I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head to protect me from the rain as much as possible. The cold and the icy drops, pounding like a hammer on a nail beneath my head, only worsened the migraine and stomach pain I was starting to feel.
I have lived for many centuries, fought dragons, giants, hordes of the undead, demons of all kinds... but anxiety is still my worst enemy.
I opened my cloak and pulled out a wooden box. Inside, I took a cigarette and put it in my mouth. With my fingertips, I made a small spark and lit it.
This was the only way to calm my nerves.
I hope Lina made my bed. I paid extra silver for that.
As I walked toward the inn, the thoughts in my head flew like a fly surrounding a dung pie. Unfortunately, when you live too long and deal with anxiety attacks and a kind of schizophrenia, you have too much time to think about the misfortunes that have already happened. For me, this was more torturous than witnessing a gangbang with trolls.
My mind constantly wandered between voices that threatened to split my head in two and memories of the best and worst moments of my life. Between hugs and kisses and blood and death.
This kept my mind alert at all times, preventing me from doing something as stupid as I could possibly do, or keeping my mind sharp so I wouldn't be killed by some scoundrel... like the ones who have been following me since I left the tavern.
I stopped right under a streetlight that barely illuminated the street and slowly exhaled the smoke from my cigarette. I looked up, feeling the raindrops falling on my face, and muttered.
"Why do elves always make everything more tiring?"
I threw the cigarette away and put my hand on the hilt of my sword. My patience was at its limit after the elves, and a fight with a bunch of scoundrels certainly wasn't going to improve my mood.
I shouted over the noise of the rain.
"Come out now, and maybe I'll just cut off one arm from each of you.
From the shadows, I could see the brute leaving, with the other two behind him. The one who ran out of the tavern must have escaped. At least one of these idiots has some sense.
The ugly one took a few steps toward me and flashed what was supposed to be a smile before he started talking.
"You thought you were so cool defending the damsel, didn't you? The best way to win her heart and, as a bonus, get a night with her.
I felt a stab of rage deep in my mind, and a sudden urge to laugh, even though this situation wasn't the least bit funny. So I spat on the floor and let out a loud laugh.
"Sure, sure. My thing is beating up some assholes in taverns to seduce elves. The uglier the big guy, the more hard I get."
His face twisted again into an ugly grin.
"Maybe you won't be so cocky in a minute."
Then suddenly, I felt a crack of magic behind me. My instinct screamed to retreat, but the bastard was faster.
The blade entered my left side.
The knife slipped in as if cutting butter. First I felt a burning sensation, then a throbbing pain began. A viscous heat ran down under my clothes, hot against my cold skin from the rain.
— Fuck...
The knife came out with a wet pop, and I could feel it scraping my bone. He took a few steps back.
I brought my hand to the spot and saw, on my fingertips, the crimson blood that has already stained so many places in this world. However, the blood flowed for only a few seconds before the regeneration kicked in, healing the skin from the inside out, muscles, tendons, veins, and finally the skin.
A vapor rose at the moment of healing, and with it, the pain was gone. However, the scar remained, red like new skin. Another one for the album.
With that, a piercing fury shot through my skull, causing me to turn in the direction the stab came from, just in time to see the piece of shit trying to sneak away.
I reached out and grabbed him by the hood before he could disappear into the darkness.
I turned his face toward mine and brought him close enough that our noses touched.
"Next time... well, there won't be a next time."
Before he could scream, I grabbed his neck with one hand and his head with the other.
"...Rip his head off..."
"...Make him pay..."
With just a little force, his head separated from his body, and as I pulled, his spine came out as if unsheathing a sword, producing bizarre cracking sounds. The blood spurted hot, splattering my face, my clothes, and the pavement, mixing with the rain in a dark puddle. I let go of his body, which fell to the side like a sack of potatoes.
The smell of iron became pungent, and along with it a sweet odor that grew stronger and stronger...
I let go of the unfortunate man's head and turned around, only to witness a hilarious scene.
The others were frozen, their eyes wide, their mouths trembling. As if trying to make sense of what they had just seen.
One of the henchmen screamed. Fear overcame his fighting instinct, and he ran away, tripping over his own feet.
I heard a slight buzzing in my ear as I drew my sword and cast a spell.
"Shadow Walk..."
I was swallowed by a cold whirlwind of darkness. In that split second, I raised my sword and emerged a second later with the blade stuck in the wretch's skull.
I withdrew my sword and let the body fall. The thud against the ground was muffled by the rain, so I stepped on the corpse's head, causing the sound of cracking bones to echo through the empty alleys. Blood ran in crimson streaks down the dirty street.
I could feel my eyes glowing red. My thirst for blood grew as fast as my anger.
I swung my blade to remove the excess blood, just out of habit, as the rain did all the hard work, and slowly turned to the two remaining men.
I pointed a finger at them.
"Make my job easier and stay right there."
The big guy blinked, as if only now processing what had happened in the last ten seconds. The panic on his face turned to rage, and he pushed the other henchman forward.
"Let's finish him off."
And they came.
The brute carried a huge club that he tried to smash my head with in a careless blow, but I was already far away when he hit nothing. I just ducked, and with a downward motion... his leg flew off.
The cut was clean, a perfect line separating the limb from the body, flesh and bone. It fell to the ground like a useless piece of meat.
The scream I heard sounded like pure despair.
As I was walking toward him to finish him off, I heard something fall behind me.
The second henchman had dropped his sword and fallen to his knees. He was shaking so badly that he looked like he was having a seizure.
Calmly, I walked toward him. With every step I took, he seemed to shake more and more.
Driven by fear, he raised his hands to protect himself and screamed.
"No... stay... stay away"
His voice was trembling, perhaps he was crying. It was hard to tell because he was all wet.
When I was a foot away, I crouched down in front of him. I reached out and tapped him three times on the shoulder, and gave him a smile.
I could smell urine in the air, so I let out a loud laugh, which made him recoil and his expression of horror get even worse.
"Did he piss himself? Hahaha... You like to intimidate and hurt others, but when it's your turn, you piss yourself out of fear?"
He barely blinked, just stared at my red eyes, petrified.
I sighed.
I got up and dragged the corpses of the bandits I had killed over to the big guy, who was crawling away from me with one arm and holding the bloody stump of his leg with the other.
I threw the bodies on top of him, which made him stop and start shouting things I had no patience to distinguish.
Then I raised my hand and pointed at the pile of flesh.
"Let this be a lesson."
I snapped my fingers.
Black flames burst out and began to consume the bodies instantly, the flesh crackling as it melted.
The smell of burning fat filled the air, mixing with the scent of iron from the blood and the smell of rain. The big man roared in pain and despair, his skin bubbling as the flames devoured him alive.
The surviving henchman fell backward, his eyes glazed over at the grotesque scene, unable to react.
I walked toward him and crouched down beside him. I stayed there for a few minutes, watching the rainwater wash away the charred remains, erasing any trace of what had happened.
I took a deep breath, and instantly my mind bubbled... that smoke... that smell...
"...I could feel the heat of the fire consuming my house even from a distance. The closer I got to the door, the stronger the smell of burning flesh became.
I ran as fast as I could while invoking elementals and water spells...
But when I opened the door... it was already too late..."
I shook my head to dispel the thoughts...
I looked at the poor guy who witnessed the whole scene and shook my head. His eyes were completely empty, as if his soul had been sucked out through his nose.
"I suggest you find another job, buddy. Apparently, this one isn't for you.
Then I slowly stood up, so I wouldn't get dizzy. It's a frequent occurrence, especially after killing people. I took out a cigarette, lit it, and headed for the inn, feeling the headache go away as I smoked.
Damn... these damn memories are getting worse and worse. And I feel like sleep deprivation is making it get worse and worse.
I need some sleep.