Leviticous

Flashes of color, a tree, a forest, memories of a dead man. Well at least he thought, he hoped, he was dead. He was hunting with his father; he was using a bow. Then out of the bushes a wild boar charged at him. Why? He knew not, but this is what the two men came for. The son, Leviticous was his name, with uncanny skill nocked an arrow and fired in the span of a heartbeat. His arrow swift and his aim true the bolt struck home in the beast's foreleg, but it was not enough to kill the beast, only enough to trip it so that it cannot charge again. It stumbled and pitched forward right to Leviticous' father's feet. He struck the boar in the side with his hunting spear, killing it with a single blow….

He woke with a jolt, gasping and sputtering, chocking on blood while he regained awareness. Leviticous is a highly respected military official who commanded a hundred men who were all loyal to him. That force has been diminished to thirty-four in the slaughter called war. Regaining his senses he looked himself over for any fatal wounds that his battle rage was suppressing. His shield was all but destroyed, mangled beyond repair. His mace was lying beside him; he snatched it in an instant. Armed he ran his eyes down his armor, bloody and scratched but otherwise intact. To his horror he saw a bolt, like that from an arrow protruding out of his leg. But this was no arrow. It was a ballista bolt, yet only two feet stuck out of his leg. He grabbed the wooden shaft .As if on cue he felt the pain of death attack him but by sheer will he suppressed it. Determined to be released from this death trap he clamped on it again but this time he broke the end of the shaft off with his mace. Waves upon waves of pain assaulted him. He writhed on the ground thinking only that he was free. At that moment the body of his first lieutenant dropped beside him with his throat slit he bled out quickly. Then he went slack. Leviticous looked up to see a man holding a sword to his throat. He knew this was the end, but then the ground beneath the soldier's feet opened and the Earth swallowed him. Out of the crack climbed out skeletal soldiers. Five, ten, twenty-five, fifty, a hundred. They just kept coming out! All taking places around him. A booming voice talked to him. "You have fought well," it said," I Hades have chosen you, Leviticous, as my champion. A bounty hunter, if you will, to collect the debts of those who have cheated death." "And if I refuse?" asked Leviticous." Then you will suffer beyond mortal comprehension," Hades replied. And with that Leviticous loses consciousness…

Leviticous gained consciousness. He was chained to a stone table, a very smooth stone table. He looked around. He was in what looked to be a perfectly circular white room. He was wearing only a tunic and leggings. Like the kind you would wear day to day. Whoever has captured him is at least courteous, but that could change in a flash. He looked down to see his wounds have healed. Out of nowhere a man screams. Leviticous was startled and involuntarily jumped and the shackles responded by tightening. A man bust through the door and swung a sword at the shackles. In a cascade of sparks his right hand was freed. One by one he destroyed the chains. Then the nameless man threw down a pack and ran from the room. Leviticous could hear the screaming of men as they were cut down, coming from the hallway. He looked in the pack to find all of his equipment. Without hesitation, for hesitation will be the end of a man, he donned his armor. But two things were different about his equipment. His helm was slightly different; darker, more sinister. But he cared not for he donned that too. The second difference almost stopped him in his tracks - His mace was gone! In replacement was a one and a half-hand kukri sword. He only knew what it was because he asked a foreigner about his once. Very strong metal but Leviticous didn't know the first thing about a sword. He had a mace because of its simplicity, swing, but a sword is elegant and complicated. Oh well. He strapped on that too.

Fully equipped he walked outside to view the carnage that had been wrought. He counted no less then twenty-four men lying in pools of blood. He had had enough death. He was going home to his family even if the Gods themselves got in his way. Then Hades spoke to him," Why are we cruelest to the ones we love?" he asked." If not for them we would have no reason to exist. You love them yet your son is already a man and you did not raise him. You were never there. When you were there you challenged him to be something that he wasn't. You asked too much when failure was not an option. You hit him to "toughen him up" yet he is still the same. You have stripped him of his identity because he wasn't a good enough son for the "great Leviticous." "Shut up!" Leviticous screamed, "Get out of my head!" "And now Barabacous is dead along with his mother," Hades said. "NO! You lie!" growled Leviticous. "I swear on the river Styx that I speak the truth," said Hades," Now listen, for the man who killed not only them but also your men, is here in this building. Captain Emile is his official title but all his men call him "The Bulldog". I'll let you guess why." "If what you say is true," answered Leviticous," then he must die."

Then with a blind rage so fierce that Hades was a little fearful at the sudden change in Leviticous. Then Hades lent him some of his power and the essence of his body began to glow a dark red. Unsheathing his sword he charged into the courtyard to find a patrol of men. He ran with inhuman speed and hacked the patrol into pieces. Covered in the blood of his enemies, he then ran into another room and by luck he found a man in armor that was too elegant for a common foot soldier. In the blink of an eye, he closed the gap between them and thrust the Kukri through the man's abdomen. Then screamed a fierce battle cry and called for the bulldog to face him and he did just that. Through the same door he just came from a man walked in with full armor and sword drawn. "If it's a fight you want it's a fight you will get," stated the captain. Leviticous was impressed by his bravery. Then quick as a flash he thrust his sword at Emile's chest only to be parried with ease. Each attack Leviticous made Emile parried, sideswiped, and countered. Then Emile went on the offense cutting Leviticous in several places but was unable to deliver the finishing blow. Then out of a chink in his armor, Emile unsheathed a small dagger and stabbed Leviticous in the chest. Shocked Leviticous stood there for a moment before dropping his sword and falling hard on his back. Emile standing over him smiling said," I'm impressed you lasted that long. But why did you do it?" he asked. "Struck back for my family. For Barabacous," said Leviticous. Then a man with a beard tackled Emile and started beating him. Leviticous then grabbed the hilt of the dagger protruding from his chest and tried to dislodge it. The pain he felt was indescribable yet he continued. Then Emile got the bearded man off of him and they both stood up and continued to fight, but this time armed. Finally after what seemed like hours he dislodged the dagger to look up and see Emile decapitate the bearded man. His head rolled over and stared Leviticous in his eyes. It was Barabacous. Emile walked over and said to Leviticous, "Time to join your son." with a vicious smile he wrapped his hands around Leviticous' neck. Then without warning, and with the only strength left in his body, he stabbed "The Bulldog" in the side of his throat and said," See you there." Then they both past on. An apparition of Hades stood over their dead bodies. "Shame. You could've been my greatest champion," spoke Hades.