

“That’s Deacon.”

“What is going on, Slade? Why did you kill that Kodasai warrior?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The man you killed in the Kodasai compound to keep him from talking to us.”

“I haven’t been in the Kodasai compound since I left the clan. Even when I made the deal with Kwon Zhang it was done at a public location in Jinsei.”

“If that wasn’t you then who was it?”

“You’re the spy. You figure it out.”

Who else could it have been? Who would stand to gain from killing a Kodasai? Unless it was Kwon Zhang, himself. The life of one of his men would be a small price to pay to keep his secrets safe. “Well, you clearly let me find you so what do you want?”

“That hurts, Jun. Can’t I just say hello and wish you good luck?”

“You are trying my patience.”

“I was just wondering if you had found the man who killed your mother yet?”

“What?”

“The whole reason Ethan sent me here was to find your father and give you the chance to even the score with him.”

“I know who he is.”

“And you haven’t killed him yet?”

“No…”

“Are you afraid?”

“No, I just…”

“I always knew you were weak, Jun. Too bad. If I were in your position, I wouldn’t let the man who raped my mother live, but I guess you are the forgiving type.”

Without another word Slade jumps off the roof. I run to the edge of the roof and look down. Slade takes off into the darkness. What is he up to? I can’t lose him! I jump down and take off after him. He dashes back towards the training yard. I pursue him, in and out of the shadows. He rounds the corner of the building that contains all the common areas. I turn the corner to find nothing. There is no trace of him. The door to the dining hall is cracked open. He must’ve gone inside.

I make my way into the dining hall. It is empty. Everything is dark except for a flickering light coming from one of the other common areas. I creep down a hallway towards the light. It opens up into a focus room. A place where warriors can sit and meditate or pray to their deities. Candles line the walls, a few of them lit. The smell of incense fills the air. A lone warrior sits in the center of the circular room with his eyes closed. It is…my father, no not my father…a murderer!

I am suddenly reliving my nightmares! I feel weak, but I draw a dagger. I slowly approach the meditating warrior. Sweat beads up on my forehead. Why am I so nervous?! He has his back to me just as I have envisioned this scene many times before. I can’t do it! I can’t dishonor myself by stabbing him in the back. With my mind wandering so much I don’t pay attention to my actions. My foot hits the ground hard! My father’s head tilts to one side. “Your training has failed you, assassin,” my father says, “Now you have to face me!”

He turns. An expression of shock crosses his eyes when he sees me. It’s now or never. If I hesitate he will kill me. I lunge at him! Such a sloppy attack. He catches my arm and we struggle over the blade. The two of us lose our balance and crash to the ground! The dagger slides into the darkness. He pulls out his short blade and we fight over possession of it. My rage overpowers him! I get him under me and take control of the blade. I press the edge to his throat! He looks up me. There is no fear. No anger. No hate. I can’t do this, but he has to die! “Jun,” he says with a warm smile, “Inalia always liked that name.”

Inalia? That was my mother’s name! I let go of him and stand up. “Aaagghh!!!” I throw the blade into the wall.

He slowly stands. “Jun, I’m sorry. I loved your mother very much, but when I returned to find her village burned to the ground I had assumed she was dead…and you along with her. It wasn’t until Lieutenant Motori told me your name that I knew you were alive.”

My legs give out and I collapse to the ground. He knows…he knows who I am. He loved my mother? Is it true? How could it be true? He kneels beside me. I lift my head up enough to look at him. “How…how did you know her?” I manage to choke out.

“As the leader of the Imperial Army I wanted to learn as much as I could about our neighboring countries, so I traveled. I traveled everywhere. Orrock. Borath. Athusia. What I found in Inalia’s village was…acceptance. A people that didn’t judge me or my men by where we were from. Your mother was the most beautiful creation the Athusian gods had brought into existence, but it wasn’t until I got to know her that I saw the beauty of her soul. She was a strong woman. Very opinionated. She would argue until she got her way…”

He trails off. There is happiness in his eyes as he thinks of her, but it is accompanied by great sorrow. I believe he really did care for her, but… “Why didn’t you search for her after the village was razed?”

“What could I have done? All the surrounding communities believed we were responsible for the destruction. The peace between our nations was already questionable enough without me stirring things up looking for Inalia.”

“So you just let her die?!”

“Maybe you’re right…maybe I gave up on her too quickly, but when I saw the village I thought no one survived. Part of me died that day when I thought Inalia perished, but at least knowing you are alive brings some warmth back to my heart. Your mother was the better part of me and I will never be whole again without her.”

I see it all clearly now. This has been Ethan’s plan all along. He must’ve been watching my father for years, waiting for an opportunity, which is what he found in my mother. Ethan burned her village! Ethan killed her! He fed me lies my entire life in hopes for this moment. That is why Slade goaded me. That is why he led me here. Ethan wanted me to kill the general of the Imperial Army. We are all pawns! Me, Leaia, Magnus, Draccus…I’ll bet Slade is supposed to kill us after I kill my father. Then Kwon Zhang takes the credit for eliminating us. The death of beloved General Zhao Fang is publicly announced, and the nation demands retaliation giving Ethan his war. “I’m sorry,” I say on the verge of tears, “I had been lied to about you and I believed it.”

“I don’t hold that against you, Jun. I would have done the same in your place.”

“But I tried to kill you.”

“And you nearly succeeded!” he laughs, “You are truly my son.”

“There is much I need to tell you. We are all in danger.”

“Continue.”

I explain the entire crooked plot. Everything about Ethan, Slade, Deacon, myself and the others. I leave out no details. If anyone can help us stop a war it is General Fang, my father. He considers everything I say very carefully before he responds. “It sounds like the only options we have are to find Kwon Zhang and this Slade,” he finally says.

“Slade will find me,” I say.

“Kwon Zhang will not be so helpful. And as I said before if he wants me dead it is because he wants the Emperor dead. There is a lot at stake here.”

“Even if we could capture Slade alive, there is no way we could get him to talk. Do you have any means of finding Kwon?”

“No. The Kodasai are blindly loyal to him. Hmm…”

“What?”

My father stands. “I need some time. I may have a few people I can trust. Get your team together and meet me back here at dawn.”

I stand. “Are you sure you don’t want me to watch your back?” I ask.

“I can take care of myself. Besides, your friends will need you more than I will. Be safe, my son.”

“You too, father.”

He puts his hand on my shoulder and looks me in the eyes. “Your mother would have been happy to see this moment,” he says getting slightly choked up.

“Yes, she would.”

We go our separate ways. I head back out to the training yard. I need to get back to the barracks to wake the others. There is very little time. Suddenly, Slade blocks my path. It’s hard to tell with the scars, but he looks less than pleased. I take it back; there is no time at all. “You couldn’t just do your job,” Slade says, “Could you?”

“So this was the big plan?! I kill the General and then you kill me?!”

“Something like that.”

“Why? Ethan could have staged something like this years ago and had his war then!”

“A lot of preparation goes into planning a war, Jun. You know that. Ethan didn’t want any holes. If you did the job it would have been natural. You would have killed him out of pure malice and our country would’ve been blamed. And there is something sort of poetic about a son unjustly killing his own father. It was all so perfect and you messed it up! Now I have to kill you and the General and I have to make it look like you did it! Do you know how much extra work that is for me?!”

“I had something different in mind. I kill you and you rot in one of the realms of the underworld for the rest of eternity.”

“Careful, Jun. You’re good, but I’m better.”

That’s my line. “Let’s find out!”

Slade hurls three shuriken at me. He throws them with a vertical spin so I actually manage to knock one out of the air without slicing my hand open. I dodge the other two and return fire with two throwing daggers. Slade avoids the counter-attack and comes back with more shuriken. This time he throws six, holding three in each hand. I leap and corkscrew into the air, narrowly avoiding the razor sharp stars! I throw two more daggers as I land to the side. We continue our ranged assault on each other until we are both out of weapons.

Slade is the first one to close the distance. I have seen him fight before. I am actually a more skilled warrior, but Slade fights dirty and it gives him an edge. I have to watch in all directions when engaging Slade or he will take me down.

His first trick. He gets within a few feet and surprises me with three more shuriken he had hidden away! I avoid the throwing stars, but as I come up I am greeted by a fist. Slade attacks ferociously. I barely have time to block before the next strike is coming at me. He makes a mistake and I catch both his wrists. I need to get him away from me for a moment. I jump up, dig both of my boots into his chest and push off! The force of the attack sends him flying back. I flip in the air and land on my feet. Now it is my turn.

I throw a barrage of strikes, but I hold back in order to test him. He blocks and counter-attacks with ease. He is lulled into the deception. He smiles with the confidence that he is besting me. I make my move. I wrap my arms around the back of his neck and proceed to knee him in the torso. I follow it up with an uppercutting elbow to his jaw. To my dismay he shakes it off and comes at me again. I block his strikes when suddenly pain shoots up my arm! I back away from him to look at his hands. Fist daggers. The grip is held normally, but travels up through your two middle fingers. The blade then fans out over your knuckles so you can punch with it. He must’ve been concealing them in his belt.

I go back on the offensive. If I try to defend he will cut me up. I have to use quick strikes to avoid him blocking with the fist daggers. Those types of attacks don’t have much power to them and Slade’s moving much too fast for me to land them in precise locations. Just when I think this battle can’t get any worse, Slade tears into my thigh with one of his knives! In the second I’m distracted by this he hits me with a side elbow directly to my face. I hit the ground…hard. “That was just too easy,” Slade gloats.

“It’s not over yet,” I say as I pick myself up.

“Oh but it is,” Slade grins, “Don’t worry though, after I kill you, your friends and father will be joining you shortly.”

“Fulgor!” I hear Magnus.

A bolt of lightning hits Slade in his side before either of us can look towards the sound. Slade is knocked into a wall! I look over to find Magnus, Leaia, and Draccus ready for battle. “What are you doing here?” I ask as I dust myself off.

“We figured you were going to sneak out to find Slade yourself, so we were just sneaking out to follow you,” Magnus answers, “Imagine our surprise that you already found him.”

They are becoming more like me all the time. Slade steps away from the wall he was thrown into. The force of the hit cracked the wall open. “You’re going to pay for that, Mage!” Slade shouts, “I call the fury of the Fire Dragon, twin flame swords!”

Borathian dragon magic. No one has ever actually seen a dragon, but the Borathian Empire has an entire magical style based on these mythological creatures. Dragons may not exist, but their magic is very strong. Two large blades made entirely of magical fire appear in Slade’s hands. This fight could be a coin toss. I have underestimated Slade’s ability.

Slade disappears into a shadow. Shadow rift. The shadow rift technique allows you to travel through the shadow dimension to instantly appear out of another shadow. It is a short-range ability. The shadows must be within sight of each other. Slade jumps out of a shadow near Draccus and Leaia. He attacks them both at once. The three of them are too close together for Magnus to use a spell. He stands back and waits for an opening. I rush towards the fray.

Draccus and Leaia lock up Slade’s blades in with their own. I leap forward to kick Slade in the chest, but he drops down into a shadow. There are shadows everywhere. We can’t fight him this way. “Magnus, get down!” I warn.

Magnus turns and drops just as Slade appears behind him. Slade’s attack barely misses Magnus’ head! The flames from the swords singe off some strands of his hair. “Exuro!” Magnus casts as he hits the ground.

Flames engulf the area in front of Magnus. I doubt Slade was caught in it. Magnus stands up. We all look around for Slade. I see the flaming blades shoot out of the darkness behind Draccus, but I have no time to react! Slade slashes Draccus across the shoulder as he dashes by him. The cut is deep, but the heat from the blades seals the wound right away.

Slade immediately crosses blades with Leaia. She keeps him busy while Draccus attacks from behind. Slade is hit in the back with a tail strike, knocking him away from Leaia. Magnus jumps at the opportunity. “Glacies!” he casts.

A burst of ice hits Slade’s flame blades. The two magics cancel each other out and explode into a mist. Slade is furious! I attack through the mist. Slade is off-balance and can’t block. I land a double-punch into his chest. He slides back and glares at me before ducking into another shadow. What else do you have in your bag of tricks, Slade?

Slade steps out from behind a support pillar by the training ring. He keeps his distance from us. “I thought this would be fun,” Slade says, “But now you are all annoying me! Breath of the Storm Dragon! Chain lightning!”

As Slade finishes his spell lightning lashes out throughout the entire training yard. Draccus, Leaia, and I are instantly hit by it! Magnus has a split-second to act. “Aegis!” he casts.

An invisible shield repels the lightning off Magnus. He is unaffected by Slade’s spell. The rest of us are not so lucky. Horrific pain travels through my entire body! I feel every muscle break into an uncontrollable spasm. I hit the ground unable to move. Draccus and Leaia lie on the ground as well.

Magnus starts unleashing every spell in his arsenal at Slade. Slade rifts in and out of shadows to avoid being hit. Each rift sends him closer to Magnus. I start to get some movement back, but not enough to stand. Draccus is the first one to make it to his knees. Slade is almost to Magnus. “Magnus, gate away!” shouting a warning is all I can do.

It’s too late! Slade rises out of Magnus’ own shadow. He elbows him right at the base of his neck on the spine! Magnus eyes roll up into his head as he falls unconscious. Slade catches him. “Looks like the rest of you get to live for one more day,” Slade says.

Draccus is back on his feet while Leaia is almost to hers. I can sit up though I am still very weak. A gateway opens behind Slade. It’s not his doing. Someone else is creating that doorway. Draccus rushes towards Slade, but he’s too far away. Slade backs through the gateway with Magnus in tow. Draccus leaps with everything he’s got, but the gate closes right in front of him. Draccus hits air and crashes to the ground. “Raaaaarrrrggghhh!!!!!” Draccus roars.

I get back to my feet. Leaia and I head over to Draccus. As we help him up Lieutenant Motori and a group of guards come around the corner with their weapons drawn. The guards spread out to search the area. “What happened here?!” Motori asks as he rushes over to us.

“Slade attacked us,” I answer, “He took Magnus.”

“Are the rest of you alright?” Motori asks with concern.

“We’re fine,” I answer through my agony.

“We are not fine,” Draccus growls, “Magnus is as good as dead!”

“No,” I say, “Slade wouldn’t take him if he were going to kill him. I’m afraid Ethan has something else in store for him.”

“What are you saying?” Leaia asks.

“Ethan will torture him,” I answer.

Ethan’s methods of torture are not normal. They are designed to break the strongest of wills. No, he won’t kill Magnus. He will break him. Make him beg for death. Or worse yet…he may use a different method. “We need to go back to Jinsei,” I say.

“Why?” Motori questions.

“I don’t want to be around the General when Magnus returns.”

“What do you mean, when Magnus returns?” Draccus asks.

“I think I know what Ethan intends to do with him and we need to be ready.”

“We’re not going to like this are we?” Leaia asks.

“You are going to hate this, but we have no choice. Just don’t hold Magnus’ actions against him.”

“Oh no,” Leaia says with worry.

“Lieutenant, will you inform the General that we will return after this is handled?”

“Of course,” Motori bows.

I bow in return. “Let’s go,” I say to Draccus and Leaia.

We will head back to the safehouse. When Magnus returns he will use our spiritual energy to locate us. We need to keep him away from my father and Lieutenant Motori. I can’t believe I have failed yet again… What sort of leader am I? I continue to let my team down. I’m sorry, Magnus. I will save you, but it won’t be in time to prevent the damage that Ethan will do…