The Trampoli Battleaxe Massacre

Chapter One: The Day His Life Changed Forever

Raguna slumped out of the Lava Ruins, his body covered in scratches. As time passed by, his experience increased and enabled him to venture further into the fiery dungeon. He placed his battleaxe over his shoulder and turned in the direction of the lake. All he desired was to sit on the bridge so that he could feel the breeze on his sweltering body. When Raguna arrived at the foot of the bridge, he saw a familiar figure who was fishing on the other side.

Cinnamon's flaming hair blew in the wind as she caught her first catch of the day. Her eyes shot over in his direction; then, she turned back to her trout which she reeled in and placed in her cooler. As the sound of Raguna's steps grew closer, she sighed in frustration. "Can't you be decent enough to grant me peace while I do the only thing I love?"

"Relax, Cinnamon!" Raguna stopped directly behind her and relished in brisk wind. "I don't understand why you're always so rude to me."

"I don't like talking, okay? And maybe I'm ruder to you because everyone else isn't constantly in my face each and every day. The other villagers know when to leave me alone. Why is that so hard for you to comprehend? You're distracting me. Could you go away or something?"

"I guess you're just a stone-cold bitch with no personality!" Raguna bit his tongue, completely upset with himself for his acting so petty with his speech.

Cinnamon quickly shook her head at him and reeled in her next catch. "Oh, just go away! I don't care what you think about me. Why don't you go play with your little monsters or whatever it is you do all day?"

Raguna's grip tightened on his battleaxe. His patience for this girl had worn thin. In his mind he pictured her as one of the violent monsters he came across in the dungeons. His first instinct told him to raise his weapon. Knowing that Cinnamon was turned the other way, he took the opportunity to swing his battleaxe. Raguna dropped it and watched in horror as her severed head splashed against the rippling water. "My God, what have I done?!"

Glancing around for any possible witnesses, Raguna saw no one and pushed the body into the water. He kicked her fishing rod and cooler off the bridge as well. Once Raguna rinsed his battleaxe near the dock, he raced home. He ran as fast as his legs permitted and didn't stop till he reached his bed which provided a shelter for his shaking body.

"This has got to be a nightmare. I couldn't have done that. I couldn't have killed Cinnamon…. Oh, God! What am I going to do? What's going to happen to me?"

A few hours passed, and a knock came to the door which Raguna reluctantly answered. Before him stood Kanno, whose aging face appeared to be very worried. Raguna's heart sunk to the pit of his stomach as he feared him crime had been exposed.

"Raguna, I'm sorry to trouble you at this time. Cinnamon has been gone for a very long time. No one else has seen her. Has she come here by any chance?"

"N-no… Kanno, no. I haven't seen her at all today," Raguna answered in a noticeably uncomfortable tone.

Kanno eyed him quizzically, asking, "All you all right? You don't – well, if you see Cinnamon, tell her to come straight home. It's not like her at all to be out this long. I always told her not to sit on the edge of the bridge. What if she fell into the water and was swept in the ocean… or-"

"Kanno, relax. I'm sure… she's fine. Who knows? She might even be at the tower, waiting for you to get back…."

It didn't take long for Raguna to get rid of Kanno. He rushed over to his diary and began to jot a few things down about the worst day of his life:

Dear Diary,

I don't really know how to begin this. The day started out as usual. I did my chores on the farm, went into town, and then I trained in the Lava Ruins. Nothing was out of the ordinary… until I went to the bridge over the lake. That's when I did the unthinkable – I let my growing hatred for Cinnamon kill her. One minute she was there fishing. The next minute… her head was floating down the river. I don't know what's come over me. Is the fighting turning me into a monster? What's going to happen now? God, I just wish I could turn back the clock and do this whole day all over again….

Raguna closed the hardback cover of his diary and placed it under his mattress. Normally, he kept it on his nightstand, but he couldn't let another soul know his darkest secret. As he lay on his back, he stared at the ceiling. The next day was likely to become a town-wide search – a useless one – in the search for Cinnamon. His eyes finally closed, and he dosed into a very disturbed sleep.