Fables of Fantasy

A Reason For Suffering

A pulse passed through the forest, rustling the grass and trees. A single leaf broke off from its branch, slowly falling down to the earth. It landed in a small puddle of water, causing small ripples to flow outwards.

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FABLES of FANTASY: 9

A REASON FOR SUFFERING

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The air was filled with a dull roar. Dust and smoke covered the clearing, hiding everything in a fog of brown and white. Hesitantly, Adan lowered the edge of his cloak, peeking out over the cloth. He strained his eyes, trying to see past the haze of dirt and dust that covered the air. Frowning he whipped his cloak to the side, riding it of the dirt that covered it.

“Geez, what a mess…” He sighed as the roar slowly faded away.

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Slowly, the debris started to settle, revealing two shadowed silhouettes. They stood motionless, with their backs towards each other. The lighting and flames had long since disappeared. The two fighters remained in their stances with their arms outstretched, just as they were when they had delivered their final blow, silent and unmoving.

Blood suddenly splattered the ground next to Vann. Gritting his teeth and clutching his side, the dragon fell to one knee. The dark liquid seeped through his fingers as Vann gasped for breath. He was unable to keep himself from falling forward, his free arm shooting out to catch himself. He hissed in pain as he bowed his head, his hair falling over his face.

Behind him, Camper let out a breath, standing up straight and letting his weapon fall to his side. Instead of turning around towards his opponent he simply continued to stare straight ahead, his gaze staring into nothing. After a moment, he sighed and lifted up his weapon, his eyes shifting down to it.

“…Shit…” He croaked as he stared at the splintered handle in his hand. He gritted his teeth as blood poured from his side, his clothes darkening as the dark liquid soaked them.

“Can’t… believe…I lost.” He groaned, falling backwards. The broken weapon fell away from him as he hit the ground, a crimson pool forming around him. Vann gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet, still clutching his injured side.

For a minute, he simply stood in that spot. His head down as he breathed heavily, trying to regain his strength. Finally, after several moments he tilted his head back and looked up into the night sky, his hair falling away from his face to reveal the red disappearing from his eyes, returning to their normal green.

“Finally.” He breathed. A small breeze blew through the clearing, rustling his hair and clothes. He sucked in a large breath and smiled softly, letting his hand fall back to his side.

 “…You brat…”

Vann’s eyes widened at the voice. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, his gaze came to rest on the Hacker that lay on the ground, his head tilted back, staring at the Dragon.

 “…You…” Vann said, trailing off. Camper scowled slightly.

“Don’t give me such a shitty look.” He said, “And don’t act all surprised…You…Why didn’t you kill me?” he asked through gritted teeth. Vann stared at Camper as he turned around to face him, looking down at the defeated Hacker.