Fury

The Last Performance

   Shade looked after him in concern, following shortly after. She disliked the stares and curses that were given to him and yet couldn't refute them... He walked to the square and got up onto a raised platform that was always there before shouting, "PEOPLE OF TRINADOR! I AM JAXION MICHEAL SHAWN, YOU MAY KNOW MY NAME FROM THE OBITUARIES OR THE NEWS OF THE BURNING BANK BUT KNOW THAT I MEAN YOU NO HARM! IN FACT, I'M HERE TO GIVE YOU A SHOW!"

   Shade sat in front of the crowd, and police started barricading the area with their vehicles. She whined slightly, more concerned now and wondering what he was doing.

   He snapped and flames surrounded the police, blocking them from entering. "Good men of the guard, I'm afraid I cannot let you interfere...but know this is beneficial to you, very beneficial..." He took a deep breath and flames began circling Jaxion, a music coming from seemingly nowhere causing the flames to seemingly bounce in beat with the music.Jaxion sat down crisscross and rose into the the air using the flames, fire dancers sprouted from the inferno and danced to the music as Jaxion had a face of immense peace and calm.

   Jaxion made motions quickly and sharply with his arm as he did his flaming dance, doing his best to entertain the crowd who were at this point awestruck and confused but nonetheless entertained. He did this dance, changing the colors and intensities of the flames before the fire began to dissipate. He stood still for a moment and took a bow, the crowd stared before clapping.

   He smiled some and took one last look at Shade before saying regretfully, "I'm sorry Shade, my faithful partner through my madness...but I'm leaving again. This time there will be a body to reaffirm the reports of my death, a charred, ugly and broken body equivalent to the rot of my mind and soul, but before I depart this world I gift you to the detectives that dutifully investigated the robberies of the bank. Goodbye my faithful friend and companion..."

   Shade's tail had been wagging a bit into the wondrous fire dance, but it stopped very quickly at her friend's words. She cried, shocked and wanting to protest but knowing she couldn't... Jaxion bent down and pat her head for a moment before standing up, and fire began to coat his body.

   The flames surrounded him as he self immolated, and he screamed. He screamed in pain, regret, sorrow and fear as his flesh seared and melted, his muscles cooking, he now knew the pain he gave to his victims and he was going to know it for all his time in the pit he was destined to. He cried and wailed until the wails died and he collapsed, dead upon the platform, someone who would be remembered in different ways by different people.

   The flames disappeared revealing a dark, charred husk of what used to be Jaxion, the kind banker who lived with his friend wolf. A kind man who had loved cooking and reading. A man who kept his ways until he could no longer, and a friend who was dedicated to all he did until the very end. He was Jaxion Micheal Shawn, a short elf who had kindness in this heart and was sophisticated in his ways, someone who had few he cared for but was extremely loyal, someone who in the end, even through all that had broken him, was the best person he could be.