Zombies On Fire & Other Short Stories

Kaito's Quest: All Good Things Come To An End

"Come, NightWind. Let us enter before it returns," Kaito urged in a hushed voice

The dark, grey unicorn refused to move forward. The man flicked the reins and dug his heels into her side. She snorted and only took a step backward. Kaito scanned the black skies overhead nervously.

The portal before them glowed softly with a blue hue. The edges of the opening looked as if they had been created from ancient technology that his people had once used to create boards for the purpose of storing information. Something they had called computers. Kaito had seen them once in a museum in his hometown of Yugahama.

But that had been a long time ago, and he was a very long way from home. He hadn't been back in over twenty years. A long, arduous journey as he scoured the earth on this seemingly impossible mission.

Finding the portal hadn't been that difficult. Kaito had located it within the first five years. In the end, all he had to do was follow the Eastern star Slax into the Desolate Hinterlands.

The hard part, though, had been locating the artifacts that he needed to face these firey creatures that guarded and dwelt within these portals.

First, he had located FlameWard, his shield hidden deep within the firey caves of the Fergborg volcano.

Then he had tracked down Fire Casque, the helmet he had taken from the head of a troll at the summit of Basroy Mountains. It was said to protect its wearer from the most influential forms of mind control, including that of a dragon.

Along the way, he had captured NightWind in Eleychester. Well, more like stolen her from a farmer who had been raising her. But, Kaito didn't think of himself as a thief. He simply freed it to live an adventurous life on the road with him.

And of course, she made his life more comfortable since he could get around faster. He reckoned that she had shaved at least three years off his journey while he searched for Blood Venom, the legendary spear that Shirō Shin Matsushita had used a few centuries earlier to kill Acidtooth, Destroyer Of Men.

What a story that was, Kaito thought to himself. And now to think that I will soon join the ranks of such legendary men. My people will sing names about me. When I return with a dragon's egg and the king gives me the princess' hand in marriage. I shall be the happiest man alive.

"I'll show them all," Kaito whispered through clenched teeth. "Then they'll have to make me knight. I will prove that I am an honorable warrior."

"Silly human," the unicorn chuckled. "You don't even know if there is a dragon's egg. I bet you can't even tell if that dragon is male or female."

"Then, I'll kill the dragon and take its head. I'll prove that I am a valiant warrior."

"Please," the unicorn whinnied. "You haven't trained or fought at all these years. You stole the things you have, betrayed those you took them from and killed anyone who stood in your way at night while they were fast asleep. Where is the honor in that?"

"Shut up, you stupid horse with a silly horn," Kaito said has slammed the side of his fist into the back of her head. "Remember why you let me ride you."

"Yes, I wish you would just complete your curse and kill me. Sometimes I'd rather be dead than to have to listen to all the baloney you spout off day and night."

"I really do hate you too, stupid unicorn. I should have just left you back on that farm to plow that farmer's fields instead of bringing you on the adventure of a lifetime. But we can't undo the past, so let's just keep moving forward."

Night Wind threw her head down and took another step backward. Kaito angrily grabbed onto her mane with both hands and prepared for her to trying bucking him off as she usually did at least once a week. But she didn't attempt to throw him this time.