The Monarch

Chapter 8

Meanwhile, far to the southwest, a wicked scientist was hard at work. His laboratory, half-sunken into the earth, worked as his abode and playground at the same time. This doctor, a young man full of hatred and vengeance, found the laboratory just a few years earlier. The doctor's name was Isil Crimsonblood, though he never used the name in public. Isil had a brilliant mind, more brilliant than his native homeland had ever seen before.

But now, he lived as a hermit, stuck in a stone prison. He swore revenge, but it wasn't the easiest thing to do. As he worked, a shadow appeared behind him.

"Report," Isil ordered. The show behind him slithered into the air, forming into a small black raven. The raven cawed once, then flew out of the room. Isil stood frozen in the air, shaken by the crow's message. He closed his notebook and stormed out of the room, a wicked smile on his face.

"At last!" he yelled through the halls, a flood of joy coming to him, "I have succeeded! The specimens in the Baone forest were successful! Dedre!"

The small raven appeared near a mantlepiece. Isil yelled at it to move closer, "Get over here! I've got a mission for you. Go north, and find the elvish settlement in the ancient forest there. Find a young boy, about sixteen, with green hair and a young white cub. He was last seen there! Go, and report to me where he is!"

Dedre flew through the air, disappearing through the shadows. Isil was left alone again, but he kept walking down the long corridor. The grin on his face grew wider as he entered his experiment room. Here, several carcasses of deceased test subjects lay flat on tables. They all varied in age and gender, but all were humans. Their bodies had been dissected, some while they were still alive.

Isil used them for his expermients, but he never cleaned the messes he created. He walked to the opposite end of the room and opened a large notebook that rested on top of it. He flipped to the middle of the book. Then, he wrote down a few words into the pages: 

"Monarch found in northern forest? Green hair, antlers, white cub companion. I have sent Dedre to find the subject and hopefully bring him back to me. I have already taken two other monarchs, however, they had proved useless. Hopefully, I will gain the knowledge I need from this one. I wonder how strong the monarch is? As long as they are weak, they should fall prey to Dedre's magics."

Two weeks later, Dedre returned to Isil. When she had returned, he was fast asleep, dreaming of world domination and the taste of revenge. She quickly nipped his ear to wake him, then let out a loud caw.

"So he's a ranger, huh?" Isil laughed, "Return to the guild and tamper with the guild master's records. You must make sure that boy is assigned to near here!"

Dedre left again, flying toward the capitol to carry out her mission.

Just a few moments of silence passed before Constantin immediately grabbed his sword from the corner. He didn't hesitate to charge in my direction, but he was stopped by Josh.

"Let go of me!" Constantin yelled, struggling against Josh's grip. Josh struggled to hold Constantin down while Rose yelled at the two of them from the door, "Let go of me! He's a druid! Let go!"

"Calm down, Constantin!" Josh yelled. Constantin's eyes filled with anger as he wiggled from Josh's grasp. I watched as Constantin moved around Josh, dragging his sword from behind him. Josh yelped, staggering back as he covered his stomach. Josh ran into the wall behind him and slid down.

Constantin yelled as he charged toward me, bringing his sword up as he did so. When he brought it down, I barely had time to dodge correctly. My feet carried me too far, propelling me directly into the wall three yards away. Snow started growling and jumped directly at Constantin. He punched her away in response, knocking her unconscious near a wall.

Constantin's head rotated, following me. I slowly climbed out of the hole I created, then dodged him again. Constantin's sword, while narrowly missing me, slammed into the walls behind me.

Rose screamed at us some more, even charging forward herself. She was pulled aside by Josh, who still covered his stomach. Constantin charged forward again, his eyes more furious than before. This time, I didn't have as much time to dodge away. His sword pierced me in the shoulder, running deep. I felt his hilt touch the front of my arm. I yelled, pushing him away with my left hand.

His grip weakened on his sword and he was flung backward. He crashed into the wall near the window, causing the curtains to fall to the ground alongside him. I yelled in pain as I brought the sword from my shoulder. I watched as the blood, colored jet black, escaped from the wound.

"f**k!" I yelled, dropping the sword. I fell to my knees, absorbed in the pain. I had never received a wound this bad before. My shoulder felt as if it was on fire, the flame searing away at the source of the wound. I turned to Constantin, rage blinding the corners of my vision.

I walked forward, my footsteps carrying heavy weight along the floor. Constantin crawled away from me, his face full of fear. His back touched the back wall, just under the window.

"Please," he pleaded. I took his collar in my hands and lifted him high into the air. He felt as light as a feather, "Don't kill me!"

"William!" Josh yelled. I felt his hand on my shoulder. I yelled in pain, lashing my arm behind me. Josh fell to the ground, barely dodging my arm, "William look at your arm!"

I blinked at Josh for a moment, barely noticing the struggling Constantin held firmly in left hand. Then, I slowly looked at my shoulder. The pain from earlier had disappeared, and now the blood had dried. The wound wasn't there anymore. It looked as if it had never been there.

I dropped Constantin, shocked at the sight. He fell to the ground, immediately crawling for his sword near the bed. Because my shoulder had miraculously healed itself, I didn't notice when Constantin collected his sword again and charged me for a sixth time.

I didn't have time to dodge at all, and his sword went directly into my abdomen. Josh tackled Constantin a moment later, holding him firmly on the ground.

I looked down, my body trembling from shock. The sword, which was still stuck in my torso, seemed unreal to me. I slowly gripped the hilt with my hand and pulled the sword from my body. My own blood coated the blade as I dropped it to the ground.

For a moment, I didn't feel the pain caused by the sword wound. I watched as it slowly healed. Time seemed to reverse itself. Before the healing was done, however, my pain returned and I was left toppled onto the ground, yelling in pain.

The door exploded open, the innkeeper flooding through. His face was full of concern, then horror as he looked upon the scene in front of him. He stuttered for a moment, then backed away.

"Rose!" I yelled as the innkeeper ran from the room, "Don't let him get the police!"

She ran out the door, following the innkeeper. I covered my stomach with my hand, satisfied with the pain slowly disappearing. I stood again, astonished by my healing ability. Was this because of Bal's blessing?

I turned around, then saw Josh continuing to hold Constantin down. Josh's face was contorted in pain, it's color slowly disappearing. I saw blood start to trickle down from Josh's shirt.

"Josh, get off of him," I told him, "You're bleeding!" Constantin yelled in anger.

"You're a druid! A demon! I'll kill you, I swear I'll chop off that head!" Constantin yelled. Josh took his fist and knocked him unconscious, then collapsed a moment later.

"f**k!" I yelled, bending over Josh's injured body. He coughed in pain, slowly covering his wound, "No, don't cover it. Don't touch it!" I ordered, pushing Josh's arm away. Panicked, I took a deep breathe, then moved my hands just outside of his wound, "Fuck."

I closed my eyes, focusing on my hands. Then, as my eyes were closed, I started chanting a magical spell. Ms. Myers had taught me the spell, but I'd never had the chance to use it.

Magic worked in a very strange way. To cast magic, an innate talent was required to separate the body and soul, but to control both. My body spoke normally, in an understandable way, "As source of Bal's power, I command thee. Decipher the laws of nature and wield the laws of magic as my own. Follow my will and follow my order, heal the sick and injured, mend the broken and strengthen the weak, Root Heal!", while my soul spoke in reverse to complete the spell,

"!laeH tooR ,kaew eht nehtgnerts dna nekorb eht dnem ,derujni dna kcis eht laeh ,redro ym wollof dna lliw ym wolloF .nwo ym sa cigam fo swal eht dleiw dna erutan fo swal eht rehpiceD .eeht dnammoc I ,rewop s'laB fo ecruos sA", the words my soul spoke, echoed through the air around me, creating the mana that the spell would use.

As I spoke, I heard my own voice echo through the, reverberating on the walls around me. I felt my hands become warmer as if I held them near a fire. As I continued to cast the spell, the heat became more intense until, near the end of the spell, my hands burned with heat.

When the spell finished, I opened my eyes. For a moment, little stars floated in the air, forming a small galaxy in front of me. When they slowly disappeared, they revealed an unconscious Josh, his breathing steady and relaxed. I lifted his shirt to expose his wound. The blood was still fresh and warm, but his wound had been covered with roots to stop the bleeding. They would only ever fall off of his body when his body had recovered on its own.

Rose appeared in the doorway, carrying a hogtied innkeeper. She froze when she saw Josh on the ground. She quickly dropped her captive on the bed, then ran over to him.

"What happened to him?" She asked, yelling.

"He's alright," I told her, slumping against a bed frame. I felt exhausted, "He took a nasty cut from Constantin earlier, but I've already fixed it. When he wakes up, he'll have to wash all the dried blood himself."

"And what about you?" Rose asked. I looked down, toward the dried blood on my abdomen, "I saw you get stabbed before I left!"

"I'm alright," I told her, "It was nothing more than a scratch. Josh was much worse off than me. Help me carry him to the bed, he'll hurt his shoulder in that position."

"Don't worry," She said, picking him up easily. Then she walked him to a bed nearby, carefully dropping him onto the blankets a moment later, "I can take care of that. But you, what are you?"

"I'm a human," I told her, looking down at my hands. The spell from earlier seemed to have affected them. Previously, the skin near my hands was the same color as my forehead, largely unaffected by vines or green veins, but still tinted greenish. Now that I've exposed my hands to woodland magic without a catalyst, they were completely changed. Now, green veins covered my hands completely, partially hidden under a layer of roots that covered my hands like gauntlets, "I'm just a bit different, that's all."

"Are you a druid, like Constantin said earlier?" Rose asked. I looked at her, then found her face full of anger.

"I don't know what a druid is. I've only been like this since just before the third trial," I responded, "I'm telling the truth,"

A moment of silence passed before Rose sighed, "Tell Constantin that. His family was overtaken by a house of druids when he was ten."

"He won't need to tell me," Constantin groaned, slowly rising from the floor. I backed away, climbing onto the mattress. Constantin turned to me, "You aren't a druid? Truly?"

I nodded. Constantin looked at Rose, then sighed.

"Druids are what we call the forest shamans from the Baone woods. They use magic, have strange ears, and are afflicted with a root disease that destroys their bodies with invasive roots. They're cousins to the elves of Ithilia, but I never thought that the elves practice the same magic!" Constantin groaned in anger, "We've been deceived."

"I don't think it's the elves practicing the same magic," I said, "You said the druids are afflicted by a disease that destroys their bodies. This isn't a disease, but rather a blessing from the Diety that the elves worship," I explained, "The Baone woods has a diety, Bal, who protects the elves. He's very protective and wise. The druid's disease is most likely a curse from Bal."

"Bal?" Constantin muttered, "A god? Inside those woods? Why doesn't he do anything to eradicate those druids?"

"I'm sure he has his reasons, both for failing to eradicate them and for cursing them at the same time," I told him. Constantin nodded, slowly standing up. He collected his weapon from the ground and sheathed it.

"I'm sorry for attacking you," he said, turning to me, "I'll make sure to tell the difference in the future!"

As I went to sleep that night, I watched my hands in the moonlight. The roots which had grown around my hands mesmerized me. They seemed to move in the moonlight as if they were alive.

A week later, all the departing squads gathered at the Ranger's Guild. Each squad looked several times stronger than ours, to the point where some of them were seriously intimidating. One of the squads, perhaps the most terrifying of them all, blocked us from entering the guildhall.

"Oh?" the leader laughed, his ugly face smiling wickedly, "I see a rat has wandered beyond his home."

"Get lost," I ordered, sweating from behind my hood. The man in front of me dropped his laugh, then shoved me back with his hand.

"Drop it, pipsqueak. You've got about as much talent here as an infant has on its own!" the man intimidated, "A cheater like you should've never passed the ranger's trials, much less been promoted on the spot. You can hide it as well as you want, but we both know you cheated."

"Hoh?" I said, starting to get angry, "And how would I have cheated, may I ask?"

"Go ahead and confess if you really want to know," The man told me. Then he reached his hand forward, near my mask. I instinctively backed away. The man froze, then looked at me angrily, "What are you hiding behind that mask, rat? Don't want anybody to know your identity? Are you a criminal?"

He slowly unsheathed his weapon, then dropped it on the concrete next to him. He held the weapon like a cane, balancing it by the hilt.

"Are you challenging me?" I asked, shoving my cloak aside to reveal the two longswords underneath.

"Fight me, rat. If I win, admit your treachery to the guild master and relinquish your rank to me," The man said.

"And what will happen when I win?" I asked, popping my knuckles.

"Whatever you want," The man shrugged, "But it'll never happen. You're just going to be defeated here."

"I'm not the one that's going to be defeated, you are," I sighed, popping my knuckles. I removed my gloves, revealing my rooted hands underneath. The man stared at them, shocked, "And I won't be the one to die today."

"Die?" The man stuttered, backing away.

"What's wrong?" I asked, popping my neck, "Where did all of that courage go?"

"Oh, f**k you," The man angrily yelled, picking up his sword. He immediately charged at me, using his sword clumsily. He swung as if he was holding a club, not a sword. Dodging his attacks was easy as well. Constantin was much stronger.

Had I underestimated my own strength?

I pulled my two longswords from the hilts, then dropped them on the ground.

"What's wrong?" The man grinned, "Giving up already?" He was noticeably sweating underneath his armor.

"No," I said, "you've just disappointed me. I didn't think somebody so weak could become a ranger,"

I charged forward, blinking behind him in the blink of an eye. The man didn't seem to notice, leaving himself wide open. I slammed my foot in his shin to begin. He leaned sideways instantly, nearly toppling. As he stumbled, he dropped his weapon, his arms flailing just a moment later. I took one of those arms, turned around, then dragged him above me. I had planned to use my right leg to propel him forward, but I had pulled too hard. By the time my leg was ready to meet his body, he had already been thrown forward.

I watched as he rolled forward nearly thirty feet. His companions, shocked at the side, charged me all at once. Slightly annoyed, I turned to meet them.

"You focus on your opponent," Josh assured me, slamming two of them together from behind. Rose and Constantin also charged in, defeating the remaining enemies with ease.

It seemed I underestimated my entire party as well. I turned back to the man, who was desperately crawling away. His leg was twisted in an awkward way.

I walked over to him, then sat down in front of him. He didn't seem to notice until his hand touched my foot.

"Hello," I said, slamming my fist into the top of his head.