Alorik, the Soldier

Chapter 3

            The rest of the trip to Randarr was spent in the echoes of an eerie silence. James was frightened by the demon he now knew Jax to truly be. Jaxson Viscilo, the Demon of Julsis may not be real, but Jax, the demon was walking right beside him, and he knew which was more horrid. Jaxson Viscilo was a name that everyone was frightened of because of the stories, but Jax had said those were fictional. The fictional did not scare James, but what he saw was a man killed by a true demon that wasn’t of fiction. Jax was a murderer, he had said this himself, but not James had been witness to an actual murder by him.

            “You have become awfully quiet since our attack,” Jax said to his companion.

            “Sorry,” James said, his voice shaking.

            “Are you alright?” Jax asked.

            “I’m fine,” James replied, his voice displaying his true emotions.

            “Your voice quivers. You aren’t fine. What is on your mind, boy?” Jax asked.

            “Nothing is on my mind,” James lied. The lie was so horrible that even James could tell that it wasn’t convincing.

            “I don’t like to be lied to, boy, I know you’re lying to me,” Jax said.

            “Sorry,” James said, thinking about what words to say next. “It’s just, I saw you kill a man, right in front of me. I’m a little frightened of you at the moment,” James added honestly, trying to make up for the lie from before.

            “I did not kill that man,” Jax said confidently. “I’ve never heard of someone dying from their pressure points being squeeze. He merely fainted, that’s all. I haven’t killed anyone since the war, with the exception of the previous king and the men who killed my wife.”

            “But you told him that you would kill him if he attacked you, which he did and what about the guy back at the bar with the dagger between his eyes?” James asked.

            “The guy at the bar lived from the dagger. The hilt hit him in the head, as for the mercenary, I lied to him,” Jax said simply enough with a shrug.
            “But you also said you hate liars,” James said, finding the contradiction in his dangerous companion.

            “I said I hate to be lied to, not that I hate liars. You can lie to anyone except me and I will not raise a fuss. In fact sometimes it’s best to lie.”

            “I see,” James said. The two of them made it to Randarr which was half the size of Oshlam. The population of Randarr compared to Oshlam also scaled though with the size; for the streets were just as crowded as Oshlam the few times James was allowed to walk the streets of town. Jax made no stops in Randarr, but instead passed straight through on his way north to Haditis. James followed close behind Jax, deciding that Jax was better than the thousands who were after Jax. Nobody had come searching for him by Master Nelson yet.

            Jax had told James that they would travel until nightfall and they would be sleeping out in the open for the night. James was used to sleeping outside before in conditions worse than this night, so he had no arguments. The last of the sun had disappeared over the horizon while the two men were a few hours from Haditis. The night was quiet and James slept well that night, but before he fell into his unconscious dreams, he noticed Jax standing there staring at Haditis. James awoke hours later, when the sun was beginning to rise, to find Jax standing in the same spot staring at the same thing. James stood up and tugged on Jax’s tunic sleeve. Jax turned to face him with the white, bony face and smiled.

            “Are you ready to go to the capital city of Haditis?” Jax asked.

            “I’m ready when you are. Did you sleep at all, Jax, sir?” James asked.

            “I don’t sleep as much as you do, boy,” Jax responded. James nodded in comprehension.  Jax began walking towards Haditis and James was quick to follow. Another few hours passed by without talking while the two men walked. James was starting to get bored of the silence when they finally saw Haditis approaching. The castle was visible before the city was. Jax crossed the threshold of Haditis first, James right behind him. The streets were busy and crowded and James struggled to stay close to Jax. Nobody seemed to attack him, although many whispered to neighbors about how he was in town to kill the king. Jax found the place he was looking for and stepped inside of a crowded bar.

            Jax sat down at the bar and talked to the bartender there. The bartender handed Jax a large pitcher of a golden brown liquid that Jax downed in one go. The bartender kept handing Jax pitcher after pitcher of the strange liquid and Jax kept handing the bartender coins, while James watched in amazement. He had never seen a man drink so much alcohol as Jax without any changes.

            “How can you drink so much without being intoxicated?” James asked.

            “Alcohol doesn’t affect me,” Jax said, in between two large pitchers.

            “Exhaustion doesn’t affect you, Alcohol doesn’t affect you, and weapons don’t affect you. Does anything affect you?” James asked.

            “Not much,” was Jax’s only response.

            “If alcohol does nothing to you, why do you drink so much of it so quickly like that?” James asked. Jax set his current pitcher, still full, down on the bar and turned to face James.

            “I don’t know,’ was his response, “I guess because it’s fun to see people’s responses.”

            While Jax drank James was too involved with watching him to notice the bar empty of all its patrons. It was eeries looking at the empty bar when James finally tore his gaze from the marvel of Jax.

            “That’s all of my rum, mister,” the bartender said.

            “That’s fine,” Jax said, “we need to be leaving anyways. Thanks for the drinks bartender.” Jax laid five large gold disks on the counter and slid them towards the bartender.

            “Thank you, mister, for the tip. I can’t believe you drank my entire stock of rum in one sitting. You are something else,” said the bartender.

            Jax nodded with a grin and turned to face the door, hopping off of the bar stool. James feet landed on the ground with a thud as Jax walked out to the sunny city of Haditis. James was just as surprised at the outside of the bar as the inside. A huge semi-circle space had been cleared in front of the bar. Directly in front of the two men was a huge block of men in heavily crafted armor, a single squadron of soldiers. On each of their arms were small black bands with the emblem of the Haditis king, skull and crossbones, in white.

            In front of the squadron was the lieutenant of the soldiers, a man clad in pure black armor with the same white emblem emblazoned on his chest piece. At the soldier’s sides were all long black swords, one on each hip, which rested in the open without the need for a sheath. The Lieutenant had a sword on his hip, but unlike his subordinates, his was sheathed in white. On the tip of his hilt was the emblem of the king.

            “Jaxson Viscilo, the Demon of Julsis, you are hereby under arrest by the order of the king of Haditis,” said the lieutenant.

            “I am not Jaxson Viscilo,” Jax said, “I happen to also not be from Julsis.”

            “You are in fact Jaxson Viscilo, the Demon of Julsis, killer of over seven thousand men. That tattoo on your left eye is a clear sign of that.”

            “If I was truly Jaxson Viscilo, killer of seven thousand men, do you think a small squadron and yourself would be enough to bring me to justice?” Jax asked, “Also what is your name, Lieutenant?”

            “I am Lieutenant Tulson Alorik, leader of the elite squadron of King Brachus III. Who is that child that travels with you?” Lieutenant Tulson asked.

            “His name is Jim. Jimmy the kid,” Jax told the man. “He is a traveling companion of mine and is just as harmless as I am.”

            “If that is true then he must be a killer too?” assumed the Lieutenant.

            “If you truly think that I am a killer,” Jax said.

            “I know that you are the demon of Julsis and it is my duty to bring you to the king, dead or alive.” The lieutenant drew his sword and pointed it at Jax. The entire squadron of soldiers drew their own swords so that sixty-one black blades were aimed at Jax.

            “Are you a gentleman, Lieutenant Tulson?” Jax asked before the soldiers attacked.

            “Depends on the situation,” he replied.

            “I challenge you to a duel,” Jax offered, turning his hands palms up to show innocence.

            “I’m listening,” Lieutenant Tulson replied.

            “I challenge you to a duel against me. You can be armed with any sword you want while I will fight unarmed.”

            “The terms?” Lieutenant asked.

            “If I unarm you, then I win and you leave me and Jimmy the kid alone. If you can cut through my bones I will surrender myself to you for the king.”

            “And you said you would fight without a weapon?” asked the lieutenant in disbelief.

            “That is right,” Jax responded.

            “Why should I trust you?” Tulson asked.

            “If I couldn’t be trusted, why would you all be alive?” Jax asked.

            “You give us too little credit, Jaxson. My squadron is the most skilled in all of Talbus, serving the king directly. No average man can stand against one of them, let alone all thirty.”

            “I could stand against a hundred of them without breaking a sweat,” Jax gloated. James believed that he was being truthful in this boast.

            “Then we shall begin this duel. If I should lose, I will leave you be,” Tulson agreed. He raised a hand and all of his soldiers replaced their weapons to their waists.

            “Jimmy,” Jax said, and James forgot this was his name for the time being.

            “Yes?” James asked.

            “Take my sword and hold it well for me,” Jax said, handing his oversized sheath to James. The seven foot weapon weighed almost as much as James, but he held it as well as he could.

            Jax walked forward in the circle clearing of people and Lieutenant Tulson Alorik met him in the middle. The two men bowed to the other and turned so they faced back to back. They backed up until their backs were touching and then walked forward five paces. Lieutenant Tulson shouted, “Begin!” and both fighters turned around quickly to face the opposition. Lieutenant Tulson moved forward slowly to Jax and slowly moved his sword in position for an attack. The attack was lightning fast, but Jax was quicker.

            The sword flashed through the air as Jax dropped to the ground. The sword cut through nothing except air. Jax stood up and placed a hand on Tulson’s shoulder.

            “Not fast enough,” Jax said. He placed his hand on Tulson’s sword, and easily removed it from the Lieutenant’s tenacious grasp. “You’ve lost,” Jax said victoriously. People were standing around the large circle in amazement. Lieutenant Tulson recovered from his shock surprisingly fast and went to retrieve his weapon from the ground.

            “You disarmed me,” he said to Jax, “you have defeated me in the duel. As was my end of the bargain, I will not attempt to arrest you.” He turned to his soldiers who were still standing awkwardly behind him, waiting for his orders. He raised his sword in the air, then twisted his body and brought down the sword so it was pointing at Jax.

            “I cannot pursue you, but my soldiers were not included in our terms. Men! Attack!” Tulson ordered. The soldiers all drew their weapons and charged at Jax. James was about to toss Jax his sword, but Jax did not motion for it. James was sure he was about to witness the full destructive force of Jax. Thirty men and sixty swords came towards Jax, who stood and waited for their arrival.

            The first of the men to reach Jax did not land any blows on him, nor did they see his attack. Jax moved faster than human eyes could measure, darting around the thirty men, hitting them just hard enough in the right places to knock them out. Jax was now surrounded by twenty-five of the most elite swordsmen of Talbus, but no fear reached his eyes. Swords flew through the air; some making contact with what their wielders thought was solid blocks of steel. Jax brushed off the attacks, simply knocking the foes unconscious, as he often did with enemies.

            Almost all of the soldiers lay before Jax in a matter of seconds. The last one standing made a quick stab with one of his swords, which pierced the stomach of Jax. The sword went cleanly through his abdomen, but Jax hardly seemed to notice. He punched the soldier hard in the chest, and with a cracking sound he fell to the ground. Jax removed the sword that was sticking out of his gut and tossed it to the ground. His tunic was torn, cut, stabbed, and stained in blood that belonged to him. He slowly walked over to Tulson, whose mouth was wide open in disbelief.

            Lieutenant Tulson Alorik of Haditis fell to his knees with a thud in front of Jax. Jax placed his hand on Tulson’s shoulder and bowed his head.

            “You have lead you men bravely Lieutenant, but as a strong leader you must know which fights to choose,” Jax said.

            “I have led my entire squadron of men to their deaths at the hands of a demon,” Tulson said, almost in tears. The shock of one man defeating thirty armed and elite soldiers without a weapon was too much for the Lieutenant.

            “I have not killed any of your men, nor do I care to kill you. I told you, I am not the Jaxson Viscilo that your king seeks. I do not kill for pleasure, I kill only for food or when needed to. You have led your men bravely, but you have been defeated both in battle and in one on one combat.”

            “I cannot face the king with this defeat. I am unworthy of my rank if I fail to kill one man,” said Tulson in a shaky voice.

            “Then you must not return to the king. Those unworthy to lead are punished as I would know,” Jax said.

            “You are right,” Tulson agreed, bowing his head. A single tear fell from his face and left a dot on the stone street below. “But wherever will I go?” Tulson asked in a scared voice.

            “You are more than welcome to come with me and Jimmy the kid if you want,” Jax offered, raising his hand and presenting it to the fallen Lieutenant.

            Lieutenant Tulson looked up at the hand and hesitated for a moment. “I can’t follow you. A traitor is worse than an incompetent officer. I would have a price on my head rival to yours.”

            “I have defeated the so-called elites without a weapon. If you travel with me, I can assure you that no soldiers will seek your price when mine is higher,” Jax said. Lieutenant Tulson grabbed the cold flesh of Jax and was lifted to his feet. “From now on though, you will no longer be known as Lieutenant Tulson Alorik. As I have dropped the name of Jaxson Viscilo for my new name of Jax, so too will you drop your rank and first name. From now on you will be called simply Alorik.” The former Tulson Alorik nodded his head and wiped his single wet eye. Jax lead him over to where James stood.

            “James, this is our newest recruit. Meet the soldier, Alorik,” Jax grabbed Alorik’s hand and lifted it for James to grasp. James lifted Jax’s sword and Jax took it easily with his free hand. James grasped Alorik’s calloused and obviously strong hand in a handshake. James finally got a good look at the once proud Lieutenant up close and saw the truth of the fight between them. Alorik’s body was made of muscles underneath his black armor; standing at about the same height which was about six and a half or so.

            “This is James, the kid,” Jax said, introducing James with his true name, “no last name, just James.”

            “Hello kid,” Alorik said warmly. I’m glad to be joining you in following Jax, the demon.”

            “What did I tell you about calling me that?” Jax said warningly.

            “You said you are no longer Jaxson Viscilo, the Demon of Julsis,” Alorik said, “after seeing what you did to the elites of Talbus, I think it’s clear that you are still a demon though.”

            “Then it is official. James the kid, Alorik the soldier,” Jax said, “and Jax, the Demon.”

Author's Note

See previous chapters first please.