Chereads / The Good Knights Burden / Chapter 6 - Power

Chapter 6 - Power

Aron stood in the living room of his home. The small flames from candles were dancing across the walls keeping the room alight. Aron had just seen something unexplainable. His wife a mage and not just any mage, but a practitioner of seid. The magic deemed unholy by the church. A magic so forbidden, that the knowledge of its existence is classified in the kingdom of Bonitdei.

Aron was now restless and therefore the exhaustion he had felt before was gone. Aron quietly and slowly walks to the door and opens it.

*CLICK*

A sound came from the door. The door had never made such a sound before. It sounded almost mechanical. Without thinking for too long Aron proceeded outside where he was met by a brisk wind. Outside it was dark but Aron's sight had improved. He now saw the corners of the streets and its width. He could even see greater distances than before. He began walking with the purpose of getting far away.

'How can Katarina be a seid user? She has damned herself…'

'What should I do? The right thing would be to report her.'

But as much as Aron thought about turning her in, he always came to the conclusion of him rather stabbing his heart out before any harm, he could induce, would befall his beloved.

Aron tried to calm himself but to little avail.

'Where did she go? There was never a room underneath our house. Did she build it herself?'

Aron saw Katarina in a new light. She was no longer an innocent woman of God, but rather the opposite.

'How powerful is she?', Aron could not listen to his own thoughts anymore. They were questioning everything he knew about his wife.

At this moment he found himself standing in front of the Smiling Hog. The place was surprisingly open at this late hour.

'I could use a drink', Aron thought before walking towards the doors of the tavern.

In front of the doors, he could hear the sound of chatter and laughter making the atmosphere seem happy and normal.

Aron needed some normalcy today.

But before entering he wanted to try something.

"I wonder", Aron pondered quietly.

Aron was looking at the door with an intense stare. He was hoping to see inside the building, to see if his newfound ability could be used the same way as before. So, he tried and after some seconds of the most intense starring contest the world has ever seen, the facade of the building began turning transparent.

Aron was delighted at using his ability. Even though he didn't ask for it, it seems like a waste to not understand its function. He looked around the room and saw nine shadowy figures. One was obviously the owner since he was standing behind the bar and the others must be costumers.

Scanning the room, he found no irregularities and was astonished by his sight. What he once saw as a curse might actually be a blessing, in heavy disguise.

'The things you could accomplish with this are aplenty. You could scan the number of troops in a building or maybe even a camp. Anyone hidden wouldn't be for long.'

Aron realising its strategic advantages was astonished, but soon remembered that he no longer was a knight but a simple civilian.

*sigh*

Aron sighed getting some of his frustration out and finally entered the tavern.

He was meet by the smell of alcohol. He walked towards the bar and sat down.

"What will it be?" The bartender asked.

Aron's eyes scurried around behind him to see if he could get an idea of what was available.

"Ehh, do you perhaps have some wine?" Aron tried.

"Nothing so fancy here my friend" he said with a big professional smile.

"Could I get you some ale or beer?"

"Just the ale then"

"Coming right up".

Aron sat at the bar and just stared ahead. The noise was interrupting his thoughts and he was grateful for it. He could just be.

The bartender came back with a jug of ale and said.

"Hey, its on the house. You seemed a little down, so I hope this will help ya along."

"I-", Aron began in protest.

The bartender raised his hand and stooped Aron from continuing.

"Just accept this good deed from me, okay? God knows I need some of those."

He said with a look of contemplation.

"Thank you, sir. Your hospitality will never be forgotten."

"It's Daren, friend"

He said lowering his hand in front of Aron to give a handshake.

Aron took it and replied.

"I'm Aron"

They both smiled at each other and then Daren went on his way.

He was of average height maybe 1,67 meters (5,51 feet) and wore the clothes of a commoner. He had a copper ring on his ring finger showing that he either was or is married. He had brown eyes and a trimmed beard.

Aron took a sip of his ale. It wasn't bad, albeit a little bitter. Aron thought of leaving a tip of some sort and began searching for his coin. But he found none. He had forgotten to take it with him.

'How could I have demanded a drink without the means of paying. What a horrible situation that would have been.'

He then continues drinking the ale.

'It's funny, the drink gets better and better with each sip.'

When Aron was finished got up and started to walk for the exit.

He needed to face Katarina about what he saw. About a way for them to trust each other and keep no secrets. Aron feared the seid Katarina wielded, but even more so the prospect of losing her. She was everything he had left.

Aron exited the tavern and slowly walked back. He was nervous about what Katarina would do, but even so he just wanted her.

While contemplating all this Aron suddenly heard a scream of desperation. instinctively a smile appeared on his lips.

Aron shook his head immediately. This was not war nor a purging. This was the capital of bonitdei that Aron had sworn to protect no matter what.

With a feeling of responsibility Aron dashed towards the sound. It had come from a dark alley. But darkness was no obstacle. A part of the alley was lit with by some handheld torches. Aron saw far ahead and could see what was happening.

Five guys one child. By her height he guessed her around twelve. Aron realised what they were doing immediately but felt no anger or disgust. He only felt responsibility.

The girl was on the ground and sobbing while the five guys prepared themselves with their appendages out in the open. Hovering over a quivering lamb.

"Hey!" Aron yelled.

"In the name of the Holy Order you must stop your wicked endeavours. You shall be punished in the name of the Father!! "

This shook the five men making them desperate to tuck in their tools. They were about to run when one of them, presumably the coordinator of their plan to violate a minor spoke out.

"Stop! You dimwits!"

"It is only one man!"

The others looked around confused.

"Ah, sorry Frank, we thought it was a knig-"

*Slap*

The guy who was presumably Frank slapped the guy, that spoke across the face.

"You moron!" Frank yelled.

"Don't tell him my name, Karl".

Karl recoiled in realisation.

"it's fine." Frank began.

"We just need to get rid of the witness." He said with a confidant smile.

Aron took this as a threat and began going into a fighting stance lifting his hands to either side of his face.

"BAhahaa", a laugh erupted from Frank.

"There are five of us and one of you. Do you really believe you can best us?"

Aron kept silent analysing his opponents.

He still saw shadow so he could not see much other than their posture.

"Go get him boys!"

The four guys ran towards Aron with full speed. Three of them were of normal weight. The fourth was a big guy. He was lacking behind but was nonetheless coming.

The first guy comes with a right hook. Aron swats it away with his left hand and delivers a strong right hook in return. It hits him square in the face breaking his nose. Aron sees another coming and quickly hits him with a big kick to the stomach causing him to stagger and fall behind. He then throws up some of his dinner. The next one comes too fast.

Aron gets hit in the jaw unprepared making him wobble backwards. He was slowly losing his consciousness. Now the big guy comes and hits Aron in the chest leaving him without breath.

Aron is struggling to breath and stay awake. He is on his knees with a hand on his stomach and another supporting him on the ground.

Aron had always fought for the Order and there was no backing down even if your opponents outnumbered you. He was a pawn to be used and he didn't mind. It was freeing to do as you were told without claiming responsibly for what you did.

Aron realises now that it was weakness. He did not have the courage to defy or question those with higher authority. He now sees his mistake in rushing into this fight alone. Now he is down, and that child will be molested.

"Hey Frank?" The big guy asked.

"Do you mind if I take this guy for myself?" He said while snickering.

Panic engulfed Aron.

"Haha, sure big man. You'll make him your whore! Bahaha!"

The big guy smiled deviously and approached.

Aron struggled to get up but he couldn't.

'That fat FUCK hit me good…'

"You're gonna be my friend" he said with a sick expression plastered on his face.

He took out his other chunky friend. No doubt the bearer of disease.

At this bile began rising in Aron's throat.

'That is going NOWHERE near me!'

'That sick FUCK!'

'He dares to try and defile me!?'

'I'm gonna kill you, you motherfucker!'

"Look here you intellectually molested FUCK!"

The big guy stopped offended.

"If you don't leave me and the girl alone, I will obliterate you! I will disintegrate you into nothingness you worthless MAGGOT!!"

"Ehh, I don't know what all that meant but..."

"Hehe" the fat guy snickered.

"Don't you worry. I will make you feel good. All your pain will be replaced by pleasure".

He says smiling.

The other four were already working the young child. There was a puddle of her blood under her. They didn't care. They liked the fact, that they were taking something away from her, that she could never have again.

Aron could not handle it anymore. He was full of anger.

Aron looked at the big shadowy figure before him and yelled a last time. Venting all his frustrations out.

"DISSOLUTUM!"

What Aron had thought he said was:

(Die you motherfucking piece of shit. I hope you suffer so terribly that even your own mother… and so on)

But what came out was an ancient language filled with power .

His voice was deep and booming. It shook the very ground they were standing on.

And what followed was quite calming.

The big guy's fingers slowly turned to ash followed by the hand and then the rest of the arm until he was no more than a pile of ash. He was not the only one effected. The four other guys had met the same fate.

When Aron looked over to the girl he was left in despair. She was, like the others, a pile of ash.

Aron looked at his hands, shaking. He was meant to protect her and yet he failed. Aron's eyes suddenly seared with an unimaginable pain. Like the night of the demon's attack. The pain didn't subside it just worsened.

"AAAAAARRHHRRHR" Aron cried out in pain.

Was he being punished for using forbidden power? Why did it not stop?

"ANYONE I BEG… END MY LIFE…MY EXISTENCE… I CAN NOT TAKE IT ANY MORE"

Aron was about to break. He took his fingers and dug them deep in his eye sockets. Blood seeped down his cheeks. Aron grabbed on to his wet eyeballs and pulled with all his might.

They were set as if in stone.

Soon the pain became too much, and he was losing consciousness. But just as he was about to close his eyes, he saw a purple figure appear. It asked in a distorted voice.

"ArOn?"

And then, darkness.