Forced into Fantasy

Adomis;

The soldiers have begun to scurry about like headless animals as they prepare themselves for what I can only guess is a defensive counter-attack.

Someone must have sighted us and sounded the alarm.

Looks like it’s time we put the Mage’s plan into action.

By now the evening has come as the distant sun sets behind the large mountainside and with it comes the cool winds of night.

I can feel as it kisses the stubble-covered skin of my face as I kneel down blended with the surrounding foliage around me.

I have been following Ivy every step of the way since their morning feast had concluded hours ago.

She’s spent the day with him.

That slimy bastard!

I know him all too well and my stomach turns at the mere thought of him spending too much time alone with my Ivy.

Ronaar is one of the most manipulative people I know.

They are both together inside of one of the huts and it is taking everything I have not to barge in there and confront them.

I must remain patient; I need to wait for the signal before I move in, as planned.

My eyes narrow as the door to the hut suddenly opens and out comes Ronaar.

The prick!

I want to end him with my own two hands, but there will come a time for such things.

Right now I need to remain focused on getting to Ivy and sneaking out of here.

She is my one and only priority.

Once Ronaar and his men march off in another direction, probably to ensure they have reinforcements for our apparent ‘attack’ on them, I take another look at the hut and notice there are only two soldiers left standing by the doorway and on guard.

Two soldiers shouldn’t be a problem…

I suppose I could use the practice.

And then I see it, Zarkin’s signal to move in.

Every single one of the flame torches is suddenly snuffed out, leaving the entire village in complete and total darkness.

I can hear the cries and screams of frightened villagers and I feel nothing for them, no mercy whatsoever.

These people are my sworn enemy.

I hold a helmet in my hands, now enchanted for me to see in the dark (thanks Zarkin) and I pull it up over my head to check to see if it works.

Perfect!

I watch silently as the two guards look around frantically, wondering what’s going on and how all of the torches have been snuffed out suddenly.

I can hear them arguing about what to do.

They appear to be feeling around for the torches now, in an effort to try and relight them.

The fools!

They have no idea of what’s going on, of what’s about to happen to them.

Without giving it another thought I step out from my hiding spot and make a b-line for the hut as quickly and cautiously as I can.

Normally I would not flinch at severing these coward’s heads from their bodies, but with Ivy so close and with her in mind, I choose to detain them in a more silent and humane way.

Coming up behind the first I quickly grab him around the neck, blocking off his airway and holding onto him firmly as he struggles and grunts softly.

His arms wail about frantically but after a while he begins to slow his movements and eventually he flops over into my arms.

He’s only out cold but he won’t cause me anymore problems.

I drop him to the ground and focus on the second soldier.

He seems to sense that something is wrong and calls out for his companion.

“Ferris! Where are you man, I can’t see a bloody thing out here!” he demands, waving his arms out in front of him like a blind man.

“Ferris, answer me you-”

My hand grasps at his throat and I squeeze tightly, untamed anger coursing through my veins as I suddenly feel the urge to snap his neck.

He grunts and pulls at my hand in a feeble attempt to make me release my hold on him but there is no chance of that.

My fingers squeeze even tighter now as my anger bubbles up to the surface.

I intend to kill him but a familiar voice causes me to stop.

“Is everything alright out there?”

I know that voice - It’s Ivy!

“The torch lights all went out. I can’t see anything in here… do you perhaps have something that I could relight them with? Hello?”

With a frustrated sigh I decide not to kill the soldier and instead I punch him directly in the face.

He falls to the ground unconscious.

Luckiest guy in the world; he lives to see another day. I guess he can thank Ivy for that gift.

I move in through the doorway and look around the small room for any sign of her.

I find her sitting on the bed at the end of the room, peering around in the darkness as if lost.

She has no idea that I am in the room with her as I slowly make my way across to stand before the clueless beauty.

By the Gods she is stunning, I’d forgotten just how beautiful she was since I last saw her.

My body betrays me as I reach out to gently touch the side of her face and as soon as my gloved finger makes contact with her soft skin, she panics, screaming loudly and kicking me in the worst place a man could be kicked!

“FUCK!”

I shout angrily as pain takes over my normally logical thinking.

I grasp at my groin and hunch over in pain.

“Help, help me please!” Ivy screams out in terror as she climbs away to the small table beside the bed and grasps at something small I can’t quite see.

The next second Ivy throws something to the floor which breaks immediately upon contact!

'SMASH!'

The second it does I feel as though the sun itself fills the room as an intensely blinding white light illuminates the small space and an invisible force sends me hurtling through the air into the side of the hut.

I hit the solid surface with a pained grunt before falling down to the floor as the light begins to dim ever so slightly with each passing second.

This rescue attempt did not go the way I had intended it to, that's for sure!

Ivy narrows her eyes as she stares at me, confused by what she is seeing until I remove my helmet and begin to speak through the searing pain I am now feeling all over my body.

“It’s me… Ivy, it’s me!”

She frowns, climbing down from the bed and slowly making her way across to where I am crumpled on the floor.

“Adomis?”

She seems shocked, unable to believe that it is actually me on the floor before her instead of some terrifying intruder.

“But… how… how did you-”

“-I’m here to… rescue you.” I grunt in the middle of the sentence as another wave of pain floods over me.

Before she can reply several more figures suddenly pile in through the doorway of the hut, many of them are holding flame torches which quickly light up the room revealing that they are Moonlit Guild soldiers.

Apparently her cries for help had alerted them and now I am surrounded by eight armed men, each holding the sharpened tip of their sword directly at my throat!

I roll my eyes and snarl upon realising I may be in a little more trouble than I initially thought...

Ivy;

I thought he was trying to harm me, that he was some crazed intruder who had come to either harm or kill me in the darkness.

Never in a million years did I think it would be him crumpled over on the floor before me.

Not Adomis.

Now what?

I’d used the emergency beacon-light that Ronaar had given to me before he left only moments earlier.

I had no idea of what it would do but I was in a panic and couldn’t see anything when he touched my face.

I just freaked out and threw it!

But now I was beginning to wish that I hadn’t.