Tom
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Axel picked him up and he was dressed in full silver armour. With a sword strapped to his side, he walked with Axel toward a group of soldiers.
"Listen, You just listen to whatever that guy says and you will come back. You are just doing round visits to the villages nearby that belong to the king." Axel gave him a helmet that had the king's crest on the forehead.
He put on the helmet and tightened it around his chin.
"Thanks, I guess-"
Axel had already turned around and had walked off.
They took horses and rode out. Their group was mostly composed of humans and someone beside him gestured to him so that they could ride closer together.
"My name is Jay what is yours?"
"Tom!"
"Nice! I'm 17 and just joined the army but you look quite young"
"I'm not that young Jay I am 15!"
Jay laughs "What did you do?"
"what do you mean?"
"You have to be 17 to join these types of expeditions you must have done something"
Tom sighs "I threw yellow paint on a house yesterday"
Jay burst out laughing "That was you?! here I was wondering why there was yellow paint everywhere yesterday."
That made Tom smile "Yeah I never have done something like that before"
They talked some more and he didn't even realize they had arrived to their destination from all the talking.
"Thank goodness you came!" A villager shouted. Many began to swarm the captain of their group.
"A great beast came! We tried to push it out of the village but he said he'd come back for revenge!"
"What type of beast?"
"A boar hybrid!"
Tom stilled, 'Could that be Tactzo they are talking about?'
"No way Tactzo hasn't been around this area in ages," Jay says taking his sword out.
"w-what if he's back to destroy our city like he did all those generations ago??" Jay said worriedly.
Tom smiled and turned to Jay "Tactzo is reasonable, don't worry-"
Blood splattered on Tom's face and an arrow was sticking out of Jay's forehead....
Shocked, He watched Jay fall from his horse.
Tom had never seen someone die before so he did the only thing his brain could muster and that was scream at the top of his lungs.
Arrows started flying, villagers ran for their lives and soldiers lifted their shields to protect themselves.
"What are you doing? Get down, soldier!" The captain yelled at Tom who was still on his horse and still screaming.
Tom's eyes refused to leave Jay's body.
A soldier grabbed him from the back and threw him off the horse. Knocking his breath away.
Tom couldn't see or breathe and his ear rang. His head pounded and all he could do was curl himself in a fetal position.
He heard terrible screams.
This had to be a nightmare, not real...
More blood poured over him, almost choking him, and forcing him to sit up. A soldier next to him had just been killed.
He tried to focus and his eyes searched around but it kept landing on the most gruesome scenes until they finally landed on Tactzo.
Tactzo was grabbing a woman by the hair to prevent her from running and his sword sliced her up.
"s-stop"
Tom whispered. More screams...
"stop!"
Tom said a little louder, standing.
"STOP!!!!"
Tom ran towards him but before reaching him he slipped on the blood-covered streets and fell face first to the ground. His body slid to a stop just behind Tactzo.
When he slowly looked up and saw his brother looking over his shoulder to look at him. Tom saw someone he didn't even recognize. He had never seen his brother look like this.
He knew Tactzo was ruthless, he knew had killed hundreds and destroyed whole cities, and kingdoms just by himself but hearing all the stories and seeing the reality of them were two different things. Tom naivety heard those stories and saw them as heroic and wished to be like his brother when he grew up but....
this....this....was disgusting.
"You killed Jay...He was only 17" Tom said in a shaky voice.
He knew that his brother never attacked for no reason. He always attacked as a retaliation for something but....what could these poor villagers have done to cause all of this?
In his mind, there was no excuse or story that could defend any of this.
Tactzo turned around and raised his sword to strike him.
"W-wait Tactzo it's m-me!" Tom went to his knees and raised his arms up.
For the first time in ever, Tom feared his brother.
The Boar hybrid stopped and put his sword away.
He brought his fury hand to Tom's face, whipping away the blood. His sharp nail broke the strap of his helmet and he threw the helmet away. Tactzo kneeled to take a closer look.
And suddenly the familiar facial expression that Tom knew crossed Tactzo's face.
"Tom, what the heck are you doing here?" He laughed loudly. His arms wrapped around him to hug him and he lifted him up.
"I almost killed you! Why are you dressed up as a random soldier of some city?"
It suddenly dawned on Tom that there weren't any more screams. He looked around and noticed that they were standing in the middle of the street and everyone....was dead.
He tightens his grip on Tactzo's shoulder.
"I-I went to Maryland City to have a solo adventure"
Tactzo frowned "Out of all places you went there? okay your choice I guess. I would have gone travelling to find hidden treasures or something more fun"
"Umm....T-tactzo" His voice wavered.
"Yes?"
"w-why did you kill everyone?"
"Well I was coming back from the east and I was trying to avoid this village but some hunters saw me in the woods and they were quicked to send arrows my way. I told them they had a chance to leave me alone or everyone they know will suffer. But they didn't. I killed them but let one escape to warn the other. I waited like.....maybe two hours? to give them a chance to evacuate but when I came out of the forest the dumbasses didn't even try to leave! instead, they were talking to these guards!!" Tactzo said as he kicked one soldier from the group with his foot.
"Can you believe it?"
Tom swallowed loudly "Y-yeah I can't believe it" He couldn't believe how evil his brother was. That's what.
His brother is nuts.
How did he never realize this?
Does dad know?
If he does why didn't he stop him from becoming like this?
"C-couldn't you have....let them live. You already had killed the initial hunters that attacked you"
The boar hybrid shrugged and snuggled his face on Tom's neck "Awww baby brother, what is the thing I always say?"
"Don't start things with you or suffer the consequences?" This statement Tom had always thought it made Tactzo sound cool and strong but now seeing the consequences first hand he now felt dread saying it.
"eeexxaccctly!" He puts Tom down and Tom almost slips again.
"come on let's raid their bar maybe we can have some drinks there- non-alcoholic drinks for you of course"
"No"
Tactzo looked confused.
"Okay...then maybe we can take their treasury after all they are dead they don't need it"
"No"
"Come on Tom you are no fun"
"This is wrong"
Tactzo looked down at him and placed a hand on his hip.
"Oh yeah? then what they did to me is just as wrong-"
"But it didn't require this level of violence!"
"Tom, How long have we been alive? Yeaaars and still with the rumours and legends about me, humans and hybrids still mess with me when I just want to be left alone! besides why are you crying? these people probably still have lives. In a couple of hours, they will wake up and be alive again"
"Oh," Tom hadn't thought of that.
"b-but- it's still not fair, w-what if some people only had one life left?"
Tactzo shrugged, taking an apple from an abandoned stall.
"Not my problem. It's not my fault they are idiots"
"I-" Tom took a step backwards, "You are a monster"
Tactzo froze.
He slowly turned to look at Tom straight in his eyes.
"You don't mean that"
"I meant it" Tom's fists are shaking.
"Take it back"
"No" Tom took another step backwards.
"TAKE IT BACK" He roared and took a step closer to Tom. Who raised his arms over his head and flinched.
"Are you kidding me?" He said offended.
"Do you actually think I would hurt you, my brother?"
"If I ever messed with you will I then suffer the consequences?" Tom asked a bit bold.
Tactzo shook his head his mouth slightly agape. "They brainwashed you, didn't they? what did they tell you?"
"Everyone says you are monsters! and your actions clearly tell me they are right. They told me the history of their city and how you caused their destruction long ago. They rebuilt it but every day they still worry about your return! I didn't want to believe their stories but after today it all makes sense!"
"Don't speak on something you do not know about, They deserved it." Tactzo hissed.
Tactzo poked his finger on Tom's chest, "and I regret not wiping them completely. I shouldn't have left some of them alive to rebuild"
If Tactzo had done that then Antok or Billy wouldn't have been alive.
Tom closed his eyes and yelled "J-just...just LEAVE MARYLAND ALONE! LEAVE THEIR VILLAGES ALONE"
"I won't"
The venom in his voice made Tom shiver and look at Tactzo.
"You know how I am.....If you love that city so much then make sure they don't cross me"
With that Tactzo turned around and began walking away.
Tom flinched every time his boot crushed a poor villager's hand, legs, or head as he walked away.
Tom felt defeated.
It's as if a veil had been lifted from his eye....that was his brother but at the same time.....he isn't.
He laid down exhausted and closed his eyes.
All this carnage and blood will traumatize him and he tried to rest.
If he wasn't his brother he would have died today along with these poor people...and that thought unerved him.
He faded into sleep
~~~
He was awoken by Jay and sobbing.
"Oh thank Goodness you are alive!" Jay said hugging him.
Jay no longer had the arrow in his head but he was still covered in blood.
"I'm glad you are alive too" Tom whispered.
The villigers were sobbing over the dead, the ones who who didn't wake up and had all their lives taken.
"Men we must go back to the city and report this to the King Imideatly!"
His group began to remount their horses, some of their horses had ran away in the chaos so some had to ride with other. Tom didn't mind riding with Jay.
The ride back to the city was silent.
~~~
Tom went back to Billy's place took off his armour and took a shower.
He didn't want to think because if he did then the horrific scenes would play in his head again.
He just felt disapointted.
He wished he never left home then he wouldn't have ever come to relize all of this.
After all, ignorance is a bliss.