'How much was a dream?' the question ran through her mind as she stood silently. Her new robes hung loosely from her small frame as she tried to recount her final memories. She remembered the night at Lux's but as she tried harder she was unable to trace herself to this moment. 'What happened?'
"Do not be afraid child. Ask not these questions but the more important questions. Do you accept this gift to use?" the sages voice played calmly through her head.
The sun shone brightly over the field and she smiled. 'I do.' With a newfound sense of purpose she strode back towards her home. 'How do I explain this to mom and dad?' she quietly contemplated as she walked. Thinking back her parents had always been supportive and she didn't figure that this would be any exception. A strange feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Unable to place a word to it she expelled the thought from her head and forgot about it.
As the small vessel made its own way through the open sea Marcus slept. He had not woken since he left. Trapped in a series of dreams that made him replay his entire existence to this point. There was a soft echo through his head before his eyes once again sparked into life. Looking around to try to gather himself he remembered where he was. His body felt reinvigorated almost as though even the weight of time had been lifted from his shoulders.
"The island is nearing. You must be alert Marcus. No doubt they have spotted your approach. Be swift in your action and allow no hesitation. Foresight is a gift that was given to man to be used for good, but the heretics of this island will not be so kind. Keep your mind clear. Let slip even a single doubt and they will ravage your mind with vision that you can't hope to understand."
As he ascended the small staircase to the deck he looked out to find the dark sky. How long had he been gone? One, two, maybe three days? As he struggled with the thought the voice once again spoke.
"It matters not how long you have been gone, only that you come back. There is always time for thinking later, but for now prepare yourself for what is to come. This final trial and what will come next will be of your own choice."
As the clouds broke in front of him they revealed a shore line covered in jagged rocks. To his right there was a small inlet into a harbor. Manning the wheel he adjusted his course accordingly as the vessel glided across the water. Each second brought him closer to the island and the scenery did nothing to calm him. Each direction he looked bared the resemblance to a long forgotten civilization. The buildings were visually falling apart, but upon closer inspection he found that they were simply made in such an odd fashion. As the vessel finally slid further into the harbor Marcus dropped the anchor. He was still 25 meters from the shore, but he would not risk his only escape from the island being stolen or destroyed. 'I'll go the rest of the way swimming.' His mind told him it instinctually as he strapped the long sheath to his waist. With one final look back he lifted his foot over the rail and vaulted into the open water.
There was a splash and then the inexplicable cold. It gripped his body almost immediately forcing the air from his lungs. As his head once again resurfaced he gasped trying to control his breathing. Mumbling under his breath he was thankful for the small harbor and it's modest protection from the crushing waves of the ocean. Slowly regaining control of his limbs he made his way towards a dark spot in the shoreline. Somewhere safe for him to make camp for the night. There was a scream that echoed through the silence of the night. It seemed to come from every direction as he pulled himself onto the bank. His night sight had kicked in and as he examined the bank he made his way towards a thickly forested area. Making his way carefully through the brush he came to a clearing. 'This will do for now.' As he lay on the hard ground he allowed himself a moment to lower his defense, and again the voice coaxed him.
"They're not aware of your presence yet. You best move as far inland as you can before sunrise. A top the mountain near the center of the island lies a temple. There lies the artifact that you seek. Now move Marcus before sun up."
Rising from the ground he examined both direction but it was pitch black. Remembering the direction he had come in from he made his way inland; hoping to find his destination quickly. His progress was slow however; the vegetation of the forest was thick and Du Couteau found himself held up at every turn. Hacking and slashing through the vines he tried to stay as silent as possible. The strangeness of the situation occurred to him almost suddenly. In the past he'd always been an infiltrator but never had he feared being found out. The blade was all that he knew in those days, and he knew it better than anybody else. Now as he moved inland he found himself worried about being heard. So worried in fact that it left a knot in his stomach. 'What will they do if I'm found.' He tried to expel the thought but it would not leave. Swallowing hard he pushed forward seeing a small light ahead of him. 'Is it a patrol?' He crept his way closer and laid down in a thick patch of grass. As the light approached he found 2 armed men walking down a narrow trail. Breathing in deeply a familiar question occurred to him. 'Are you ready to do what is necessary.'
Crouching low he waited. The light didn't slow as it approached him. How many steps? The time seemed to slow down as the 2 men approached. 'Please forgive me.' A silent prayer that didn't cross his lips as he leapt from the grass. There was no sound. He had done what he was trained to do and caught the men off guard. As they struggled to unsheathe their blades Du Couteau's steel met its first mark. Driving his blade forward quickly it punctured the light armor that the scouts wore. There was an explosion of blood but still no sound. The smaller of the two scouts turned as if trying to speak but Du Couteau's blade sliced cleanly into his neck silencing him. With one quick motion Du Couteau turned the blade and drug it sideways splitting the flesh of the mans neck. As the lifeless body fell to the ground the other scout took hold of the General's arm. His grip was strong and Marcus was unable to break it. With his weak hand he reached behind his back unsheathing the small dagger on his waist. Driving the small blade into the brute's arm his grip was broken but not for long. His arm swung around quickly reaching for the General's neck. Ducking low Du Couteau drug his foot across the ground and planted a fist directly into the brute's chest. Losing his balance the brute fell heavily to the ground and Marcus was not obliged to give him time to get back up. Grabbing his sword quickly he thrust it heavily through the man's shoulder. There was no cry of pain.
Rather the man gripped the blade calmly pulling it from the fresh wound. A wicked smile spread across his face as he got back to his feet. Pulling the blade towards him he positioned his fist and connected directly with Du Couteau's jaw. As he fell to the ground he took a moment to rethink his strategy. His thoughts were quickly interrupted by a concussive force to his ribs. He was sent back a few feet by the force of the kick. Trying to stand once more he coughed feeling the fresh blood flowing from his mouth. 'This is going to be fun.' His instinct gripped him as he prepared himself. Disarmed he was left at a major disadvantage to his enemy who was nearly three times his size. Dashing forward he formed his index and middle fingers together driving them forward trying to hit the ever present pressure points of the man in front of him. With each new prod there was no progress and soon Du Couteau found himself on the wrong side of a vicious right hook that made him crumble back to the ground.
"Is this really all that you have to offer? And the way you killed my cohort made me think so much more highly of you." The man's voice was muffled by laughter.
With each passing second Du Couteau felt himself fading as his own instincts began to take over. The animal buried inside of him was coming back and it terrified him. Trying to keep his head on straight he once again stood. His sword was only a few yards to the side but he couldn't cover the distance fast enough. Pain gripped his ribs as he applied a little pressure to them. 'Broken.' he thought to himself. 'One last trick.' Once again dashing forward he went head first into the brute. As his enemy threw another punch Du Couteau ducked and slid under him. As he went between the giants legs he grabbed the back of his armor. The momentum of his slide allowed him to easily rip the brute off his feet sending him collapsing heavily back onto the ground. There was an audible crack sound as his opponents head smashed and rebounded off the hard ground. Not wasting any time Du Couteau rushed to his sword and brought it high into the air. As his opponent began to stand once more Du Couteau drove his blade swiftly through the man's chest. Jumping into the air he kicked the man in the chest heavily springing back and landing a few feet away. With one last push of energy he rushed forward and tore his blade diagonally down the man's face. As the man fell heavily back his body became limp.
Crouching down Du Couteau examined the two bodies, checking their pockets for anything of use. There was a folded map with multiple strange markings on it that he could not make any sense of, but they must be important to have been marked the way they were. Putting it in his pocket he drug the two corpses into the forest out of sight. Breathing heavily he examined his hands. 'It's happening again.' Standing up he pushed forward. The only thing on his mind finishing his mission and getting off the island as quickly as possible.
Author's Notes: No I haven't forgotten about the story. I lost internet for a couple days and was unable to post this chapter but here it is for you. I'm still working back into my regular releases so sorry if they are a little bit slow. Be assured that I'm getting back into the swing of things and new chapters will continue to be released. I'm thinking about bringing a guest author in for the next chapter(no word on who) but it's bound to be a really fun writing experience for myself. As November nears I'm getting more frantic about finishing up this story so that I can get to working on my NaNoWriMo story. As it stand now I have a notebook with a flow chart for this story and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and very possibly might turn into my longest story yet. So I hope you are all geared up for a long one.
