A quaint village never failed to be quiet after the sun switched places with the moon. The setting is much different than an entire Kingdom, you'd never have to worry about noises and voices in the night pass by your window, a village resided in near the Parrot Beak Mountains, no one has ever visited this village until one man is hunted by a Bounty Hunter. The lights of a small cabin are lit as the shadow of a looming figure stands over a man on his back.
"Please, let me live! I have a family! I have kids! You see them, right?!" A man asked, giving in to the fear in his heart, his wife hugged their kids, covering them in an attempt to protect them, "I beg you!-" The man felt a katana with black lining going down the middle of the blade pierce through his chest.
"I don't care about any of that..." The man who lodged the katana into the man's chest spoke, "I'm just trying to get paid, it is a shame you're too weak to give me a proper fight though...the chances of you surviving would've been higher if you were a mighty warrior..." The man mocked, a smirk appearing on his face.
The young man wore a brown tunic and black trousers tucked into some murky, black boots, his hip held a sword bandage that carried one sword at the moment because the other one is stuck in the body of the trembling man on the wooden floor, "W-why would you do t-this...? Are you a human with no morals...?" The man spoke as the blood left his mouth, his wife wailed in the corner of the cabin with both of their kids.
"I'm not "human", I abandoned my humanity a long time ago, once I picked up these swords and decided I wanted to survive...Goodbye sir, maybe you shouldn't have made enemies with the wrong people. In your next life, try not to be so careless...and maybe train more so you can give me a good fight...my skills cannot lack in a world like this..." The menacing figure spoke as he slowly pulls the blade out of the dying man's chest, patches of the swordsman's purple hair could be seen from under the black bandana he wore as he grunts a bit, his aquatic blue eyes looking down at the blood on his blade.
The figure looked to the wife and kids, "I know this is traumatizing, but I'm just doing my job." The young swordsman wiped the blood off his blades as the husband of his wife and father of his kids died a slow, painful death, "I will take my leave..." The swordsman made his way to the door of the cabin, sheathing his plain blade.
The woman only asked with tears going down her face, "W-who are you? W-what did my lover ever do t-to anybody?" The children in her arms mourned over their father as the swordsman smirked.
The swordsman looked over his shoulder as a hand rested on his katana, "My name is Zingi Liao Xue. Try remembering the name until we meet again." Zingi spoke casually, "I'm going to become known as a profound swordsman, as for your husband, I have no idea. Someone just sent me to kill him for 200 silver and that's what I did..." He informed honestly, before opening the door and raising his other hand in farewells, "If our paths ever cross again you'll probably be my next victim so watch your back..."
~~The Kingdom of Dahlia~~
{Dahlia is a pink-schemed Kingdom that resides in the middle of Heliconia's map. The villages and small towns that surround the Kingdom are owned by the Royal Griffins of Dahlia.}
Zingi tried 'concealing' himself before entering inside the Kingdom of Dahlia to murder a Royal Griffin, the swordsman literally walked into the Kingdom of Dahlia wearing his black trousers and murky boots, the only thing that changed was his brown tunic was switched out for a turquoise tunic with gold trimmings around the rim and collar. The black bandana still resided on his head because his purple hair is a known trait by many people who want him captured.
Zingi nonchalantly walked the streets, earning uneasy looks from the people of every class, "Menma Akuno, huh? He's one of the Griffins of this Kingdom. This commoner needs me to kill him because he harassed and raped his wife? I don't see how he couldn't have handled this? If the man is casually walking down the street he could have battled this wretched royal..." The swordsman spoke nonchalantly, glimpsing at the common-class and middle-class people that stared at him.
{Royal Griffin - No, we're not talking about the actual beast, the Royal Griffins are people of the Royal Family that rule over everything in Dahlia. There are some nice Royal Griffins, but others ruthlessly harm and mistreat the commoners of their Kingdom.}
What Zingi didn't know is that once you damage a Royal Griffin, for the man or woman fearless enough to even look at him the wrong way, all hell will break loose on EVERYONE.
"P-please, leave me alone...I have a sickened mother who is waiting for me home...I wish to not be slowed d-down...O-ouch, you're hurting me..." A young woman with blue hair and pale purple eyes spoke, she had a scar that stretched from her shoulder to the left side of her face. She is wearing a ragged, brown dress and is holding a basket full of herbs.
A man with ashy, gray hair and devilish ebony eyes that stared into the young lady's pale eyes, "To hell with your mother, why don't you spend some time with me~? We could have a great time~!" He chimed deviously as he clenched her wrist, causing the woman to squirm in pain.
Zingi watched from afar and looked down at his paper given to him by the commoner, listing off the characteristics of his victim.
"Idiotic looking gray hair? Check."
Zingi started pulling out one of his plain katana with murderous intent in his eyes.
"Menacing black eyes? Check."
The other hand reached for the other hilt of his sword as the woman pleas for help could have been heard for miles.
"Royal garbs that have a Royal Griffin insignia?" Zingi's eyes narrowed in on his clothes to see a golden badge that showed a Griffin with both of its wings spread, "Check..."
Zingi unsheathed both swords and with a speed that no one could track he was able to swiftly slash the Royal Griffin: Menma Akuno across the chest, leaving a large gash in his skin and one big tear in his garbs.
"GAH!"
Menma yelled out, releasing his grip on the lady, giving her the chance to run away.
Zingi is behind Menma in a crouched stance, his back towards the man as blood dripped off the identical katanas, "Menma Akuno...You might be wondering why you have suddenly been injured, huh? You've been constantly harassing women so someone has finally placed a bounty on you, now I, Zingi Liao Xue appear before you to kill you..." Zingi looked over his shoulder at Menma.
Menma laughed before turning to Zingi, blood leaving his mouth as people run in fear, but not because of Zingi, they feared what Menma's has the ability to do if he's ever in trouble, "You think you can harm me and get away with it!? You're going to pay dearly for harming me! SOMEONE! CALL ONE OF THE ROYAL GRYPHON GUARDS!"
"Hmm?" Zingi questioned, raising a brow before he hears a loud ringing noise spread throughout the entire Kingdom, "Oh? So you are hoping to call for help, huh? I will kill them too..." Zingi is soon preparing to attack Menma who pulls out a pistol of luminous orange pigments and pulls the trigger, releasing two beams of radiant energy from the weapon.
Zingi smirked deviously as he dodged both of the beams with ease, only gaining slight burns on his arm from the beams being close to his body, "Farewell, Royal Griffin bastard..." Zingi appeared a few inches behind him, readying his katana to cut the young rival's head off.
Menma thought in astonishment, 'He dodged all the radiant blast from my Laser Pistol...Did he use Mantra to dodge and predict my shots so easily...? No, he couldn't have...if he would've used Mantra then I would have seen a hue form around his body...and he couldn't have used any form of Ryoh...I would have seen one of those transmutation circles...'
{Mantra (Aura) - This is used by people who are willing to dedicate their training sessions to the learning meditations. Every living being has the ability to use Mantra, it's a part of their Souls. A beast or an animal is even capable of using all foundations of Mantra but they have to train to tap into it. Mantra allows the user to have a very strong, defensive cloak cover their body that'll protect them until their Mantra depleted, it will take a long rest to gain back their Mantra if it is all used in an entire battle. Mantra can be used to dish out damage and is even used to sense other people around the area. Mantra, when it's mastered, can be used with Ryoh (magic) which will make a Mantra user a Multipotentialite (someone who can use Mantra and Ryoh). Mantra varies in colors.}
{Ryoh (Magic) - Just like Mantra, anyone can use Ryoh but this is something you just can't meditate and achieve you must train under a Mage or Multipotentialite to achieve the usage of Ryoh, but many actually are able to learn Ryoh on their own by training in the environment of the Ryoh they're trying to learn, some even learn from books and Grimoires. Ryoh ranges from element usage to Necromancy, there is a variety of types and skills someone can learn if they obtain the power of Ryoh. There is Ryoh that is so strong many don't want to face people with these types of Ryoh!)
An elven man appeared in front Zingi and easily countered his katana, the man spoke kindly as his hazelnut eyes looked at the Bounty Hunter and spoke as his long, wavy blonde hair sways in the wind, brown tips decorated near the end strands of his hair, "Would you ever so kindly stop attacking the Prince of Dahlia? On my honor, as a Royal Gryphon Guard, I ask that you place your weapons on the ground and surrender."
The elven man wore the Royal Gryphon Guards' uniform that consisted of a white long coat with cross-shaped buttons going down the middle, black trousers, and white knee-high boots that have gold-plated crosses on the heel, the elven man has a sheath attached to his waist to hold his Elven Blade.
The elven man smiled as Zingi is soon pushed back by the Elven Blade that is being held by the Royal Gryphon Guard, "Are you okay, my liege?"
Zingi's feet skid back across the pavement a bit as he noticed a crack in one of his blades from the clash he had with the elven man, "There is a crack...in my katana..." Zingi never experienced this before and for a katana to have a scratch or a crack is a shame on the swordsman's name.
"Do I look okay to you, Yermael! I have an ugly gash across my chest!! How am I supposed to pick up any ladies with an injury like this!?" The angered Menma asked the Royal Gryphon Guard.
"I apologize for not being here sooner, Prince Menma. You can still give this swordsman the punishment that you think will make him suffer the most, so it's not all that bad." Yermeal spoke as his elven ears twitched a bit.
"That is true, Yermael." Menma looked at Zingi who's still looking down at the crack in the steel of his katana, he smirked to see the disbelief on the young swordsman's face.
Zingi looked back at Yermael and takes off his bandana slowly to reveal his purple hair with a variety of green roots, "I think I've finally found someone who can give me some trouble...you have injured my honor as a swordsman...I can't let you get away with that..." Zingi tied the black bandana around his arms and held both katana in an X shape.
Yermeal smiled and chirped, "Give me your best shot, Bounty Hunter: Zingi Liao Xue. I want you to see how big the gap is between us. I want you to understand that you can't defeat me."
Zingi growled, becoming annoyed by his smile and his words, "We'll see about that, asshat! I'm going to take you out and complete this bounty, you can't stop me!" Zingi charged directly at the elven man who smiled and lifted his sword and soon slashed downwards creating a horizontal wave of white Mantra that aimed for Zingi.
Zingi placed the sword that wasn't cracked out and goes to counter the wave coming his way, "I will cut right through it!-" Zingi clashes with the Mantra only for his blade to shatter in pieces, "I c-can't believe it..." The Mantra wave soon hits Zingi and sends him flying backward into one of the nearby houses, a hole left inside the wall of the house.
Zingi laid on the floor inside the house, blood sliding down his forehead as he clenched the broken sword that was in his hand, "One katana shattered...the other cracked..." He spoke aloud as he coughed up a bit of blood, the horizontal wave of Mantra left a gash across his neck to his stomach.
The people in the house looked terrified, not of Zingi, but of Yermael because usually when the Royal Gryphon Guards are summoned they don't care whose property they destroy while battling.
Zingi had a bloodstain on his tunic as he limped out of the hole, holding the side of the wall, "Damn it...he's strong..." The large tear in his tunic had revealed the deep gash across his body, he looks on to Yermael and looked to his cracked katana.
"I'm not done yet...I won't lose to you..." Zingi claimed, pointing his katana directly at Yermael who smiled in return.
"Come to me again if you want. I like your spirit, Bounty Hunter: Zingi Liao Xue!" Yermael spoke happily before holding his katana to the sky as it shined with an illuminating light, Menma just laughed at Zingi's injured state, even though his blood still stained the edges of his mouth.
Zingi charged directly for Yermael, the crimson liquid dripping to the ground as he ran, "I won't go down without a FIGHT!!" Zingi yelled before Yermael brings down his sword onto the silver concrete, causing Mantra to explode from the ground once Zingi got near, Zingi's katana soon breaks from the Mantra making contact with it.
Zingi's eyes widened at the sight of his second katana breaking before he's sent flying through the air, crashing through a light post, crashing through a carriage until he finally smashed into a concrete wall, a crater being left behind in the wall before hit the ground, his eyes still open but the dull shade now in his eyes confirmed that he is in fact unconscious.
"Good job, Yermael! You never cease to amaze me!" Menma spoke, clapping his hands with a smirk on his face.
Yermael bowed his head and spoke gratefully, "Thank you, my liege," Yermael looked to the unconscious Bounty Hunter, "What shall happen to Bounty Hunter: Zingi Liao Xue?' He asked with a smile.
"I know the exact punishment he should endure, he shall be magically tied to wooden stakes with both of his hands behind the stakes, being held down by 50lbs weights! I don't care if his shoulders become dislocated! He deserves it! And make sure to place both of his broken blades in front of him, hanging from a tree, oh, and make sure everyone is able to spit on him and kick him!" Menma spoke deviously.
Yermael nodded.
Zingi, from that day onward, had been tied down to some wooden stakes, his hand tied behind it so they would be forced to endure the pain from holding 50lbs waist, and people were allowed to boot and/or spit on him while he still sustained the damage from his latest battle. He was tied down in an opened area of the Kingdom where people walked, a light post shining down on him.
~~3 Days and Nights Later; Later That Night~~
"Take this! And that!" A drunk man spoke angrily as he kicked Zingi in the stomach causing him to gag and cough, he really couldn't vomit forth because of the fact he hasn't eaten anything. The man kicked him one more time and this caused him to spit out blood, "I bet you regret coming here now, huh!?" The man laughed drunkenly.
Zingi struggled to look up at the man as both of his muscles clenched from holding up the 50lbs weights, "I-I don't regret anything...I live a life of no regrets..." Zingi responded weakly, his shirt is gone because of the abuse and torture he has been dealing with for the past three days.
The man kicked Zingi in the face, growling, "You will be dying soon of hunger and pain, bastard! I am pretty sure that wasn't in your plan, right!? I know you're lying! You definitely have regrets!" The man yelled at him but Zingi shakes his head.
"If I die here then I am a swordsman that was only going to make it this far anyway..." Zingi told the man as he glanced the broken katanas hanging from a tree in front of him.
The man scoffed, spitting on the bruised and dirted swordsman but if you look in his eyes, Zingi hasn't lost his mind yet, nor did his face show any emotion. He was willing to pay the price for not being strong enough...
The man stomped off and this left Zingi alone for another night until he heard the sound of light footsteps, he looks up to see the same young woman he saved three days ago, she held a basket full of fruits and pieces of bread, she also had some green ointments in her basket.
"Umm, Hello, Mr. Bounty Hunter. My-my name is Shayla Harriet...and I came to f-feed you..." The woman spoke nervously.
Zingi raises a brow as Shayla comes closer to him and sits on the ground in front of him, she looked at his wounds and scrapes, the largely notable one being his large gash going across his body, she puts her hands into the basket, "I want to repay you for saving me so I decided I would take care of you until your punishment is up, or at least until I figure out how to release you from these magical bindings..."
Shayla takes out a rag and poured the ointment onto the cloth before placing it on his wounds, making sure to lightly rub the cloth against his more visible ones, "Does that feel better..." She didn't get a response from the swordsman but she did hear a sigh of relief which caused her to smile a bit.
Shayla soon placed the rag back into the straw basket and takes out some bread, "Here! I baked it for you!" She chimed quietly, not wanting to wake anyone from their slumber.
Zingi looked at the bread and then looked at the woman giving him the food, her pale purple eyes gave him comfort and reassurance, her aquatic hair swayed beautifully in the wind, illuminating off of the night sky, Zingi opens his mouth and takes a bit, feeling his stomach jump for joyous reasons, even his face showed some pleasure.
Shayla smiled and whispered, "I'm glad you like it! I made it with just the right amount of flour and water!"
Zingi finally spoke to her and said, "Thanks..."
Shayla smiled brightly and clapped her hands together, "Of course. It's the least I can do for the person who saved me from that wretched prince." She said, feeding him a few more pieces of bread before standing up and telling him, "I will be back tomorrow with some more food and ointment. I promise."
Zingi didn't respond but he did nod.
Shayla started to walk away but soon hears his voice.
"Hey, if you ever come back...and you see me getting beat down...don't interfere...you are too weak and frail...they're not afraid to punch and kick a girl...I can tell..."
~A Few Days Later~
Zingi had been beaten countless times a day but healed physically and mentally by a woman after nightfall. But one day, he suffered a severe beatdown by multiple men and women that relentlessly kicked him and punched him.
Shayla watched from the sidelines of the event, seeing the suffering on Zingi's face as he kept enduring all the pain, "You're hurting him too much..." Shayla mumbled as Zingi is assaulted, more blood leaving his mouth.
Shayla's hand twitched as she watched him get attacked and this caused her to soon jump into action, "STOP IT!!" The men and woman pause their attack on the swordsman who's still in his binds, being forced to lift the 50lbs weights, but fortunately, his arms were strong enough to lift the weights so his shoulders wouldn't dislocate. To be frank, he was possibly using them as a way to workout.
Shayla jumped in front of Zingi and spoke, "Please! Haven't you've done enough to him!? No one deserves this much punishment over something that actually helped someone!! He saved me! You guys are just so clouded by the loyalty you have for that corrupted family that you can't see the bad they are doing!" She yelled at the men and women.
Zingi struggled in the magical binds and asked her, "What the hell are you doing!? Move!! They don't care about that!! You are going to get hit!!"
One man said loudly, "Aww, shut up!! You're just a commoner that'll probably end up being one of the Prince's mistresses anyway! Just beat her down since she won't move!"
A human woman wearing elliptical orange goggles, some cargo shorts, brown boots, and her signature black bra as the tattoo of a unicorn is imprinted on her back watched from a canopy nearby, she smirked widely.
"Hmm? I'm surprised someone is defending this man, he's killed all across Heliconia!! It shocks me even more that Ms. Omoiyari wants him to join the ranks of the Unicorn Lovers! Well, let me save these dolts real quick!" The woman's black hair sway as her orange eyes begin to glow, her feet soon ignite into flames.
Zingi started to struggle more in the magical bindings as Shayla protected him, causing him to yell, "Shayla! MOVE!!!"
Shayla prepares herself to be punched, spit on, and kicked but someone crashed down in front of her, a flaming tornado surrounding this figure, causing the men and women attacking Zingi and Shayla to back up.
"N-no way...it can't be her, right!?" A man yelled in fear.
"You mean the Flaming Unicorn, Ava!? This can't be her!!" A woman spoke, gritting her teeth.
"Haha!" The same woman from on the canopy laughed as the fire disperses, "Sorry, but I need the Bounty Hunter alive! I can't let you kill him!" She chimed mischievously, placing her goggles over her orange eyes.
Zingi and Shayla blinked at the woman, Shayla looked at the woman in disbelief and spoke, "I can't believe it...I'm seeing one of the Celestial Ranked members of Unicorn Lovers before my eyes..."
Ava turned her eyes to them, walking over to the swordsman and crouching down to his height, "I am here to recruit you, Zingi Liao Xue! You have been recruited to join Unicorn Lovers unless you want to be strapped to these stakes for all of eternity?" She questions with a smirk.
Zingi's expression became a smirk.
TO BE CONTINUED...
I tried my best with this chapter and I would love some constructive criticism on things you might like or dislike so I can become a great author! I am still thinking about a schedule for this book so that will be coming soon! Thanks for taking the time to read this original story!