A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set

by Charles Carfagno Jr.

  “No trouble from us.” They answered together.

  Satisfied, the guard walked away.

  Sun sat down at a secluded table near the corner, spotted the serving girl with the black eye, and called her over.

  “What can I get you sir?” She asked.

  “I’ll have roasted bird, a tankard of ale, and a few minutes of your time.” He placed ten gold pieces on the table.

  She looked at him, the money, and then leaned in. “What do you want?”

  “I would like to talk to you about one of your patrons?”

  She was growing suspicious. “Which one?”

  “The one with the eye patch.”

  By the tone of his voice and the look on his face, she knew he wasn’t a friend of the fox and abruptly said. “I’ll be right back with your order.”

  Sun didn’t stop her and hoped that she wasn’t going to tell anyone.

  A little while later, she came out of the kitchen with his food and ale and placed it in front of him. He was about to say something when she reached over, and slipped him a note and left. While he was eating, he opened the tiny parchment without anyone noticing and glanced at it. It had two words written on it. “Out back.” Sun finished his meal, placed three gold pieces on the table and left.

  As soon as he walked out the door, one of Slyantom’s men spoke. “Hey slanted eyes, it would be wise for you not to return here again.”

  “Meet me at midnight at the north end of town, if you’re brave enough.” Sun said without turning around and walked away.

  The man was about to draw his blade when his friend noticed the same guard from earlier walking in their direction. “Not now, the guard is coming. We’ll get him later tonight.” He whispered.

  Sun walked further south until he was out of the sight of the men, circled back, and met the girl behind the inn.

  He could tell she was nervous. “What do you want to know?” She asked.

  “My name is Sun Chin, and it appears that we have a common enemy.”

  “I’ve never seen you before so why are you asking me?”

  “My friend was having a drink with him earlier. She was the one with the long blond hair.”

  “Why would she drink with him?”

  “She was gathering information about him. Believe me when I say he is going to die.”

  “Then why involve me? Just go upstairs and get it over with.”

  “I haven’t decided on how I’m going to kill him, because he has men with him.”

  She started becoming uneasy. “I have to go.”

  “I need to know what you slipped into his ale.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She turned away, and he grabbed her arm.

  “Please miss, don’t you want to see him pay? He’s a dangerous creature and killed one of my fellow classmates.”

  She looked at him, and it was something in his eyes that convinced her that he was telling the truth. “He violated me and my sister and because of it; I have poisoned him with a very slow acting poison.”

  “Won’t he figure it out?”

  “It will be too late by the time he does. At first, it mirrors you getting drunk, and you’ll get real sleepy. When you wake you’ll throw up. By tomorrow, he’ll think he has a common cold and the following day; he'll begin throwing up violently, and then he’ll be dead a few hours later.”

  “Take heart, he will not live that long, I promise. What’s your name?”

  She hesitated and then answered. “My name is Tyla.”

  “Tyla, thanks for your help.” He handed her a small bag of coins. Sun was about to turn away when she reached out and stopped him.

  “Take this.” She handed him a key. “He’s staying on the first floor in room six.”

  “He will pay, I promise.” Sun reassured her again. "Is there another inn nearby?"

  "The Snowdrift Inn is further down the road." She pointed toward the west.

  He thanked her again and left.

  Breen anxiously paced around the room, while waiting for Sun. She was worried about him and hoped that he didn't do anything unwise by fighting the fox. To occupy her time, she bought some healing supplies and wrote a note for Jacko, in case they were gone when he returned. It dawned on her that she hadn't thought about him since before her encounter with Slyantom and now this added to her stress level as well.

  She was about to leave when Sun walked through the door. He told her they needed to leave right away and assured her that everything was okay. She gave him the note for Jacko, and he scribbled where they would be staying and handed it to the healers. He gave them specific instructions not to mention they were there to anyone else.

  Outside, Sun told her they would be staying at the Snowdrift Inn and kept a safe distance from each other just to make sure they weren’t being followed. As they passed the Inn of the Snorting Dragon, he was relieved that Slyantom's men weren't posted outside. After arriving at the Snowdrift Inn, they booked a small room on the top floor, and left a message for Jacko with the innkeeper.

  ****

  A short while later, Jacko and Katara arrived at Snowdrift and took Torhan to the healers. He was still unconscious. When the healers saw his legs, they gathered everything they would need for their procedure. Katara insisted on helping them. Before they started, one of the healers handed Jacko the note and then asked to leave room.

  “Tell me everything.” Breen said as soon as Sun closed their room’s door.

  “The serving girl poisoned Slyantom, and that was why he must've said the ale tasted funny.”

  “What? She could have poisoned me just for being there. Is he dead?”

  “No. She said it’s a very slow acting poison that will take days for him to die, unless he gets help.”

  “Then you don’t have to fight him?”

  Sun smiled. “There’s no guarantee he’ll die.”

  “And there’s no guaranteeing he won’t.” Breen added.

  “I can’t leave this to chance; this might be my only opportunity to kill him.”

  Breen looked down.

  “Breen,” he lifted her face by her chin with his left hand so that their eyes met, “when I joined my Order, I placed an oath, and I have to live by those codes; it's who I am.”

  “I just don’t want you to get hurt or…” she was unable to finish her words.

  “I’ll be fine.” He produced a key and showed it to her. "It's to his room."

  “So what’s your plan?”

  “Since he did not engage my fellow classmate in a fair fight then he will be shown the same courtesy, and I will do whatever is necessary to kill him. If that means sneaking into his room while he is sleeping, I will do that.”

  “I am going with you.” She firmly stated. He was about to object when she interrupted him. “Like you just said, you will do whatever it takes to end his life and so will I.”

  Sun shook his head in protest. “No. If Jacko returns, then you will stay here, and we will take care of him.” He firmly said.

  “What about your wounds? The healers said you will be in trouble if your stitches tear.”

  “There’s no time for them to heal. Did you get the items they wrote on the paper?”

  “I forgot all about them. I’ll go get them now. If I return and you’re gone, I’ll rip your stitches out myself.” She said grinning.

  Someone knocked on their door.

  Breen drew her weapon and stepped to the side of the door.

  “Who is it?” Sun asked.

  “It’s me Jacko, open the door.”

  Sun opened the door, Breen sheathed her blade after seeing him, and he closed the door behind him.

  “We rescued Torhan.” Jacko said smiling.

  “Where is he now?”

  “In the care of the healers. He was injured."

  “Where's Katara?" Breen asked.

  “She is with him.”

  “Sit down brother, I have some news.” Sun said.

  A
fter they were seated, Sun told him about Slyantom, where he was staying, his men, the key, and how he was poisoned.

  Jacko was delighted by the news, and then he realized something. “If he's still alive that means either more of our brothers have died by his hand, or they haven’t found him yet.” He stated.

  “I hope you’re right about the latter.” Sun replied.

  “I will face him alone. You're too wounded.”

  “Thanks for your concern my friend, but despite being in my current condition, I can still fight better than you. We will fight him together.”

  “And me too.” Breen said.

  “We are not assassins we have standards to abide by.” Jacko said.

  “Not this time. He killed Teacher Ma like a coward, and we will not show him mercy and have a fair fight.”

  “So what’s your plan?”

  “I have a fight scheduled with one of his men tonight for insulting me when I went to the inn earlier. After I am finished with him, we will go to Slyantom's room and kill him while he's sleeping.”

  “I have a better idea.” Breen said, and both men looked at her. “He took a liking to me earlier, so how about this. I go to his room, get him drunk and get his weapons away from him. After that, you enter and take care of the rest.”

  Jacko liked her idea, but Sun clearly did not.

  “No it’s too dangerous. He’s a trained killer.” Sun said.

  “You said it yourself we need to take full advantage of every opportunity available.”

  “Sun she’s right.” Jacko said.

  “Don’t let your feelings for me sway your decision.” Breen said.

  “Feelings? When did that happen?” Jacko asked.

  “Don’t start.” Sun’s reaction brought a smile to Breen’s face, which was followed by her chuckling.

  “Will Torhan and Katara help?” Breen asked.

  “Torhan won’t be able to, but I'll ask Katara." Jacko said and turned his attention back to Sun. "I am going with you tonight just in case there will be more than one of his bodyguards.” He got up.

  “Where are you going?” Breen asked him.

  “To see Katara, why?”

  “If Slyantom sees you before tonight, our plan will fall apart. I’ll go back and talk to her.”

  "She's right. We need to stay out of sight until this evening.” Sun added.

  They spent the next hour finalizing their plan and when they were through Breen got up, kissed Sun on the lips, and parted. After she left, Sun spoke. “I’m not putting her in any danger, so we need to go after Slyantom before—”

  “Look,” Jacko stopped his friend from continuing, “I know that you care for her, but if she manages to take him by surprise, we might be able to kill him. I’ve dealt with him before. He's clever and skilled with his blades.” Sun was about to say something, but Jacko continued. “Teacher Ma died by his hand, and he was ranked higher than you.”

  Sun reflected on his words. “Alright you convinced me. I’m going down for some tea, did you want to come?”

  Jacko nodded.

  “After we have tea, let's train for a bit." Sun said on their way downstairs.

  After Breen entered the healers, she went straight to the back room and saw Katara sitting next to Torhan. “How is he?” She said looking at Torhan, who was still unconscious.

  “We won’t know for a few days if he’ll keep his legs.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “That maniac in the house had him connected to a device that pumped greenish liquid into his body. I can only imagine what would’ve happened to him if we hadn’t gotten there in time.”

  “We need your help.” Breen simply said.

  “In what way?”

  Breen told her about their plan to kill Slyantom and how the fox was poisoned. Katara simply said no and stated that she was needed by Torhan's side.

  “But Jacko is his friend. What do you think Torhan will say if something happens to him, and you could have prevented it?”

  “Look, I don’t feel any obligation to your cause. They can avoid him and let the poison do its work.”

  “No they can’t. They need to make sure he dies, because he's going to Mirkin to kill someone else.”

  "I've been through enough. I can't support you on this." Katara went silent and turned her attention back to Torhan.

  Breen got disgusted and left.

  Jacko and Sun had just finished training when Breen returned and delivered the news about Katara.

  “I don’t blame her,” Jacko began. “She has no ties to us.”

  “But Torhan is your friend and out of respect for him, she should help us.” Breen stated.

  “I’d rather she watch over him anyway.”

  “I still think she should help.”

  “You can’t force someone.” Sun said.

  “She's been through enough.” Said Jacko. “Who knows she might help if you give her time.”

  Breen handed Sun the healing supplies and spoke. “I’m hungry can I get you something from downstairs?”

  They told her what they wanted, and she left.

  Breen ate, while Sun continued preparing for his fight with Slyantom’s man. He had to be careful of his wound, so he protected the area with extra bandages and had Jacko attack him, purposely aiming for the wound. When he felt ready, he sat down and ate.

  “Make sure you protect your wound.” Breen said.

  “I will.”

  “What's your strategy?” Jacko asked.

  “He's right handed, so once I disable his arm; he should be easy to beat. Plus he's a bit cocky, so I'll exploit that as well.”

  “How do you know that he's right handed?” Breen asked.

  “That was easy to figure out. His weapon was sheathed on his left side.”

  When it was time, Sun put on his studded gloves, and hid a dagger somewhere on his body.

  When they arrived at the area where Sun was supposed to meet his adversary, Jacko and Breen stayed just out of sight and checked the area for anyone else that might be there to help Sun’s foe.

  Meanwhile, Sun proceeded into the open and said he was there. A few seconds later, the man who insulted him stepped out of the shadows. His antagonist was armed with a long sword and wearing leather armor.

  “I’m glad you showed slanted eyes.” He said to Sun.

  “Of course I did. I challenged you and now I am going to teach you a lesson."

  “We’ll see about that, crooked eyes.” Slyantom’s man belligerently said.

  “Is this to the death or would you like a few broken bones?” Sun said confidently.

  “You can do whatever you want. I only leave life-altering wounds.”

  “Good, that’s very good. I’ll let you pick. Would you like your arm or leg broken? Better yet, how about I pluck one of your eyes out or make you a mute, so you can finally shut up?”

  “Your arrogance will be your downfall slanted eyes.”

  “And your racial slurs are just a cover up for your inability to control the situation.”

  “I hate your kind and you are nothing better than the smelly boar race.”

  “We all bleed red and now you will. I’ve decided that you’re not even worthy to breathe any longer. So fight to the death you racist pig.” Sun had had enough of his mouth and decided to end his life instead of teaching him a lesson.

  “Where’s your weapon?” Slyantom’s man asked as he was unsheathing his sword.

  “My hands and feet should suffice. Let’s get this over with; I need a drink.” Sun replied, and they began closing the distance.

  Sun had a knack for determining an opponent’s strength and weakness just by his posture and the way that he moved. He studied his opponent as he shifted his weight from his front leg to his back while walking up to him. When Slyantom’s man was close enough, he placed all of his weight on his front leg and swept his blade downward and viciously at Sun’s head. Sun recognized the attack and easily moved out of the way an
d then invited him to continue his assault by exposing his left leg.

  The bodyguard, thinking he had an opening, attacked Sun's limb, and was surprised when he missed. Sun continued his muse with false openings, until he had an opening of his own and kicked him in the chest. The strike failed to hurt him, because his armor absorbed the blow, but it did, however, disrupt his next attack, and Sun kicked him in the head and sent him stumbling away. Sun advanced but his adversary recovered in time and swung his sword in a slicing motion, aiming for his chest. Sun leaned out of the way. His opponent whipped the blade in the other direction, and Sun stepped in and simultaneously blocked his attack with his right hand and punched him in the ribs with his left.

  The powerful impact cracked his ribs, labored his breathing, and gave Sun another opportunity to attack. He then raked him across the face with the dragon technique. The deadly clawed hand ripped chunks of flesh away and sent him reeling off balance. Sun followed him and leapt into the air kicking him in the head and sending him to the ground.

  Sun paused. “You’re no match for me.” He said.

  Slyantom’s man climbed to his feet and then spit blood on the ground. “Maybe you’re right, but it’s not me who will die this evening. Munder?” He shouted for his companion and when he didn’t answer, Sun grinned.

  “There’s no help coming for you. You see; I had a feeling that you would have someone waiting for me, so I took the liberty of bringing some of my friends with me.”

  Jacko and Breen stepped out from the left, dragging a dead body.

  “You already met the female and here is my other friend.”

  “You’re the women who drank with my boss.” Slyantom’s man said.

  Breen nodded while she and Jacko approached.

  “You may kill me, but Slyantom will kill you all.”

  “I don’t think so. You see we’re in Snowdrift to kill him.” Jacko said. “He killed one of our classmates about a month ago and will now atone for his crime.”

  “Plus, he’s been poisoned as well so it’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll die.” Sun added.