18 Don's Resolve

A flock of birds often sail the calm skies, the sun was at its apex, it shone its pleasant rays upon the majestic Mage academy in the land of Thesur. The main building of the academy resembled a black castle, with a mystic designs upon its architecture. It had a tall steeple that lunged forth unto the blue sky.

Radmun with a haughty smile pranced upon a stone slabbed path, his friends accompanied him with a sated smile. Don was behind them, he had a look of blunder, his eyes darted to and fro upon the students staring at them.

Don's team revealed themselves in the open, and most of the students on the sides often cast a glance, which Don presume was a stare of envy or disbelief. Since who would have thought that a group of thugs would top this semester's practical exam, it was a ridiculous joke for the campus.

Radmun strutted like a king, glowering upon the peasants which were his classmates. "That's right, we'll first celebrate that we got the first place, and from here on continue topping our practical exams. Ha ha ha." Radmun declared.

Don sighed. "Moron, our theoritical exams will be next so you better study."

Radmun's mood fell into sullen. "Damn it, I hate studying."

In a sudden, the air turned fierce, as brazen footsteps approached them. The students on the sides had a look of awe upon the team that entered Don's vicinity.

It were Skylar, Levan, Zara and Mardon, it seems one was missing from their team. Levan stepped forward and faced them, he had a casual face and it seems they weren't there to brew trouble. His eyes had a scent of praise as he stared at Don. "You, I like you." He lifted his finger upon Don.

Radmun blocked Don from his eyesight. "Levan if you wanna bring trouble, you're gonna have to get through us." Radmun cracked his knuckles as though acting tough.

Levan scowled and shoved him away. "I'm not talking to you." He hissed. He returned his attention to Don. "You, Don was it right? Why don't you join us." He grinned.

The students from the sides heard it and their stares were attentive and amused. Since joining with the top teams would guarantee passing the practical exams, whilst remaining at the top.

Don had a dubious look. "What brought this up in all of a sudden?" He said with a skeptical tone.

Levan laughed hard, he turned his head and gazed at Skylar. "Sky, it's official he's now one of us."

Radmun dragged his head close to Levan. "Who decided that!" He said annoyed.

Levan glared back to Radmun. "He did."

"Wait!" Don said, taking their attentions, he faced the intimidating team and stared at them directly. "I understand where you are coming from, but I refuse." He said confidently.

Radmun swung his arm with smile. "Yes!"

The students on the sides gasped in astonishment. "Is he that stupid to decline a request from the best students?" One from the side said.

"Just when I thought he was smart, he was actually just an idiot."

"I'd say he fitted in nicely with those brainless thugs." One group laughed on the sides.

Radmun barked, he searched the gossips upon the crowd. "What did you say you idiots!"

Levan held a dismayed look. "What do you mean?"

Don smirked. "It's obvious, if I join with a strong team such as you it wouldn't be fun, in fact I would be useless. Ingenuity is only at its best when you have limited options against a several problems." He said.

The group were in a state of trance, they had a hard time swallowing his words, and afterwards they held an amused look. Zara smiled, Skylar chuckled, Levan bursted a heavy laugh and Mardon held a weak grin.

Skylar stepped forward and rose his arm upon him. "You got my respect, I would definitely not hold back in the next exam."

Don took his arm and then shook it. "You better be."

Zara glared upon the students gossiping on the sides. "Hey you mumbling idiots on the corner, if you have a problem with him make sure you can even come close to his wit." She said with a feisty tone.

They had an embarrassed look as they shyly stared back at her. "We're sorry."

Don never felt like this before, he was now immersed on the calmness of the air, the flattery he enjoyed brought colors to the world, it was no longer the dull environment he used to know.

Don faced Levan. "Anyway what happened to your other member."

Levan sighed. "We kicked him out, he got upset when we lost, and that's when we found out, he has been sucking up and wanted to use us to get to the top."

Skylar chuckled. "Forget about him, he was a fake guy." He said.

Zara grunted as though displeased. "He even had the nerve to get mad, what a sick guy, that's why we are looking for a new member."

Afterwards the crowd of students from the sides engulfed the top team like they were celebrities. "Zara can I join?"

"Skylar we're friends right?"

There was a ruckus afterwards.

Don and his team got pushed outwards. Since school was done they went home.

On the lower district of the Capital of Thesur were the slums, the air was pluming with slimy stench perhaps from the trash and carcasses left infront of their homes. The houses on the sides of the street looked torn down, with its grimy wooden walls riddled with cracks and holes. Some of the planks were hanging and rickety.

Don lived on the outskirts of the kingdom, the unpleasant air of the lower district didn't really bother him much since he was used passing to it.

A little girl with grimes on her cheek, a tattered skirt blotted with stains, approached him. She was scrawny, her cheeks shriveled, her eyes were begging towards him. "Sir, do you have any money, my sister is sick and I'm hungry." She said with a frail lips

Don sighed. "Where are your parents?" He said.

"They left us to our own." She said.

Don reached out for his pocket and took silver coin, in his mind he may be fooled but it didn't matter since she was in a bad condition. He placed the coin on her palm.

The girl's eyes lit up, she smiled. "Thank you."

He heard an incoming foot steps and when he looked, he saw a student, oddly enough as he recognized it was the flag bearer of the top team.

"Don, I've heard you were passing on this route, I have been waiting for you." The student said with his voice coated with rage.

Don narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

The eyebrows of the student furrowed. "What do I want? I want a rematch, you did us pretty dirty there!" He hissed.

Don tapped his trousers, he got alarmed when he noticed his throwing knives were left on his locker. He sneered.

"Don! Face me here and now, do you have any idea how much sacrifice I put just to remain on the top team?" His mouth bursted.

"That was your fault, why would you put the blame on me?" Don said.

The student grunted. "We lost yesterday and I lost me record, the only reason why you won is because you cheated. Admit to the teachers that you did and if you would I would let you go."

Don frowned in disbelief. "Moron, that was part of the rules, we violated nothing."

"I'm sure hiding in a tree and using a double was against the rules." He said.

"Why don't you look at it again." Don said.

The student stomped his foot. "You idiot, I didn't come here to argue."

He swung his arm. "I summon thee, Bacelbreak!" His body burnt in dark flames.

In all of a sudden, a feeling of dread were effused on the air. Don felt it on the surface of his skin, the feeling writhed his stomach urging him to vomit. The slum girl beside her started to tremble and fall on her knees.

A large creature with no eyes, and whose head were phallic shaped, got conjured from nothingness. A heavy dark glow bursted outwards across the city. Its size were even taller than the houses on their sides. It opened its o-shaped mouth and revealed its teeth that spiralled inward to its maw.

Don sneered and stepped backwards.

"So what do you say now, Don?" He said.

The creature flailed its spunky long tail, it whipped the student and sent him flying to the wall.

"What an idiot." Don said. When he laid his eyes upon the creature his face was frothing in sweat, he agitated and ran as fast as he could. "There's no way I could beat that creature." He said windedly.

But then behind him the girl was left alone on the middle of the road.

He turned his head to look at her.

"Little girl you should run!" He said.

But the girl was in a state of trance and thus didn't respond, she got frozen from fear.

Don saw the creature was advancing towards the girl. His legs trembled, he could do none, fright overtook him which caused his mind to go blank.

In a sudden, the words of his previous team resounded on his head.

"You want to stay on the sides? That sounds like a good excuse from a coward."

Don clenched his trembling fist and he fell as well, tears started to flow from his eyes. "Little girl, I'm sorry, I'm scared."

When the creature was closing in on the girl, it opened its mouth and when it was about to devour her, the girl vanished.

Zara emerged close to Don and she had the slum girl on her arms.

Don's eyes widened. "How did you get in here."

Zara smiled. "Everyone from the city saw a glow from a summoning, when I sensed something was off I came here as fast as I could."

Don sighed. "Thank you, I couldn't do anything, fear rode me."

"Don't worry, you'll become brave someday." She said.

Don's eyes were dazed, then he smiled in relief. "I wish."

***

Under the dark skies of the town.

Don took a deep breath as he lied down on the roof, he stood back up and gripped his throwing knives tight. The middle class demon was closing in into the town hall, it was the last thing the group wanted.

"This is the time, I should be brave!" Don declared.

***

The cloaked demon rode steadily on an undead horse, when it neared the town hall the throng of demons moved away, creating a path for him.

The sleeping Rean who was wrapped in chains behind the demon groaned quietly, her eyelids slowly lifted up, she flailed around trying to break free but it was useless.

When they arrived infront of the barrier, the demon alighted from his horse, then dragged Rean to fall on the ground. "Human, muster a portal now if you don't want to die."

Rean sobbed and shook her head.

The demon breathed heavily as though unhappy. He conjured a trident on his palm, then rose it above his shoulder. "Every five minutes I would severe one of your fingers, you better think about it now."

Seeing Rean lying still on the ground with no response, made the demon even more upset.

"I see, then let's start with your thumb." The demon said.

The demon stepped Rean's arm and pinned it down on the ground.

"Please stop." Rean said desperately. She curled his fingers into a fist.

The demon chuckled. "You better choose between losing a finger or an entire arm."

A throwing knife struck the ground beside Rean, they got startled for that split second.

"What the? Where did it came from?" The demon said.

"Swap!"

In a sudden, Don emerged close to her.

The demon got taken aback. "Who are you?"

Don forced a smirk on his sweating face. "My name is Don!"