Paradise for One
Greed is a balance.
They say money is the root of all evil, but I beg to differ, I think greed is at the center of it all. There is a balance that must be maintained at all times. Too much desire can lead to the destruction of others and yourself but too little desire can kill a man. For us to survive a complete life, we must understand and control our greed so that we can be satisfied.
Nathaniel woke up in a crater alone and without 【Grundy】by his side. He looked around and found nothing but piles of rock. He took a deep breath in and released, his body roared out the air; a technique that Master Hunters did when they needed a clear mind.
Nathaniel stood up, dusting off his arms and clothes, revealing scars all over his body. His past was colourful, and his achievements well painted.
“Alright, where am I?” he asked himself, making a three hundred and sixty-degree turn to find nothing. “Is this Blade Island… it must be… now I remember, I came here to hunt.”
“Glad you could remember,” yelled a woman standing on one of the edges of the crater. Nathaniel turned around, revealing a cheeky grin.
“You’re one that drugged me.”
“For the world’s number one hunter, I would have to say you’re slacking.”
“Never. I knew of your intention the moment I set foot on this island. You are the World Guild Representative here to test me.”
“Why would I test you?”
“How else does one get into the hall of fame?”
“You’re smart man, Nathaniel.”
“May I have my partner back?”
The woman tossed down a jagged large one handed sword with cravings and fur attached to it. Nathaniel picked it up and squeezed the grip. It was a prize he had gotten from the former number one Master Hunter in the world; a bloodied gift.
“And the shield,” he added, which was also tossed down, a matching pair. “May I know the name of my tester?”
“Joanna of Ice,” she said. A strong gentle woman, with eyes that had seen and known the truth.
“So, what is my test?”
“Why did you come to this island, aside from trying to get into the hall of fame?”
“To hunt the best of the best.”
“I heard about a hunter that had hunted everything in the mainland. The beasts are on the brink of extinction.”
“You make me blush,” he said, taking a step forward and then staggering to stay up. The ground had begun to shake. Nathaniel stabilized himself and readied his blade. The shaking got more violent, and he knew something was heading his way.
This was the test he had been waiting for, something to prove above all that he was the Apex of this world. A large shadow blotted out the sun, and Nathaniel looked up to see a beast dropping on top of him. He quickly maneuvered out of the way and then re-positioned himself
“What is this, I’ve never seen such a beast before,” yelled Nathaniel, but Joanna didn’t answer.
Large green and purple scales on the beast blended and gave off a shine that dazzled. Its short small arms, tucked into its body, and its legs were massive and full of muscle. The weight of this beast cracked the earth and his jaw large and sharp with teeth. This was the Apex Hunter.
Nathaniel felt a shiver as the beast glared at him; intimidating him. He slowly started to walk around the crater. This was going to be a fight worth the history books. Good thing he had a witness to his achievements.
“This is a wonderful surprise,” he said.
“Wonderful,” asked Joanna, “This shouldn’t have been a surprise Nathaniel. The crater has signs of this being a hunting ground of the Apex.”
Nathaniel looked around again, and then it clicked, he could make out large footprints that matched the beast and some bones sticking out of the ground.
He felt stupid that he hadn’t noticed something so obvious. His master would have beaten him within an inch of his life for missing something so important. He had to do better and prove to the tester he was number one.
“I knew it was a hunting ground. I just was surprised by the beauty of the beast.”
“Then begin,” said Joanna. The Apex roared, shaking the area and the trees to its core. Nathaniel had fought many beasts like this before, ones that spat fire and others that could generate freezing winds with just their wings. This beast’s roar out trumped all of them. There was a type of dominance that he compared to his own.
The fight began with a massive tail swipe that Nathaniel easily dodged. The strength from the swipe blew a gust that knocked him on his back. He just smiled and charged forward with 【Grundy】and shield in hand.
“This is what I live for,” he yelled, chipping away at the Apex’s defences. He had trained all his life to be the best. He remembered first starting out and catching the eye of the number one ranked hunter who had volunteered to teach him. Though the years of work had been tough and bloodily, he learnt the ropes of becoming a hunter. It was the threat that at any moment, his life could end that kept him reaching the top.
[It was his fear.]
After fighting a while, Nathaniel had made a few large wounds in the beast but knew that he had to stay cautious. It was something like this that his master had lost the position of rank one. The beast had caught him off guard, taking away an arm and leg. Nathaniel had vowed to take revenge once he had hit rank three. Yet before he could even find the beast, another had taken his prey. He was more upset with the loss of the creature than his master, who was now crippled and useless.
“You cannot stop me, beast. I will slay you,” he yelled, charging in for an attack. The beast just roared again, and a spark of electricity spilled out of the creature’s mouth. Spikes jutted out of its back, conducting the power of the gods.
Nathaniel jumped back and tried to make himself as small as possible behind his shield as a beam of electricity shot directly at him. He felt his arm going numb from the attack; it sounded and felt like hundreds of men pounding on his shield with no rest. Once finished, Nathaniel started to dash around the beast, he had a feeling that the attack was its trump card and it would have to wait to make another attack like that again.
Then everything went black, and Nathaniel found himself a couple of meters away from the beast. He didn’t understand what but he felt pain all over.
The Apex moved around quickly in a circle and lightning strikes from sky pierced down into the earth. It had another trick it could use, he thought.
The fight didn’t end there, and Nathaniel went forward for an attack. He dodged strike after strike, trying to keep his distance close. Then the beast moved back like it was retreating. This only spurred Nathaniel further knowing that he had achieved the title Apex, but somewhere deep inside, he didn’t feel accomplished.
A nagging feeling at the back of his mind. It had always been there, just plucking away at his soul. Everything he did was never enough. He didn’t always feel like this, it was only when he became number one, that the feeling began. Maybe it was always there, just suppressed by hard work and distractions.
He always looked at the hunters with anger and pain, especially the number one that had stolen his rank from him and his master. They were content with living second best and eating the scraps of the more powerful. His master was not exempt, and Nathaniel felt his rage burn brighter when he looked at the cripple.
A sharp pain staggered Nathaniel as he fell face-first into the ground. He coughed, sputtered and writhed with pain. An arrow jutted out of his knee, and the colour in his face hadleft him. He glanced around, looking for the attacker but found no one; Joanna was gone.
Heavy breathing brought his attention back to the Apex. It stood above him in all its glory.
Nathaniel started to reach for his blade, and another arrow pierced his leg, causing him to turn back around again to find the shooter.
“I thought you were the tester,” said Nathaniel flaring up in rage.
“I am, a tester just for you.”
“Than what is the meaning of this?”
“Revenge,” said Joanna walking up with a bow in hand. “Do you remember me?”
“I could never forget a cold whore like you.”
“Don’t lie, you don’t remember. I was only a child back then.”
“What?”
Joanna raised her hand, and the Apex backed off. Nathaniel seized this opportunity and grabbed 【Grundy】, only to have it kicked out of his hand. Then he grabbed her leg and started to pull her down, but she didn’t budge, and another arrow pierced his body.
“We met the day you became rank one.”
“No…you should’ve died. I killed you. I became number one, people like you should just die for the talented and the powerful.”
“Once again, you’re wrong. My father did die, but seeing how you can’t even remember his face. It just tells me how pig-headed you are.”
Nathaniel flinched as he ripped out one of the arrows.
“I’m sorry…for not remembering every ant I squashed.”
“None of this would have happened if you just been an honest and hardworking hunter. If you hadn’t cheated and murdered my father, I wouldn’t be upset. Or even before that, when you crippled your own master.”
“What? No, you’re mistaken.”
“I’m not. I was surprised when I heard from the old coot’s mouth himself.”
“How could you believe the words of that liar? He’s too old to remember; I didn’t do that. He’s faking it, he went and killed your father and pinned it on me.”
“I don’t think he did.”
“Then go ask him?”
“I can’t. He died a couple of months ago.”
“Oh… well I guess you have no proof of me doing it,” said Nathaniel easing himself up.
“I don’t need proof. I was told the truth,” said Joanna raising her bow and taking aim.
“You’re willing to commit murder.?”
“You know what your master said before I took his life. He said not to hate you, but to pity you, because you’re a man who’ll never be satisfied. Always looking for next thrill or the next goal but it will never be enough.”
“Is that a crime?”
“No, but your underhanded methods of grabbing that goal and then tossing it aside because it wasn’t enough to fill that greedy dark hole inside, is a disgrace to my father, your master, and the monsters you’ve slain.”
“You can’t kill me. I’m ranked number one,” he said, his voice slowly quivering.
“I can.”
“The Guild will hunt you down.”
“They didn’t hunt you down for killing my father.”
“Maybe we can work together, we can slay that beast and be partners. You can be number two, and I’ll be number one.”
“Even at the end, you’re just unforgivable,” she said putting away her bow and walking away. “I’m not looking for glory Nathaniel, I could care less about ranks.”
“You’re just going to leave me like this?”
“I’m getting a better seat.”
“For what?”
“How could someone so stupid kill my father?” she said and then snapped her fingers. The thumping he felt rushing behind him, made him turn just as the Apex bit down, ripping him in two. The beast chewed and chewed as the blood gushed and oozed out from its mouth.
Joanna watched; not smiling nor frowning, it was just another day to her.
“I hope you’re happy Aaron. If only your daughter were here to see it,” she said, getting up and returning to the forest. The animals made way for her, the Apex of the Island of Blades.
© L.G. Jones 2019
