“Hugo! Leave them out of this. Fight me!” Emil called out from behind the barrier. “Don’t be a coward! I’ll fight you one on one. Just you and me!
As Emil continued to pour out more of his energy into the barrier he waited for a response from Hugo, but there was nothing. In the passing time, his fire’s only increased as Emil’s strength waned.
Amidst the chaos, three of the town’s people managed to break free of the main skirmish and caught eyes on the power struggle on display from both Emil and Hugo.
“He’s the only one that can save us. He’s the only one who stands a chance against that general.”
“I didn’t know the King’s generals had abilities like that! They’re monsters!”
“I don’t think we are supposed to know… by the rate things are going, it seems like none of us are supposed to make it out alive. Chances are they plan to slaughter us all after they take whatever they want. As much as it hurts to say, our lives are worth nothing at this point, but Emil’s is. If we can get him out of that tight spot he’s in, maybe he can make a way and save this village. I’m not going to say I was the nicest to him during his stay, but I do know that if we want our children to stand a chance of living we need to do what’s necessary. I’m just a baker. Before this day I’ve never taken a life, but for the sake of the village I’ll be willing to give mine. If we rush him as a team, it’ll provide Emil with an opening, and maybe…just maybe he’ll win. That man he’s up against has already killed his own troops as well as some of our family and friends. I doubt he has anything human left in him. Emil’s our only hope that the village remains safe. I’m going.”
From the group of three the baker broke out into a sprint as he yelled at the top of his lungs, his sword raised high above his head. The two men behind him amassed the same courage as the baker and chased behind him, joining him on his suicide mission.
No! They can’t be! They’ll die!
From where Emil was positioned he saw the three of them as they ran towards Hugo with their weapons in hand.
“Stop! Stop! He’ll kill you!” Emil yelled as they stormed closer, ignoring his call.
As the three men honed in on the assailant’s location, Hugo turned his head to them and flashed a devilish grin as he directed one his palms in their direction. Horror fleshed across the three men’s faces as Hugo’s palm ignited. A small spark flickered and then bolstered into a tremendous flame that danced elegantly in the center of his hand.
“Disappear.”
A raging fire sprang forth from his palm, consuming all that lie in its path, both enemy and ally alike. The Demon of the Guard, Hugo Bagwell, had once again made his presence known.
Chapter 3: Hugo, Demon of the Guard
“Hugo!”
Emil yelled as he charged through the searing flames to face the man who destroyed his village. With his sword in hand Emil dashed in range for an attack in an attempt to close the distance. The blue light that was once protected his family was now thinly layered around his body, granting him protection as he dove recklessly into the inferno.
Hugo turned back to face The Blood-Clad Warrior and only saw a stream of blue light piercing through the flames that he was still commanding. The flames intensified yet again as Hugo added his absent palm back into the equation. The demon stood silently as his grin widened. The aroma of burning flesh brought pleasure to his senses.
They died for me so that I’d have a chance. I can’t lose now.
Emil let out a thunderous roar as he pierced through the stream of flames that lashed out against him. With a swift cut, Emil parted the veil that separated him from his foe. The flames had ceased but his offensive had missed by only a margin.
Hugo evaded the blow with little effort and quickly gained his composure.
“End this, Hugo!” Emil cried, slightly fatigued from his reckless pursuit.
Hugo scoffed as the dancing flames in his palms dissipated.
“And why should I be taking orders from you? You don’t seem to be doing too well from where I’m standing.”
The burns that covered Emil’s body throbbed as the sulfur-filled air kissed his wounds. His breaths came hard as he struggled to maintain his posture.
“Charging through a fire to save the likes of them?” Hugo pointed to the three men and the others whose bodies lay still, burning on the scorched ground. “They do nothing for you.”
“Why… why did you kill them?”
“Oh, they aren’t dead… you know, it’s not the fire that kills you. It’s the lack of oxygen. Take a closer look.”
Emil turned to his left to see the burned bodies to the side of him. Two were dead but one writhed uncontrollably as the flames ravaged his body.
“Of course it’s not perfect, but with practice I’ve learned to control the flames… for the most part.”
“You monster…”
“Demon, actually… I’m sure you heard by now what they call me; a demon. The Demon of the Guard.”
“You killed your own men.”
The smile on Hugo’s face shrank as he calmly exhaled, “Unfortunately, there are causalities on the battlefield. Good men, they were. Good men indeed.” The laugh that he broke into after brought on a sick taste in Emil’s mouth.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance,” Emil said coldly as he stared into Hugo’s lifeless eyes.
“The orders were dead or alive. The king would prefer you alive, of course.”
“Figures…”
“Yes, your powers are rather interesting. We could use someone like you.”
“To massacre innocents, right? I’ll pass.”
Hugo’s eyes reflected blue as he stared at the energy aggregating in the inside of Emil’s palm.
“Oh, you really plan on fighting me? In your condition? I’m impressed.”
“I’ll kill you…”
“Hmph.”
Before Hugo could ready himself, Emil was already face to face with The Demon of the Guard. The dagger in Emil’s hand crackled with energy as he plunged it forward into the demon’s heart. Before he could penetrate his skin, a barrier of fire rushed over Hugo’s body, pushing the dagger outwards, forcing Emil to retreat.
Shit.
“Not good enough,” Hugo said as he grabbed Emil’s arm as he tried to pull away. Emil struggled to break free but his efforts were soon diminished as Hugo squeezed tighter and intensified the flames that surrounded his body.
“Hurts doesn’t it?”
Emil yelled in pain as he dangled above the ground suspended by the hand that latched onto his wrist. The demon cackled at the sound of Emil’s distress. He took pleasure in breaking those who stood against him.
“Tell me, Emil, do you love them? Those people you protect… what are they to you?”
Hugo lethargically tilted his head to the side and looked past Emil. In his hollow eyes Emil could see Taeo, Serenity, and Grace running into the forest where the fire had not yet spread.
Hugo’s smile widened as he raised his free hand parallel to Emil. A swirling ball of fire emerged from his palm, feeding off of the oxygen that freely floated in the atmosphere. Emil wailed as he wrestled with the hand that suspended him, racing to break free.
“Shut. Up!”
A slosh of blood spurted from Emil’s nose from the impact of Hugo’s head. The shock of the blow dulled his senses as his head ricocheted back before ultimately falling limp. Specks of blood dripped from Emil’s face onto the scorched earth as he hung suspended in the air.
“That burden you have… let me free you from it.”
In Emil’s sunken head, visions of past times with his family circulated through his brain as he struggled to find the will to fight on. Serenity, Mrs. Grace, Taeo, the people of the village; he wasn’t just fighting for himself anymore, but for the people he had grown to love.
No!
The aura that surround Emil grew in intensity as he held his head up high. Using his free hand, he reached for
the sword that dangled at his waist and swiped at Hugo’s midsection, cutting through the flames that protected his body, striking cleanly.
Not deep enough!
While Hugo was still stunned from the wound delivered to his body, Emil kicked off of his open abdomen to escape the rekindled flames.
“Ah!”
Hugo released the ball of fire he had amassed before falling to his knees. With great speed, the fiery projectile accelerated towards Emil, catching ablaze everything that was in its path. Unable to dodge in midair, Emil cut through the sphere of flames, splitting it in two, but its progress still remained uninhibited. As the remnants of the sphere trailed separate ways, Emil momentarily looked back towards the forest to see if anybody was wounded by the collateral. The two separate entities had missed the innocents but served as fuel to the already raging fire that fed off the forest.
From above, the sky’s blood red hue changed to a fluorescent orange. Noticing the change, Emil looked up to the sky as he drifted through the air. A cold chill ran down his spine as he watched a cluster of napalms pierce through the veil of smoke that lingered over the burning village. Immediately, Emil grounded himself, anchoring his legs into the burned earth, and launched a wave of energy into the heavens above. The light that lit Emil faded as the blast traveled onwards towards Hugo’s rain of fire. The hero’s breaths came heavy as he watched the flames fizzle before making contact with his energy.
Before Emil could fully process the reality of the situation, a fiery fist landed flush against his face, propelling him back as his body tore through the rubble. Battered and bruised, Emil came to only moments after Hugo’s attack. The giant towered over him, amused at the situation at hand. Through the veil of fire that surrounded him, Emil took note of the scars that ravaged the demon’s body, including the newly formed one given to him from this battle.
He… he cauterized the wound?
“Why do you protect these people? They don’t even care if you live or die. Why does a God like yourself mingle with mere beasts?”
Emil slowly stood to his feet as the demon continued to speak.
“They cause baseless wars, they are fickle, they are ruthless, and… they make you weak, Emil.”
“Tell me, Hugo, what do you fight for? The beck and call of the king? Outside of that, what do you live for?”
The demon paused and reflected silently before answering.
“My reasons are none of your concern, but know this, Emil, they are far better than protecting the very people who threw you out to die. Tell me, boy, how long did you honestly think this was going to last? Did you plan on settling down, getting married, having kids? Did you think we would have eventually forgotten about you and let you live your life as you please? You are a wanted man, Emil. Dead or alive, issued by the king himself. This is your life as long as you continue to run.”
“Who said I was running?”
“You can barely stand.”
“Well then, come at me.”
Emil’s left hand ignited once more as the spark within him rekindled yet again. Ripped clothes and bloody garments draped over him as he stood defiantly against the brute that opposed him.
Hugo rushed Emil with his body enriched with feverish flames. The punch he threw missed, but his momentum carried his body forward, causing his fist to rupture the ground in which it struck. From the shattered earth, a fissure rippled through the terrain in route to where Emil now stood. Spotting an opening, Emil dashed in towards Hugo but was met head on by a stream of fire that rose from the parted earth.
He’s controlling the flames!
Emil sent a wave of energy in front of him, disfiguring the flames and granting him free passage to the demon who destroyed his village. Passing through the scattered flames, Emil struck the giant in his wounded abdomen, piercing his hand through the newly formed scar he had created.
Hugo’s body fell limply against Emil’s as he gasped feverishly in an attempt to bring oxygen into his lungs. On the other side of the demon’s body, there was only destruction. As Emil looked over the chaos that had fallen over the village, his heart grew cold. From over his shoulder, the demon laughed.
“You killed them all; you do know that, don’t you?”
Emil removed his hand from Hugo’s bleeding body and flung him to ground, but, still the demon’s laughter continued.
“Call off the flames!” Emil’s blade met the face of the demon, crackling in synch with his newly found disposition.
Even at the brink of death, his laughing persisted. Emil ignited his hand and shot an orb of energy that landed only inches away from the demon’s head.
“Hahahaha!”
“Call off the flames or I’ll kill you!”
The hero’s plea fell on deaf ears. Instead of making the fires recede, Hugo placed his hand over his open wound and began to cauterize it, looking cynically into Emil’s eyes as he spoke.
“You can’t kill me or else your beloved village burns.”
The demon’s laughter echoed throughout the burning village as Emil stood over his body, helpless to do anything.
“Shut up…”
The sword that Emil held at the demon’s face trembled as his body pulsed with bouts of rage.
“And why should I listen to you? Your warning shot wasn’t too convincing.”
The blood running down from his mouth disfigured his already ruined smile. A gush of blood erupted from his mouth as he attempted to laugh once again. From the center of Hugo’s body, a sword stood erect, piercing through the demon’s hand and midsection. Emil’s breaths lagged, almost as if he too had taken the fatal blow he had just inflicted. The hero crouched beside the bleeding giant, anchoring himself above his face using his rooted sword.
“Call…off… the… flames.”
“Fuck you.”
Emil twisted the blade that was lunged deep within the demon’s gut. Hugo yelled in pain as the blue burning blade contorted his insides. The hero waited to see if the flames around him died off before he turned his sword once more.
“Mmmm, right there. Grind it in deep,” Hugo mocked.
Emil channeled his energy into his sword and zapped Hugo before calling out to him again.
“The flames, Hugo!”
Hugo lethargically drifted his head towards Emil’s and whispered.
“Fuck you.”
Before he could fully recover from his sentence, Emil grasped his sword and channeled another wave of energy through it. Hugo’s body rattled against the earth as he violently shook.
“The flames!” Emil desperately cried.
There was a silence between the two of them as the demon’s body lay still on the scorched terrain.
“Please… Hugo,” Emil begged, “the flames.”
Hugo mustered up a laugh before he weakly responded.
“I want to see your world burn.”
Suddenly the flames that had surrounded them grew brighter. Emil looked in horror as the forest where his family had retreated to, caught ablaze. The reflection of the burning forest lingered in his tear-filled eyes. Beside him, the demon smiled with delight, knowing that everything Emil had loved had been taken away. Emil grabbed his heart as he hunched over, fully aware of the hole that he felt inside.
“Why?”
The words came faint, as if carried by the wind. He looked to Hugo for an answer, but his body lay still. Even in death, the demon reigned as victor.
Chapter 4: Alone
A sharp breath escaped from Emil’s lungs as he returned to the waking world. His head swirled as he found himself bandaged in a bed.
Did I get caught?
A set of footsteps slowly approaching stirred his senses. Emil felt for his dagger, but to his dismay he was unarmed.
As the footsteps crept closer, Emil’s eyes remained closed. Going solely off of the sound of creaking wood, he began channeling his energy into his hand, prepping to lunge out at his unknown captor.
Almost there.
Emil lay still as he struggled to gather enough energy to ward off his attacker. His body had not yet fully recovered from his battle with Hugo, and in turn, his capacity was limited.
The footsteps came closer to the bed until they finally stopped. Emil opened his eyes and thrusted his hand towards the unknown assailant.
That girl…
Suddenly, he remembered everything. Emil froze only inches away from her heart, stunned from his painful recollection.
“Oh, I figured you were up. Do you want something to drink?” the mysterious lady asked with a warm smile that further disarmed his intentions. Emil’s hand warily hovered over the tray that she had prepped for him as he continued to study her. “I know it isn’t much, but it’s the least I can do for you.”
She reminds me of Ren.
Emil slowly lowered his hand and grabbed the cup standing beside his freshly cooked meal. The energy that once flickered between his fingers was so faint that she failed to realize that she had almost lost her life to him.
“Thank you…” He paused and examined the mystery concoction before taking a sip. “We’re even.”
She smiled graciously at the thought, but her elation was cut short.
“How long was I out?” Emil asked after taking another sip of the tea she made for him.
“Um… just under two days.” she responded hesitantly, not quite sure if her answer would be to his liking.
“Were you followed?”
She paused as she thought silently to herself, mentally back-tracking the events that conspired over the past few days as she moved a set of her stray brunette hair behind her ears.
“No… no I don’t think so.”
“You dragged me into town by yourself, right?”
“Yes, you were hurt pretty badly. I knew you couldn’t stay there or the fire would get to you. You saved my life. I couldn’t leave you there to die… it wouldn’t have been right.”
“No guards, no suspicious towns’ people? Nothing?”
“That guard you killed, he tried to rape me. I avoided them at all cost on my way back in. The towns’ people that saw me assumed you had been hurt in the fire. They offered assistance but I kept to myself. Before you passed out, you said ‘no survivors.’ I figured you meant the guard… so I laid low.”
The Dreamer and the Deceiver (The Last Light Book 1) Page 3