Heroes to Hunted

My hands trembled uncontrollably, undergoing a violent spasm every other moment.

Just the act of opening a door was taxing for me. It required more focus and effort than I cared to admit.

To proceed, I was forced to support my free hand with my other; both ran slick with blood.

The door squealed and bent inwards from its rusted hinges.

I dashed in to see two men pinning Agawa to the ground. A large balding one in a torn cloth shirt and a thin one with a goatee beard wearing leather body armor.

The balding one turned away from Agawa toward me. "You bastard, who the hell are you!" He swiped one of his thick, bushy arms at me.

"It's one of the prisoners!" the bearded one responded frantically. "Why doesn't he have a collar?!"

I checked on Agawa to see that she was in an unforgivable state. Her clothes were torn to shreds, her face was swollen purple from where they struck her, and her eyes were red from tears.

'How many more were experiencing what she is? How many of us have been consumed...defiled?' I winced at the thought. Even more than that, I felt a fire ignite inside my heart.

pαпdα-ňᴏνê|·сóМ A fire that burned away any of my fear and insecurities...as well as any feelings that would hold me back from what I was about to do.

I drew my knife, tightening my grip to the point of even stanching my bleeding.

The bearded one stood up from Agawa and panicked. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

Both assumed a fighting stance while wielding worn daggers. They were pitifully made at best, with both blades bearing cracks from years of use and poor maintenance.

The two were better off using screwdrivers or box cutters at that point.

Knowing that I had to keep Agawa out of harm's way, I taunted them. "Yours are very small…aren't they?" I forced a smirk. "Your blades, I mean?"

"You…YOU…" The balding one's face went red with rage. "I'll KILL YOU!" His guttural scream echoed throughout the room.

The balding one was the first to attack; it was probably a coincidence.

His moves were that of an amateur. Sluggish, unrefined, and full of openings to exploit. He thrust his knife toward my left eye; it was easy to dodge.

After I sidestepped, the thug staggered past me. He was at the mercy of the momentum from his own weight.

"Wha-" He exclaimed in dismay.

"You're surprised that I dodged that? Really?" I jeered.

His anger renewed, my opponent swiveled back toward me and lunged again.

I waved my free hand in front of him, blinding his eyes with a spurt of blood from my wrist. I seized the opportunity by closing the distance between us. Then I plunged my knife into his throat and ripped it back out.

Blood sprayed wildly from his wounds as he desperately wheezed. Fortunately or unfortunately, I was used to the throes of death, so it didn't affect me much.

He frantically pressured his neck wound as gouts of blood gushed from between the cracks of his fingers.

Despite his situation, he still opted to fight me.

Shakily clasping his dagger in his free hand, his expression became that of a bull's as he charged me and swung his knife with reckless abandon. A decision he wouldn't have time to regret.

I grabbed his leading wrist and twisted it, causing his hand muscles to loosen involuntarily.

Once his palm opened, I snatched the knife from his hand and embedded the blade into the base of his neck. The knife shook as it snapped his spinal cord.

His body went limp, and his eyes dulled as the last spark of life faded from them.

He crashed to the ground, a shockwave of dust and blood flying up from the impact.

"You!" The bearded one backed away in shock. "What the hell did you do?!"

I turned my eyes to meet him.

I'm unsure what kind of expression I had, but streaks of urine trickled down his leg in response. Though I felt no hesitation, I still sympathized with the humiliation he must've felt.

He dropped his knife and fell to his knees, begging the entire time. "No, no, please, I'm sorry. Look, I didn't even want to do this, but he egged me on." He pointed towards the drooling corpse on the ground. "I was going to kill him myself. I swear! Please, please, please believe me!" He groveled.

I stashed my knife behind my back. "I believe you," I said softly, walking up to him and kneeling.

No matter how despicable someone was, I didn't relish in another's pain. Even in the war, I avoided actions that caused senseless suffering. This time would be no different.

It'd be a lie if I said I felt no personal ill will toward him.

Seeing what he did to Agawa, I couldn't forgive him for that. Though, the rage I felt at that moment... The dark desire for blood and revenge... That wasn't for her.please visit panda-:)ɴᴏᴠᴇ1.co)m

The anger was born from an obsession. One lodged deep within my heart. 'Protect your countrymen.' That mantra echoed throughout my mind.

It was an obsession toward my duty. An obsession with preserving the lives of those I swore to protect at all costs...and killing any that got in the way.

The thug's terrified expression gave way to euphoric relief. "Oh, thank you! Tha-"

Like a lighting strike, I brought the knife from behind me and surgically sliced his neck in two. A blend of shock and fear appeared on his face.

To ease his pain, I plunged the blade as far as it'd go into his heart. The squelching of severed arteries dampened my blow as I sliced deeper into his chest.

He weakly clawed at my throat to push me away, but it was already too late for him. Though he could no longer speak, his eyes said it all. He was asking me why I betrayed him.

I cradled his head to ease him into the afterlife.

"Forgive me" were the only words of condolence I could offer. There wasn't a single excuse that would justify my crime. The crime of snuffing out the life of a surrendering unarmed man.

He gurgled and hacked blood on my face as his flesh twitched. His body anticipated death. Then, his eyes widened to their limits, his attempt to stay conscious.

Several seconds later, the convulsions within his body ceased, and his grip loosened from my throat.

His hands fell to the floor, and his eyes rolled back into his head. Like his comrade, a reaper finally claimed his soul.

I flipped him over and grabbed a bloodied keyring from his trousers. I noticed them during the fight, and given these were dungeon guards, their keys would be incredibly handy.

As I stood up, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the bloody pool.

Though I saved Agawa, a savior wasn't what was staring back at me. Instead, it was vile and toxic, less than human. It was a machine. A machine of death whose only purpose was killing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Agawa.

Unmoving, she watched me with a look of pure horror. Tears ran down her cheeks and over her hands as she clutched them to her mouth. Her eyes were wide, exposing the panic that seized control of her body.

Some part of me knew this would happen. Anyone would be repulsed when witnessing one person's act ending another's life. Especially when that other was a surrendering, begging man.

I'll admit, I felt disappointed I couldn't be what Agawa wanted me to be. "I'm sorry, Agawa, but I told you, " I met her eyes with my own, "I'm no hero."

She didn't respond. Instead, her body froze with her eyes transfixed on the scene of bloody carnage.

Distinct regret formed within my heart as I looked at her. Not because she now saw me for what I was. It was because I had no time to let her come to terms with the trauma. We were still in this godforsaken mansion, after all!

I approached her with the utmost care, planning to unbind the chains that detained her, but she shuddered with every step I took. That same person who danced with me just hours ago now saw me with nothing but fear and disgust.

Knowing she'd be a liability like this, I decided to manage her as one.

'I'm sorry, Agawa.' I apologized.

I leaped toward her, giving her only a fleeting second to panic before I struck her in the gut. Her face gave way to shock as her eyes slid shut. Finally, she fell forward into my arms, lost to unconsciousness.

I eased her body to the ground.

I wasn't so insensitive that I'd leave her so close to being nude, so I scavenged a nearby blanket to wrap her in.

After clothing her as best as possible, my attention fell upon her reddened ankle. More specifically, I looked at the iron binding that was binding it.

I fumbled through the key ring I obtained from the bearded guard, trying each on the chain's lock.

The first key failed; it was too big. The second key failed; it was too small. Finally, after several minutes of trial and error, I heard a reverberant "clunk," signifying the lock was now unlatched.

After removing the steel ring, I gained a better look at Agawa's ankle. My first concern was the level of swelling.

While it was definitely tight, it didn't seem restricting enough to cause this much irritation. Not unless she violently yanked on it or something to that degree.

I was no combat medic, but I was still competent enough to apply the basics. I wrapped her leg in some of the unsoiled rags I found within the cell.

After I was done, I looked at the keys I had pilfered.

Most of them were incredibly 'ordinary,' which contradicted the theme of flamboyance within this place. However, there was one that caught my eye.

Amongst the cluster of unremarkable metal, this key shimmered with personality. It was engraved in the shape of a bird talon, with sharp golden wings welded to the base.

"This definitely looks important," I said, stashing the key away on my person.

I wanted to prepare myself for war, so I started tearing more gear from the thugs' bodies.

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