Mage Slayer: Two Brothers

Hello fellow travelers, welcome to Tailspinner's Ink where stories come alive. I am Elon Quillspark, your the curator and guide in these vast realms of legends and adventures. This story came from Mythron's adventures in the wastelands of stories and tales of Adventures where Heroes and Myths lie waiting to be discovered. I have restored and translated this manuscript to its original glory and Hope that you are equally inspired by the contents of the story to come. 

Now go on your adventure to the distant lands of the Kingdom of Camelot: 

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It was a cool Autumn evening, a good day for a fight, and Jack’s brother had antagonized him for the last time. Wrapping his knuckles thoroughly, he slowed his breathing, remembering the punches and kicks the foreigner taught him. He bobbed his head from side to side as a voice from behind him said, “You look like a loon.”

The girl standing next to the knight, Dredmur, chuckled at his remark., Morgan was her name. Dredmur pulled her close to his lips, overtaking her like a panther drinking up a young gazelle’s flesh after winning the pursuit. Jack’s stomach churned at the sight.

Dred pulled away from his prey, tenderly stroking her face, “I’ll win this fight for you, my immaculate maiden.”

Jack approached his brother, towering over the knight.

“Morgan’s under his spell, she has to be,” Jack thought, “no woman would appreciate the way Dred treats her.”

Dredmur pulled away from the girl, approaching Jack. Jack looked back at Morgan, who watched intently., Dred slapped his face, “Oy, eyes over here loonie!”

“Dredmur is going to antagonize. Don’t let him in.” he thought. “You got this.”

Dred’s fist flew at Jack, He leaned back, throwing his own back, hitting his brothers cheekbone. Doubling back, he plowed forward. Jack threw his front foot into his brother’s gut, repelling him away, leaning forward, he backhanded at him, intending to hit his head. Dred ducked under the punch, shifting his weight, slamming his fist into Jack’s ribs.

Jack grunted, “I thought you said that was cowardly!”

“It’s only cowardly when you do it, brother, you’re bigger.” Dredmur said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Rolling his eyes, he threw a round kick, slamming into Dred’s ribcage.

Dred doubled over in pain. Looking in his eyes, Jack saw something he’d never seen in his brother before, desperation!

Image credit: D'andre Clarke
artbydre138@gmail.com

Morgan smiled at Jack as it became evident that he was winning the fight. Dred saw this remark and could not let Jack win.

Dredmur pushed his hands forward onto Jack’s chest and an unnatural force pushed him backwards.

Back slamming on the ground, many stone throws away, pain shot through Jack’s body as he cried out.

Dred huddled over to his injured brother, barely masking the pain he felt.

“Does this mean I win?”

Looking up, he saw that stupid smirk on his brother’s face. He knew that whatever dark force allowed his brother to perform in this way, he couldn’t beat it.

Jack nodded.

Dred’s smirk grew, “Sorry, Jack, I can’t hear you. Can you repeat yourself?”

His face contorted in a mixture of pain and disgust, “YOU...WIN!”

With that, Dred patted Jack’s belly, sending shots of pain and humiliation throughout his body. “There you go, brother.”

Then Morgan galloped over to Dred, rewarding him with a deep, passionate kiss., Dred looked down at his conquered foe, expressing his claim over the maiden. He pulled back from the kiss as she said, her voice cheery and excited, “I knew you’d win.”

“I always do.” Dred said, stroking her face.

Jack gagged.

Jack laid on his back alone. The ground beneath him uneven and rough as dust clung to his tunic. Looking up, Jack saw what he dreaded the most, his father. An old man with a straw hat and a stern face, marching over to him.

Jack’s mind raced, remembering the last time his father caught him fighting his brother...

“Son, that’s why he’s the knight and you ain’t. Now pick yourself up and get them cattle hauled!” Dad shouted as Jack moaned, pain shooting through his back.

“Ain’t gonna tell you again, son!” The old man said, turning his back to the boy.

Jack silently and painfully rolled over to his stomach, slowly picking himself up to his knees. He stood, limping to his backpack full of scrolls, then staggered over to the barn to herd the cattle. A woman observed him as she stood hidden in the old wooden shack.

A man approached her, covered in darkness outlining his silhouette.

“I see you found yourself another puppet.” she said, eyeing him carefully.

The man grinned wildly, “Ohhh Yesssss, this one is thirstier for my power than the last one was.”

She looked at him, “He will lose, you know that.”

The man howled with laughter, “If he does, then at the least he will cause more chaos, and the beacon of light YOU have put in my way will be extinguished, If he does not rule, I will choose another.”

The woman smiled as she looked in Jack’s direction, “There is another who has been chosen to fight.”

The man followed her gaze to Jack, who was herding the cattle.

The man blinked, “HIM?!”

Jack leaned against a tree as he opened the scroll.

“You did well this time, mate,” said a voice from behind.

Jack looked back, seeing the old foreigner, “Oy! Fremde, you saw?”

“Aye, I saw, and you gave your brother a good beatin’ too.”

“I lost.” Jack admitted.

“Aye you did, but tis life. You win, you kill, you lose, you die. But if you do lose and live, tis better to run and fight another day.” The foreigner said as he watched the cattle graze peacefully.

“The king wouldn’t have run.” Jack stubbornly exclaimed.

The old man laughed, “The King has Merlin and 10,000 loyal knights to defend him, you only have you. Once you hone that, people will follow. If you focus on who’s better, you’ll spend your time following instead of becoming, and becoming is better than following. Look at me, I don’t follow nobody, but I got you following me.”

Jack looked up, “I’m not following you.”

“Of course, you’re not.” he said through a hearty chuckle.

Jack looked up annoyed, “What do you want?”

The Fremde breathed as he composed his laughter, “Your brother displayed some unnatural abilities in the fight.”

“Aye, he did.”

“Any ideas where he might have learned that?”

“I’ve never known him to have an affinity for spells and incantations.”

The Fremde looked down, deep in thought, “It seems your brother holds a great deal of secrets.”

“What is going to happen to him?” Jack asked.

“Who knows? Those who pursue such darkness are marked for life. Keep an eye on your brother.”

Jack nodded as Fremde the left.

That night, Jack was herding the cattle into the barn when he saw a light in the distance. A light that glistened through the trees. If it was in the sky Jack would have thought it was a star, but it was in the forest. I need to know what that light is! After locking the barn and grabbing his hunting knife, he sought after the light. Pushing his way through the bushes, he saw a bear. The beast’s back was turned to him as it devoured the flesh of a buck. So as not to disturb its meal, he turned to go the other direction, but there was a snap under his foot.

Image credit: D'andre Clarke
artbydre138@gmail.com

Jack turned to see the bear lunging at him. He bobbed under the slashing claw stepping back, breathing. The bear slashed at Jack’s ribcage, ripping open his side, making him grunt in agony. He pulled out his knife, stabbing the bear’s eye. Enraged, the bear stood on its hind legs, roaring. Jack doubled back, dwarfed by the mighty beast. The Bear slashed his claws at Jack's shoulder. He bobbed under the paw, hook punching the bear’s kidney, the other fist slammed into the bear’s front, knocking the wind out of it. Sweeping his leg, he tripped the bear on its back. Jack dropped, grabbing the knife. He pushed it further into the predator’s brain. He twisted and pulled the knife out. The bear manically waved its claws around, Jack dodging its claws, rolling onto his side, away from the bear’s mania. He stood to his feet, seeing the bear struggle to get up.

I need to end his suffering, now! Jack ran forward holding his hunting knife in reverse grip, stabbing down into the heart of the mighty beast, with a loud grunt! It struggles no longer... Despite the bloody eye and the wound on its chest. The bear almost looked peaceful. Jack looked back at the river which led to the lake. Seeing a woman with light emanating from her body, she almost looks ethereal, her clothing though in the water was not wet, she stepped out of the water on to dry land as the rocks below her almost looked fluidlike, bending around her bare feet as she stepped, this was no ordinary bear and this was no ordinary encounter.

“It’s time for you to face your destiny.” The woman said, her voice sounding like an echo radiating with power.

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And Yes... that was the first legend of Mage Slayer, please stay tuned, I have more on the way.

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