The Adventures of Cain

This story is from my own original thoughts and is made for a mature audience.

Cain here. It has been two months since my last entry. Fettel help me, I'm running out of time. They are only a few days away from catching me, everyday my powers grow and everyday I attract more attention. My appearance has changed, I have become several inches taller and my lean body is now bulging with muscle. Fettel says that it is my true, perfected form. Oh, Divines... There is no way back to the way things were.

Chapter Two.

The two men reached for their daggers but my knife had already found its way into one of the assassin's neck. The other man fell to the floor and was scrambling to unsheathe his blade. I quickly drew my sword with my spare hand and brought it down on the assassin's chest. With the sword protruding from his chest, I knelt down beside him and wiped of my knife on his shirt. He made a weird gurgling sound and his mouth moved, still trying to form words. I could also hear the first assassin, who was behind me, gasping for air.

I stood up, pulled my sword from his chest, and stepped over the body, slowly making my way over to the stairs. I looked around and saw that everyone had stopped what they were doing and were watching me.

"They owed me money." I said flatly.

The group just shrugged and went back to drinking and laughing like they were before, so I continued my ascent up the staircase.

The second floor of the pub was a long hall with doors on each side. I moved silently over to the first door on my right and paused to see if there was any talking.

"Oh yeah, twist my nipples!" Said a masculine voice on the other side of the door. Nope, probably not that one.

I moved over to the door on the left and pressed my ear against it.

"You want me to put a cucumber in your ass?" Said a squeaky feminine voice.

"Unless if you think the third assassin is a fucking weirdo, I suggest we keep moving." Fettel whispered to me.

I walked over to the second door on the right and listened...

"I said 'Suck it' bitch!" A voice said, "Is that all you can take, slut?!"

I silently prayed to Fettel, "What about an aggressive asshole?"

"My bets are on this one." Fettel said, confirming my suspicions.

My heart beat faster and my palms started to sweat. This is the bastard that killed my parents and tried to kill me. I sighed and tried to control my breathing. I stepped back a couple paces, then charged at the door with all my strength.

'Crack!' The door busted under the weight of my body.

I stumbled into the room and saw the guy standing up and a whore kneeling with the guy's cock in her mouth. Both of them were utterly shocked.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" The man shouted.

I walked over to him, grabbed a handful of his hair, dragged him to the corner of the room, and slammed his head against the wall.

"Do you recognize me?!" I shouted. I must have been pretty intimidating because the prostitute jumped and scrambled out of the room when I said it.

The guy tried to say something and opened his mouth but the only thing that came out of it was slobber.

"You killed my parents, didn't you?!" I shouted again.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he crumpled down onto the floor.

"Fuck!" I shouted. My hatred was boiling over, if I didn't kill something I would go on a rampage.

Fettel laughed and said, "I think you slammed his head a little too hard!"

I started towards the door and that's when I saw the bastard. The guy had his trousers around his ankles and was trying to run down the hall.

"That's him!" Fettel shouted excitedly, "That's him!"

Now that I think about it, Fettel probably didn't know who it was but he just wanted me to entertain him.

I didn't even care if it was him or not, I just wanted to blame someone for the death of my parents. I chased after him. The third assassin tried to hop down the stairs but tripped and tumbled down the rest of the way. He moaned loudly, while I descended the steps. When I was a few steps away from him, I jumped down and landed on the assassin's head.

'Crunch!' My boots caved in his skull and blood, brain matter, and pieces of bone splashed all over my pants. It also covered some of the wall and the floor.

The bartender had been watching the whole time and shouted, obviously startled by the gory scene, "Oh, shit! You just stomped the poor bastard's brains out!"

Once again, I gained the attention of everyone in the room. There was a minute of silence till' one of the drunkards started to laugh. Not before long, the whole outfit was laughing too.

"Search his pocket." Fettel said.

I brought my attention back to the body and reached into the blood soaked pocket and found a letter that had been opened. I opened it, myself. It read, "Contract: The family of the blacksmith in Stone Springs. Payment: 500 gold."

At the bottom of the page was black handprint.

"Good thing everyone believes your dead because the Brotherhood would hunt someone down for killing three of its members." Fettel said.

"Yeah, your plan is so beautiful." I muttered.

Fettel didn't reply to my sarcastic remark.

"Where do I go now?" I said.

"Arkston," Fettel replied, "the port city."

I knew where it was on a map but I had no clue on how to get there. It was great number of leagues away, as well. I would take several days on foot.

"Leave that to me, Cain." Fettel said, "Walk out of the bar."

I did as he said and was almost blinded by how bright it was outside. My eyes focused and I saw a wooden carriage waiting in the street.

"No way." I said. Carriages were very expensive to hire just to get from one side of the city to the other. I couldn't imagine how much it would cost to ride to Arkston.

"You're welcome." Fettel said obnoxiously.

The driver of the carriage looked over at me and said, "Are you going to just stand there or are you getting aboard, Mister?"

"Sorry for making you wait." I apologized.

I climbed into the back where two other people were sitting.

"Where are you headed?" The driver asked.

"Arkston." I stated.

"Oh! Would you look at that!" The driver said, "Three of a kind!"

The carriage started on its way towards the port city. I looked at the other two passengers. They were both women and were dressed in expensive clothing.

The two smiled at me and the older looking one said, "Why are you headed for Arkston, sir?"

I smiled and said, "You don't have to address me with pleasantries. I'm only a commoner."

The younger women also smiled and said, "But you are not dressed as one?"

I looked down at my clothes and noticed they had changed from their previous state. Now, they looked like fine garments made of soft materials. I laughed and tried to cover up what I had said, "Oh Divines, forgive me, my ladies! I forgot that I put on my fine clothing. You see, I had some business to attend to before leaving Stone Springs."

They laughed in unison and the young one asked, "What sort of business do you do?"

"I'm a shopkeeper. I had a problem with one of my wealthier customers and... thus the reason for dressing like such." I said, trying to act as dignified as I could. The two giggled some more.

I could hear Fettel's laughter echo in my head and he said, "You have the tongue of a snake!"

"What do you ladies do?" I asked the couple.

The older one smiled and said, "Oh, child! We do not have to work! Women haven't had to do anything in our family for quite some time!"

I said flatly, "I see."

That's about when my hatred for the wealthy kicked back in. My mother, bless her soul, had to do housework and cook and clean. Everyone had to work; the young, the old, the ill, and the women.

The young women lost her smile and asked, "What is it like living..."

"In the lower class." I finished her sentence with a bitter tone.

She nodded, but I didn't do anything to acknowledge it. I waited a few moments and chose the words that would make both of them feel terrible.

"What is it like to live in the lower class?" I repeated her question, "Well... The first thing you get used to is the work. Endless hours of sweat and discomfort. Then you get used to being treated like animals by the upper class."

I let that sink in for a couple seconds. Then I continued, " You get used to the feeling of helplessness because no matter how much you work, you always barely scrape by."

The driver looked to the side I was on and yelled, "Hey lad, calm down back there!"

I stared at the ground and I could hear the laughter grow louder and louder inside my head.

I looked back up slowly and saw the older woman say something to the younger but Fettel's laughter had muffled out the noise. He had to be taunting me, his laughter made me angrier and I couldn't get rid of it.

"Stop!" I shouted at Fettel. And the laughter did stop but I noticed that both women were silent, as well. I looked up to see them staring at me.

Shit. I said that out loud.

"Sorry." I said quickly.

"Gotcha, buddy" Fettel said and chuckled.

'You are an asshole' I thought.

"Why? Because you might have some feelings for the young girl sitting across from you? Or are you into older gals?" Fettel joked.

This is why I like solitude.

"See! I'm saving you from being a loner! Now, you will never be alone" Fettel said.

'Some gods steal mortals' souls... you just annoy the fuck out of them' I thought.

"Hahaha, good one!" Fettel said sarcastically.

I ignored Fettel and looked around. We were surrounded by big, towering pine trees and wild flowers and shrubs grew at the edge of the road. The sun was shining down on us and there was a nice cool breeze. The dirt road went over hills, in to valleys, by waterfalls, and in between lakes. Every time the carriage wheels would go over a bump the wooden carriage would squeak and shake. I hadn't payed attention to how long we had been outside the walls.

The driver slowed the horses and down and talked almost silently, "Uh-oh... trouble..."

I stood up slowly and looked over the driver's shoulder. There were five men standing in the road, about fifty feet in front of us and all facing towards the carriage. The group all had their weapons in hand and were trying to intimidate us. The two bandits on the ends had bows and arrows, the two on the inside of them were carrying swords, and the one in the middle was swinging a chain with a steel ball on the end.

'Shit. What would I do?' I asked myself.

"Kill them." Fettel simply stated.

I rolled my eyes and asked, "How?"

"Well... Frontal assault really isn't my thing..." Fettel said, "... I'm the god of stealth."

'Yeah, well they already know we are here so you're no help.' I said to Fettel.

The bandits were walking closer and the one in the middle shouted, "This is a nice carriage... I bet it's worth a lot of money!"

My mind raced with plans of how to stop them.

"We will give you what you want! Just promise not to harm us!" The driver begged like a dog.

I jumped down and walked to the front of the carriage.

"That's far enough, asshole!" One of the archers said while notching an arrow.

I paused for a moment, but continued walking slowly towards them. My hand was on the handle of the knife. I was about 20 feet away when the archer shouted again, "Hey, didn't you hear me, fuckface?"

The guy in the middle laughed and said, "Calm down, brother. I think this one wants to talk."

I stepped a little closer and said, "Leave while you can. This carriage isn't worth your lives."

The leader smiled and said, "You're right... But a carriage with a couple hostages is!"

The group laughed.

I took out the dagger and threw it in one of the archers in a matter of seconds. The knife had went straight into his neck and blood squirted out of the wound.

They all stopped laughing and stared at the corpse while it dropped to the ground. I drew my sword and charged the leader. I was a few steps away from him when he swung his chain at me. I did a roll and stabbed him in the thigh. I stepped back quickly to dodge the two swordsmen. I leapt over to the dead arched and grabbed the dagger. The seconds bowman was about to shoot an arrow but I threw the knife once again. It skimmed his arm which caused him to misfire. The arrow thudded into one of the swordsman's back and he fell over with a moan.

I lunged forward and caught the second bandit off guard and swung my sword as hard as I could at his leg. I heard him cry in pain as he fell over with only one leg. I chased after the last archer who was trying to flee when I felt something smash into my hip. I was tossed several feet and fell on the ground. I knew my hip was totally shattered and I looked up at what had caused it.

The guy with the chain and ball limped over to where I laid.

"Nice try, bitch!" He said wincing at the stab wound on his thigh.

He stood over me and was about to swing the chain when I spun on the ground and stabbed his foot.

He staggered back and yelped in pain. I tried to regain my footing but my left hip was numb and I couldn't feel that side of my body. I leapt forward again with all my strength and speared his gut. He doubled over and bled out quickly.

Using my sword as a crutch, I stood up but my whole body was shaking. I took a step forward and immediately blacked out from pain.

***

"I think he is waking up!" Said the young woman that I had been traveling with.

I felt someone holding a warm wash clothe to my side. My hip felt numb but I didn't feel any pain. I lifted up my leg and sighed with relief. A blow like that could have paralyzed me.

I opened my eyes and saw branches passing over us. 'We must be moving' I thought.

"You took quite a hit!" Fettel said.

'Thanks for patching me up.' I said to Fettel.

I waited for his reply but he never said anything. I sat up and looked around. I was still in the carriage and the two women were still sitting on the other side. I looked over to my left and saw a new face. It was an old woman dressed in rags and had like twenty trinkets hanging around her neck.

"She healed you." The young woman said," She heard the noises of fighting and we told her that you saved us from bandits."

I looked back over at the old lady and said, "Thank you, Miss."

I reached into my pocket and grabbed a few gold and handed it to the old woman.

She shook her head and said in a raspy voice, "You did something courageous, you don't need to pay me, besides I now have a free ride to Arkston."

I nodded and smiled and asked, "How did you heal me?"

"With magic!" The young woman said giddily.

I stared at the old woman in shock. Mages were almost extinct in Pandorus, and I only knew of them from fairytale stories.

The only one who didn't look interested was the other wealthy woman who asked, "Driver, how much further?"

The driver replied, " Almost there, Miss. "

I raised my eyebrows and thought to myself, 'How long has it been?' I waited a few seconds, expecting to hear a response from Fettel. 'I guess he's not home...' I looked around and noticed that the trees were thinning out and that sand dunes were starting to form.

It wasn't long before I saw the high, stone walls of Arkston sticking out. The city was rather large but nothing like Stone Springs. The driver pulled up to the iron gate and said, "This is your stop. Better get accustomed to the smell of salt water and fish."

I jumped out first and offered my hand to the young woman. She grabbed it and carefully stepped down. Next the older woman stepped down on her own and almost fell doing so. Lastly, the old mage smiled at me and I grabbed her waist and lifted her off the carriage and gently set her down on the ground.

She laughed and said, "Thank you, kind sir! It was an honor meeting a young man like yourself, so full of courage and strength. The first time I laid eyes on you I knew there was something different about you, my lord."

I wasn't really sure what she was talking about but I smiled back and said, "Thank you once again for healing my injuries. Take care, my friend."

The mage bowed her head and walked into the sand dunes, muttering something in a strange language.

I wasn't sure if I should have headed over to her, but I decided that a mage could take care of herself. I looked back at the gates, which were open now, and the two women were walking past them. I made my way into the city and stopped once I was inside the walls. I checked the new surrounding and saw several fishermen scurrying about. I thought, 'Hey Fettel, you there buddy?'

Still nothing. That was starting to worry me... I sighed and walked over to a young girl, who was in her teens, and was sitting on a porch.

I cleared my throat and said, "I'm new to this town. Could you give me some directions?"

The lass looked up and smiled, "What are you looking for?" She said with a high pitched voice.

"Um, do you have an inn that I could stay at? Possibly one with good food." I said while examining her. She was cute in a natural looking way. She had sea-green eyes, curly, strawberry-blonde hair, and fair, milky skin.

She giggled and said, "Well sir, you would be looking for the Sea-Side Shack. I could take you to it, if you would like?"

I nodded and said, "That's awfully nice of you to do that."

She smiled again and hopped out of her chair and walked down the street. I followed her while I looked around the city, all the houses and buildings were lined up in rows.

"Boy, this city is really organized." I said to myself but the lass turned around and said, "I know, its rather boring actually. There is a place for everything and everything in its place... I wish it was a bit more..."

She had become lost in thought and was looking at the ground so I said, "Random?"

"Yeah..." The teen girl replied, "...random."

She continued to walk and stopped after we rounded a corner. She pointed to a big building. It was a large wooden house covered with small windows and had a sign hanging up on the porch that read, 'The Sea-Side Shack'.

"Here we are." The lass said.

"Thank you, here! I have something for you." I said as I reached into my pocket, "I have some gold for your effort."

The girl didn't respond and was staring at the ground once again.

Concerned, I touched her arm and said, "Are you OK?"

"Huh? Yeah I'm fine. Its just..." She trailed off, "sometimes it looks like you have two shadows, but that can't be right."

Two shadows... I knew what was going on and said, "Oh, you must be dehydrated. Here is your gold for helping me."

I grabbed my gold pouch, reached inside, and dropped a few coins into her hands. She nodded, looked at the ground for the last time, and walked away.

"Its funny what some heat can do to your head!" The hissing voice said into my ear, "What do they call that one thing? Uh... Marriage? No, that's not it..."

"Mirage." I said with a chuckle.

I jumped over the two small steps leading to the inn, pushed the two swinging doors open, and walked in. The inn was well lit and smelled like candles. The bar was on the other side of the room. The stereotypical bartender had parted black hair and a curled mustache, he was wiping a glass mug. Waitresses with low-cut dresses were flirting with neatly dressed gentlemen, probably because they would get a bigger tip. The majority of the customers were sitting at rounded tables and were playing poker.

Fettel whispered in my head, "Blend in, Cain."

I stuck my chest out, walked over to the table , and sat down at the nearest table. The men who were sitting at the table were focused on the cards on the table and would take a look at their own hand. I could tell two men were fishermen by their darkly tanned skin and the wrinkles around their eyes from squinting at the reflection of sun on the water. The other two men were nicely dressed and had gold pocket watches with gold chains and they smelled like exotic spices.