The Braxz

"That's it, you can do it!" A woman shouted words of encouragement across a small field. In the center of the field a red haired boy was battling a monster his own height but nearly three times his size. It was a Braxz, a silver scaled beast that stood on two powerful hind legs. It's arms were long and slender with a single hooked talon on each, it's tail was thick and powerful for slamming into foes, and it's head was slim and almost box like.

There was a flash of silver, and the Braxz's tail swung to strike Rage across the face. A quick duck gave him to opportunity to counter attack. He rolled forward, bringing his fist up into the chest of the beast as it came full circle to face him. The force behind the punch sent the beast stumbling backwards. It let out a pained roar and charged.

Rage jumped clear of the beast's straight on charge and rolled to his feet. He turned to face the Braxz, which has charged him again. He jumped to the side again, this time slamming down on his stomach. He pushed himself up and coughed up a few blades of grass and dirt.

"That's it." Rage muttered, clenching his fist. Adrenaline pumped through his system and the Braxz prepared another charge. Both Rage and the Braxz charged forward at one another, neither backing down. Rage's fist came forward, connecting with the top of the Braxz's forehead. Bone snapped, scales shattered, and the Braxz slid backwards across the ground several feet.

Both combatants panted, staring each other down as the took in what had just happened. Rage's fist bled fiercely, and there was signs that he had broken at least one knuckle. The Braxz's forehead had been cleared of many scales, and there was a visible crack in the bone beneath. Rage ran forward once more at the silver beast, and it backed away and took up a defensive position. At the least second Rage leaped into the air, fist drawn back, eyes focused. There was a stinging pain in Rage's side as he brought his fist down towards the Braxz.

Rage's mind went blank, his vision blurred and he quickly found himself sprawled across the ground. His punch had never hit it's intended mark, and the Braxz has blindsided him with it's tail at the last second. He looked over to see the beast laying on the ground as he was, but with one difference. It wasn't breathing.

"Are you satisfied?" The woman's voice pierced his consciousness and his vision cleared enough to see her standing above him. Sarana Nova, his teacher and savior, standing just under six feet in height with flowing red hair down past her shoulders, and bright blue eyes.

"No." Rage muttered in his haze.

"Good. You'll never be ready to fight a full sized Braxz at this rate." Sarana shook her head. "Speaking of which, there is one terrorizing Khisanu."

"Khisanu..." Rage muttered to himself. "Close."

"Yes, very close, and you could use the reward they are offering for it's defeat. They offered the job to me, but I will offer it to you first. You have a day to decide." Sarana looked down at the boy. He was older now, but far from being a man at the age of sixteen. She had found him when he was just turning fourteen. He had come far.

"Maybe." Rage replied, barely conscious. Sarana rolled her eyes as he fell unconscious in the field. Rage's blazing red hair had reverted back to it's shaggy brown and his eyes back to green. She found it fascinating that his features changed when he became angry. But it wasn't just the features that interested her, no, it was everything about it. She didn't understand where all that power could come from, or for what purpose.

Sarana headed back to her house from the field. She would send one of her staff to fetch him and she would await his answer.

"I'll do it." Rage announced at the dinner table.

"Do what, exactly?" Sarana asked. She knew what he was talking about, but liked to be sure.

"I will slay the Braxz." Rage replied confidently. He was fully conscious now, and had given the offer much thought. It wasn't just the reward that interested him, it was the challenge. Since meeting Sarana, his entire outlook on the world had changed. He had directly his anger at everyone around him, objects, buildings, landscapes, and everything else that he could find. But now he had purpose, a goal. Rage had found that not only did directing anger at beasts was more rewarding, but it made people like instead of hate him.

"Really?" Sarana replied. Her tone made Rage think over his next reply. She almost sounded sarcastic.

"Have faith." Rage nodded. "I can do it."

"We shall see, then." Sarana nodded, a smile forming across her lips. She imagined what the fight would be like, and if her apprentice even stood a chance. The answer was yes, but he would have to much smarter about it.

The remainder of their dinner was ate in silence. A simple stew with a slice of bread on the side. A night's rest and Rage would be off to Khisanu to slay the Braxz. He was confident that he could do it.

Rage's bags were packed the moment he was up in the morning. Excitement filled his every being, and he couldn't wait to take on his first official hunt. He packed extra clothing, water, food, flint, and a small pan to cook in. It wouldn't be that long of a journey, but anything could happen. He could have to travel day and night to find the Braxz, or it could be already attacking when he arrived. There was no way to tell.

He slung his canteen across his shoulder so that it hung on his left side and tightened the straps on his leather armor. Presentation that he was hunter and fully prepared would go a long way with the people along the way, and in the town itself. As a hunter, you always had to be prepared, and many rarely took off their armor. Even Sarana only removed hers in the sanctity of her own home, and sometimes not even then! Rage double checked his supplies and was fully satisfied, making his way out the front door.

"So you're determined, I see." Sarana circled Rage as he stepped upon the porch. She herself was wearing her black and green leather armor, reinforced by weaves of metal in weaker spots. "And presentable at that!" She remarked, satisfied.

"Thanks." Rage bowed slightly to her. "Will you be joining me?" He asked.

"I will give you a day before I depart. I sent word to Mayor Aarons that you will be accepting the hunt in my place, and that I will support you in any way I see fit." Sarana replied.

"So he will know of my coming, then?" Rage asked.

"Yes. You should talk to him as soon as you reach Khisanu, he will fill you in on the rest of the details." Sarana turned and picked up an item off one of the chairs that adorned her porch. "And take this." She handed Rage a steel short sword, encased in a leather sheath.

"Will I need it?" He asked, stunned that she would offer him a weapon. She knew he didn't particularly like weapons.

"It will make you more presentable, and it never hurts to have more than your fists at your disposal." She pushed the sword into his hands.

"Thank you." Rage bowed again, accepting the blade and strapping it to his left hip below his canteen. He didn't like it, but she was correct, as always. "I will off, then."

"Be careful. From the sounds of it, this Braxz may be much larger than the one from yesterday." Sarana walked into the open doorway of her home.

"I'm always careful!" Rage grinned, turning and sprinting towards the road that would lead him north to Khisanu. He would be there in less than half a day.

The first hour of his walk was spent staring into the forest surrounding the road to Khisanu, watching for movements and any sort of creature. During this time he fiddled with the sword at his side. He had trained for months to wield a wide variety of weapons, including the long sword, short sword, knife, mace, short bow, long bow, crossbows, and even some throwing weapons such as bombs and knives. He knew he was prepared for this encounter.

Another hour passed and Rage noticed that his armor was slightly irritating him in certain places, but mostly his leg and arm joints. He pondered ways to counter this for future hunts, as it felt very distracting. By the time he reached the village gates of Khisanu, he was dying to remove his armor. Rage stopped at the gate, turning to look behind him. He hadn't seen a single person on the entire stretch of road. That was strange, though not uncommon.

"Halt!" A voice shouted down from a small tower just on the inside of the gate. An armored figure stood within the tower, looking down upon him. "State your business."

"I'm here to hunt the Braxz." Rage replied, looking up at the guard.

"State your name." The guard shouted down.

"Rage." Rage replied.

"Go on ahead." The guard waved what appeared to be a pole ax towards the village. The wooden gate swung open to admit him entry.

Rage walked through the gate and looked up at the tower. Two men stood on a lower landing, each with a bow. He wondered why they were there, but monsters and bandits often traveled around smaller villages like Khisanu. In another minute Rage found himself walking upon a dirt packed street in Khisanu. Wooden huts and houses lined the streets, each rather unique in their designs and structure. Some looked as if they could fall over in a second. Some already had.

After walking along the dirt packed street for some time, it began to turn to stone. It was a gradual change, but soon he was walking on a fully stone road and looking at houses of much nicer quality and construction. This must be where the people with money live, he thought to himself. He would most likely find the Mayor in a much nicer part of town. Perhaps with streets paved of gold? It seemed the farther he went, the nicer things became. Then he saw exactly what he was looking for.

An official looking building sat at the very end of the long road he had traveled through the village. A stone wall offered mild protection and a decorative touch to the estate on which it sat. One thing caught Rage's attention clearly; there was a large hole on the very right side of the wall with massive cuts and drags across the ground. It looked as if something had plowed through the wall, had a battle of great proportions, then retreated in a hurry. He walked across the lawn to the spot.

Sure enough, there was a line of destruction leading from the wall through another spot in the village. Houses were clearly smashed into, and debris littered the entire place. He also noticed it was rather void of life, most likely due to hazard.

"I see you've found the second sight of attack." Somebody spoke from behind him. Rage turned on his heel.

"Attack? Are you...?" He started to ask if he were the Mayor, but stopped.

"I am Rayder Aarons, Mayor of Khisanu." He bowed slightly to Rage. "You must be Rage, the apprentice of Sarana Nova.

Rage bowed in return, a symbol of great respect. "Yes, I am." He turned slightly to look at the destruction. "The Braxz?"

"Yes, the Braxz." The Mayor stroked his beard. He was an older man, shorter than five and a half feet tall, and a little portly. His neatly combed back hair was graying, and his eyes were brown. He wore bright blue robes that almost touched the ground.

"Is it large?" Rage asked, examining the damage closer. A gash on the side of the rock much wider and deeper than even the sharpest sword could cleave.

"Very." Rayder replied. "Our only Knight, Taylor, fended off the beast at great personal injury. If you want detailed information, I would speak to him about it."

"Taylor?" Rage asked more to himself than the Mayor. "Where is he?"

"Inside." The Mayor pointed to the large official building. "We set him up a room inside because he insisted he needed to be near in case of another attack on the building."

"How long ago was the attack?" Rage asked.

"Less than two days." Rayder replied. "It has attacked twice in the last four days, and I fear it will be back before tonight."

"I better talk to Taylor, then." Rage said.

"I will take you to him. Right this way." The Mayor turned and walked towards the large white washed building, turning often to make sure Rage was still following him.

The two of them entered the building, and it was even larger from the inside than it seemed from the outside. A massive spiral staircase led to a second stair, and all of the walls were adorned with blue and white curtains, portraits, art, and stained glass. Several stands with vases and flowers stood at walls, and a massive glass chandelier hung from the ceiling by three silver chains. It was more than Rage had ever seen before.

"Nice, isn't it?" The Mayor asked Rage, noticing the look of amazement on Rage's face as he looked around. Rage nodded and snapped back to the situation at hand.

"Sorry, yes it is." Rage replied, a smile on his lips.

"Let us continue this way." The Mayor turned to the right and led Rage down two hallways and into a door that were just as amazing as the central room.

"Taylor?" The Mayor called into the room.

"Come in." A deep voice replied. The Mayor led Rage into the large room. Inside were two women and a man bandaged across the chest and head. The two women were nurses, Rage assumed.

"This is Rage." The Mayor introduced Rage to Taylor.

"This is the one who will be slaying the Braxz, Rayder?" The well built knight studied him over. Taylor had short black hair, green eyes, a scar across his left cheek, and had a very defined figure.

"Yes. Recommended by Sarana Nova." The Mayor added.

"Ah, Sarana. I once fought with her. Fierce, amazing, and very attractive." The knight recalled. "You must be good."

"I am her apprentice." Rage bowed slightly to the knight.

"Even more impressive." The knight replied, thinking to himself. "But on to the main subject. The Braxz."

Before Taylor could speak another word, a massive crash shook the entire room, a roar shook the glass in the windows, and thudding could be heard coming towards the massive building. All three of them knew what was going on.

"You, that short sword all you have?" Taylor pointed at Rage.

"Yeah." Rage nodded, his hand falling to the short sword.

"Try this." Taylor tossed his massive blade at Rage from beside his bed. It was nearly five feet in length, one foot of that was the handle alone. The blade was thick and sharp, and it weighed over five pounds.

"This thing is heavy!" Rage exclaimed as he held the blade in his hands. The thudding was getting closer.

"It can cleave the armor!" Taylor shouted as he peered out his window, scanning for the Braxz. The window faced the path the Braxz had come from and escaped down in their last encounter. Sure enough, he saw a flash of silver coming towards them, the collapse of a small building in the distance. "It's coming! Outside, now!" Taylor stood up but stumbled. He was in no condition to battle, but he wanted to be there.

"You can't go out there!" One of the women shouted at him.

"Like hell I can't!" Taylor bellowed, grabbing a crutch from the wall.

The Mayor stepped aside as Rage rushed passed him, down the hallways and into the main room they had entered. He shoved the doors open and ran into the courtyard. Another roar pierced the air and Rage nearly fell to his knees. Holding the beastly weapon that Taylor had tossed him, he rushed towards the broken part of the fence where he knew the beast would be coming from.

Both Braxz and Rage ran forward, towards each other, and he remembered his battle the previous day. Rage jumped to the side a moment before the Braxz would have crushed him, swinging the massive blade in a horizontal arc. The edge of the blade clipped the left leg of the beast, sending silver scales through the air. Now that the Braxz was right close to him, he realized how big it really was. Rage's head barely came up to the bottom of the beast's stomach!

The Braxz swung its tail around at Rage, but he managed to catch the force of the impact against the flat of Taylor's blade. The attack stumbled Rage, but he quickly caught his balanced and shot forward for another strike. With both hands firmly on the blade, he swung in another massive horizontal arc at the Braxz's leg. A cry of pain filled the air as the blade cleaved in the same spot it had a moment ago.

Scales and Blood flew through the air around the blade, but the swing had taken much of Rage's stamina. The Braxz retaliated with anger, one of its slender arms coming around for a cleaving blow against Rage. He barely made it in time, lifting the massive blade from the ground, but managed to block a fatal strike. The hooked talon of the Braxz's arm dug into his shoulder, but the rest of the beast's blade had been stopped by Rage's blade.

"Get off me!" Rage bellowed, his quick exhaustion replaced with the anger that flooded him as soon as the talon had struck. In an instant his hair and eyes became blood red. Rage swung the massive blade faster and with more force than before, this time with only one hand. The Braxz's talon was struck away and Rage jumped backwards. The two face each other for several seconds, and Taylor made his way out the front door with the Mayor.

Rage shot forward once more, swinging the blade with right hand from ground to air in a swift vertical strike aimed for the Braxz's neck. The Braxz reared back as the blade came forward, barely evading the swift strike. The beast fell over onto its back and Rage was quick to follow up with a jump forward and a downward vertical strike against the beast. There was a loud crack as the blade was stopped dead on the side of the Braxz. Scales shattered under the impact, but ultimately stopped the entire slash from dealing a fatal blow.

Surprised, Rage jumped backwards as the Braxz stood up and shook off the attack. Scales, both broken and unbroken, fell from what could have been a fatal strike. Now that the Braxz was fully aware of its opponent in the situation, it was acting much more cautious, just as the one Rage had fought the previous day. But that didn't mean it was going to back down.

Catching his breath, Rage assessed the situation. The Braxz was holding its ground waiting for Rage to make the first move. It was the same stance the Braxz the previous day had tail whipped him from. He ran forward, gripping the blade with both hands, covering the short distance between them in no time at all. He saw it before it happened this time. A twitch of the tail, a turn of the Braxz's leg, then the massive swing of the beast's tail towards him. Rage spun and jumped, the tail smashing into the sword and knocking it clear of his grip as he defended with it.

Before the Braxz could even register what was happening, Rage landed a fierce punch upon the beast's head between its eyes. The Braxz reared back instinctively, knocking Rage backwards through the air harmlessly. He landed on his feet and glanced around for the blade he had lost during the attack. It was near the building, a short run backwards. Rage didn't want to lure the beast closer to the building, through, so for now the sword was out of the question.

Rage watched the beast backtrack towards the stone fence, swinging its arms wildly against the ground and then the fence. With each strike, more debris was cleaved from its surroundings. When the Braxz was no longer facing him, Rage reacted, running forward towards the beast. Rage jumped and planted one foot on the stone fence, just as the Braxz noticed him, then jumped up and planted a fist into the side of the Braxz where the blade had cleaved free most of the scales.

The force of the punch was enough to knock the beast over, but not before the thick tail of the creature smashed into Rage's side. The impact of the tail sent Rage up and towards the building, landing him painfully upon the roof, then upon the ground as he slid off. Even Taylor, who was still watching, flinched at the sight of Rage's body slumping against the ground with a painful smack. Rage twitched slightly, his hair and eyes pulsing slightly with a deeper color of red.

"This... is..." Rage spat out a little bit of blood from biting the inside of his mouth on the fall. "Not over." He glanced to the side and stood up, walking over and grabbing the blade that was knocked from his grasp earlier.

The Braxz stumbled to its feet and turned to face Rage. It released another fierce roar and drug its right foot across the ground slowly. It was going to charge.

"Be careful!" Taylor shouted.

Rage nodded and stood up, gripping Taylor's blade in his right hand. The pulse of red that emanated through Rage's eyes and hair now went through the entire blade. Taylor and the Mayor noticed this phenomenon but said nothing if it. The Braxz charge forward, and so did Rage. He pulled the blade back behind him and jumped, swinging the blade in a full force vertical slash from air to ground. The Braxz collided in perfect sync with the blade and the resounding smack was sickening.

The blade stuck in the forehead of the Braxz, but not enough for a killing blow. Rage released the blade and hit the ground as the Braxz stumbled backwards, desperately trying to remove the blade from its thick skull. The Braxz thrashed across the ground, fence, and into a building just outside the courtyard.

"Finish it!" Taylor shouted.

Rage glanced down at the blade at his hip. The short sword that Sarana had given him just before he departed. He knew exactly what to do. He unsheathed the blade and flipped it so that he was holding the tip of the blade.

"What are you waiting for?" Taylor shouted.

Rage glanced back and pulled his arm back with the blade. Now! He whipped the blade forward with all of his strength. Spinning rapidly it soared towards the unsuspecting Braxz, just as the beast managed to free itself from the massive blade wedged into it's skull. The Braxz turned just slightly as the short sword would have struck blade first into its wounded side. Instead the short sword glanced off and slammed into the fallen building behind the beast.

The Braxz charged forward towards the building, but more importantly towards Rage specifically. Rage shot forward as well, covering ground just as fast as the lumbering beast. The Braxz lowered its head and Rage pulled back his fist. A moment later the Braxz's head collided with Rage's fist, sending Rage flying backwards into the wall of the building, and sending the Braxz reeling backwards into the ground. Both were unmoving.

"Is it dead?" The Mayor asked Taylor.

"I don't know." Taylor replied.

Rage twitched again, sharply inhaling a breath as he stared out over the courtyard at the Braxz's unmoving body. He fell forward upon his hands and knees, then to his feet. He moved slowly towards the Braxz, holding his ribcage on his right side. Rage kicked the body of the Braxz. No response. He moved closer to the head of the beast, to take a look at their finishing blows. The beast's entire forehead was cleaved open from the final strike, but mostly from the blade being wedged so deeply within earlier. The force of the punch had cracked bone and shattered what the sword had started.

"Is it dead?" The Mayor called out, having taken cover several feet behind Taylor. Rage nodded. "Good, good!"

Taylor inched forward, staring in awe at the lifeless beast. This boy had actually killed the thing! Not only that, but had swung his blade around with such force, with one hand! He was awed by the entire event that had passed before his eyes. How could somebody so young have such power? He knew it had something to do with the change of color, and even the pulsing of red. It was no wonder he was Sarana's apprentice.

Rage awoke to find himself in an identical room to the one he had met Taylor in before the battle against the Braxz. His head hurt and his back was in a state of extreme pain and discomfort. He sat up, tears coming to his eyes as he did so.

"You're awake." A familiar female voice spoke to him from beside his bed.

"Sarana?" Rage shook off his tiredness and pain for the moment. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you I would be a day behind you." She replied.

"What?" Rage asked, looking out the window. The fog of a new morning was fresh in the air. "Morning?"

"Yes. Rayder informed me that you have slain the Braxz." Sarana said calmly. "Taylor said it was impressive work."

"Yeah..." Rage laid back down on the bed. It was too painful to remain sitting.

"It also seems you took quite the beating." Sarana paused. "But you're alive."

Rage nodded. "What now?" He asked.

"Rayder has your payment, and Taylor has requested a word with you. After that, back to the estate for rest and training." Sarana replied.

"Sounds..." Rage paused. "Good?" He really didn't feel like moving much, that was for sure. "When?"

"Today, hopefully, but feel free to rest awhile longer." Sarana stood up. "I'll be with Rayder when you are up and around."

"Thanks." Rage replied, closing his eyes. He knew even if he tried there would be no falling asleep, it was just one of those times.

Rage slowly pulled himself to the edge of the bed and looked around. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his bandaged chest, then stood up. The pain was immense! He shuddered and twitched with pain, but each movement made it more bearable. Must be muscle stiffness, he though to himself. He limped slowly around the room for several minutes before being able to take a step without hesitation.

He pushed the door to the room open and found himself in a familiar looking hallway. To the right was a path that led farther into the building, and straight ahead of him was to the entrance room. Rage headed straight, towards a familiar part of the building.

"Up sooner than I thought!" Taylor's voice greeted him from a room off to his left. He stepped out into the hallway and briefly sized Rage up.

"Yeah, can't be wasting time laying about." Rage replied.

"Sounds like good thinking." Taylor replied.

"Sarana said you wanted to see me?" Rage asked.

"Yes, yes I did. I'll make it brief, though. What you did out there was amazing. I honestly didn't think you had it in you to defeat that thing. I was wrong." Taylor paused and stepped backward into the room. He lifted a large blade from beside the door that was resting against it. "This was the blade I used while I was training to become a knight. It's sizable, but without all the weight of one such as my own." Taylor held out the blade to Rage.

"Are you sure?" Rage asked, unsure about taking the weapon.

"Positive. After witnessing what you did, I believe you deserve it. Also, it will do you much better than that short sword you had." Taylor grinned.

"Thank you." Rage bowed, holding out his hands and taking the blade. "I will practice with it, you have my word."

"Good." Taylor nodded. "Now get moving. Wouldn't want to keep Rayder waiting, nor Sarana for that matter. They're probably outside about now." He pointed down the hallway that Rage had been traveling.

Rage nodded his thanks and headed down the hallway. It wasn't long before he reached the entryway and pushed his way through the doors to the courtyard. To the left where he fought the Braxz he saw Sarana and Rayder. They were pointing to the various placed in courtyard where the battle had taken place and chatting. He approached slowly.

"There you are!" Rayder turned, noticing his approach when he got closer to them. "I was just explaining to Sarana the battle in more detail! But you two probably need to get back to your other duties soon!"

"There is no rush, Rayder." Sarana assured him. "I doubt he will be in training condition for several days, and there are no other contracts that require my attention."

"Then how about you stay for the night? We can have a banquet and you can leave in the morning." Rayder nodded to himself.

"That sounds great." Sarana smiled.

"What do you think?" Rayder asked Rage.

"Food and rest sounds good to me." Rage replied.

"Then I shall make the preparations!" Rayder turned and bowed to Sarana and Rage. "I shall see you tonight."

"Tonight we celebrate the defeat of the Braxz!" Mayor Rayder stood upon a platform that overlooked a massive dining area. Tables filled the entire room, seating more than a couple hundred individuals. "We will rebuild! We will restore what has been lost! We will mourn the lives lost! But tonight, we dine!" Rayder held up his glass for all to see.

The crowd roared with approval and many glassed rose and clinked together in cheers for the night. Rayder walked down the steps of the platform and joined the table that seated Rage, Sarana, Taylor, and several other important looking people.

"Nice speech." Sarana commented as Rayder sat down at the table.

"I try." Rayder smiled at her and looked at the food upon the table before them. Slabs of beef, hearty pieces of chicken, trays of steamed vegetables, fruit, gravies, breads, and drinks sat upon the table. The other tables were lined with a similar variety of food.

"So how does it feel finishing your first hunt?" Sarana asked Rage after several minutes. They both had plated full of food and were eating heartily.

"Painful, but good." Rage replied.

"If it weren't painful, I wouldn't call it a true hunt!" Sarana laughed. Every hunt had its share of pain, even if it wasn't physical.

They nodded in silent agreement and went on with their meals. The chatter rose and died down throughout the span of a couple hours. Some left, many more stayed, and others fell over drunk in their seats. There was another retelling of the battle against the Braxz and Rage shook his head, embarrassed at many exaggerated details. He wouldn't spoil the fun.

After while the noise died down and more people left. Eventually it was time for Rage to turn in. Pain seeped through ever joint and muscle in his body to the point were he could barely sit still. He said his farewells and parted for bed, leaving the adults to their discussions. The last thought he had before falling asleep was the look of approval on Sarana's face when she spoke of his victory over the Braxz.

In the morning they parted with few words, and Rayder gave Rage his payment in full. He looked back on the town as he and Sarana rode out on a carriage towards home. He would be back, whether it was a hunt or no. But that would be another day.