It was difficult getting to sleep after everything that had happened that day, more specifically that hour, but eventually I found myself adrift in a really weird dream in which I was the owner of a wicker basket weaving business, and a Blood Shroom that looked more like a goomba from a Mario game wanted to buy one of my baskets. The sale was interrupted when a loud banging on the door ripped me from the dream, it took me a moment to transition from abruptly awoken to begrudgingly awake. The banging repeated, "Yeah, yeah, give me a sec!" I called out, pulling the covers off and sitting up. I reach for my pants, but they weren't where I left them the night prior, I scan the room to see if maybe I had misremembered where I put them, but still my pants were missing, at which point I saw my armor was gone also, along with my coin purse. I was now wide awake as reality had set in; I had been robbed. The banging at the door persisted and got louder, "Alright, I'm coming!" I exclaim, 'This is just perfect!' I mentally complain, 'I've been in this world two days and I've already gotten robbed, you'd think being a Hero would grant you some immunity from the criminal element, but NOOOOOooooo. Fuck, how am I going to explain this to Calianna?' The day had only just begun, and it was already awful. As I walked to the door, wearing only a t shirt and boxers, I hoped for some sort of silver lining, like breakfast in bed with plentiful bacon, but as I opened the door I found a trio of armed guards, the one in front held up a piece of paper and said "Isaac Crowe, you are hereby under arrest!"

Before my brain could muster a response, the guards took me by the arms, chaining my wrists and throwing a burlap sack over my head. Though I couldn't see, I could hear the murmuring of the inn's patrons as I was dragged from the building. I tried to walk on my own but the guards who held my arms walked with such urgency I might as well have been paralyzed from the waist down. I was put in a carriage that took off the moment the door closed. I didn't know where these men were taking me, but the ride was painfully long, and just plain painful, between being crushed between the metal clad guards at my sides and the way the carriage shook as the roads turned to cobblestone. As soon as the carriage stopped, I was picked up again and dragged, when we stopped, the guards threw me to the ground and onto my knees. The bag was ripped from my head and was confused by the sight that laid before me; the King, Cardinal Kellen, the other Heroes and "Calianna!" I exclaimed, relieved in the hopes that she might explain what's going on, though my relief was short lived as one of the guards jabbed the butt of his spear into my gut, "Quiet you!" he commanded. My gaze, having been forced to the ground, now laid upon a block of wood with a round divot in it, as well as cuts on the side of the divot. 'An executioner's block.' I realized

"Isaac Crowe," The King began, saying my name with venom in his voice, "You have been charged with the most heinous crime of forcing yourself onto a woman against her will. How do you plea?" "I-what!" My mind raced and I could barely form a sentence. 'What is going on? I woke up to find I had been robbed and now I'm being charged with rape?' I looked to the others, now realizing that all the Heroes were glaring at me as if their gaze could start a fire, the exception being Rin who refused to even look in my direction. I looked to Calianna, who stood behind William looking terrified, a dark bruise visible under her eye. 'Wait, do they think I-' The King slammed his fist down onto the arm of his throne. "Answer me, you vile cur!" He shouted, shaking me from my thoughts. "I didn't do it, I swear!" I exclaimed, but my objection was met with "Liar!" by William. "Calianna told us everything, about how you threw her to monsters to make killing them easier for you, how you beat her when she disagreed with you, how you...you..." It looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. "What, but I didn't do any of those things! Calianna, why are you lying?" I asked, Calianna flinched at my question, receding further behind the Hero of The Sun. "You bastard, how dare you!" William cried out, drawing his sword. "Sir William, contain yourself!" The King commanded, "But he-" William tried to object, but the King reined him in. "I know your pain, Sir William, as King, it is my duty to protect my people. The thought that I allowed this...this...monster to walk among my people, it is a shame I can never live down, however this is a kingdom of laws and order, and we shall deal with this criminal as such!"

"Aren't I allowed to make my case? You said this is a kingdom of laws, but you haven't let me tell my side of the story." I plead. I was never really interested in shows about law, and knew even less regarding medieval, fantasy world legal systems, but at the very least I knew what cross examination was. "Guards, muzzle this mad dog!" The King commanded. 'Oh, right, I forgot about the brilliant legal technique known as "Fuck you, I'm the King."' I tried to resist, but a swift punch to the face allowed the guards to gag me with a rope. While the others looked at the scene with expressions that said they agreed with what was happening, Rin appeared to have doubts. "Your Majesty, is this really necessary?" Rin asked, earning the glares of the rest. "Of course it's necessary, this rapist piece of trash would say anything to save his skin." William answered, but the King interjected. "At ease, Sir William." The King rose from his seat and faced The Hero of The Stars. "You wish to hear a testimony, Sir Rin? Very well, let us hear the testimony of the woman who sought help, beaten and defiled with tears in her eyes." The King gestured to Calianna, her head down, arms and legs close to her body as if to appear smaller. "If-if I must." She began, her voice hoarse and small. "As I've said: after we left the castle, we made our way to an area I believed would be a good place to test Isaac's combat abilities, we found some simple Blood Shrooms, but as I was instructing how one deals with such meager monsters, he threw me onto the ground to bait the creatures. I can still see their grotesque maws when I close my eyes and feel their horrible tendrils on my body." She was lying.

I could only sit there and watch as Calianna told a fiction of yesterday's events, though I was gagged I tried to object, but when I did one of the guards would just knock me in the head or jab me with their spear. Calianna continued, "After that we went to a rather shady inn, one that didn't cost too much or ask too many questions. There I beseeched him that the day after we should go to the adventurer's guild, but he dismissed me, saying that the crown would pay him whatever he demanded, or else he would refuse to fight." 'You're the one that didn't want to go to the adventurer's guild, you said the kingdom would give us more money.' "After that, he began guzzling beer as if it were water, while I was forced to choke down a bowl of vile gruel, all the while he said I would "need my strength."" 'Another lie, I don't drink, and the food was just fine.' "When I tried to leave, to try and get some rest, he followed me, barging in, drunk and... hungry. I tried to fight back but he beat me to the ground, then he began to strip me, not just my clothes, but my modesty, my dignity, my... chastity." Her voice cracked as she began crying, "When he was finished, I ran, and by the grace of The Elements I ran into Sir William, who was so kind as to help me in such a ruined state." She sobbed, diving into Blondie's arms as he tried to soothe her. "Satisfied?" Blondie asks, Rin just looks away.

"I've heard all I need to." The King returns to his throne, looking down at me with furrowed brow as I look at him in kind. "Isaac Crowe, for your crimes I hereby sentence you to death!" I feel my heart quicken, as a man, much larger than the other guards walks in carrying a large sword with a flat tip, an executioner's sword. 'This is actually happening; I'm going to die!' My mind raced as I tried to escape, but the two guards behind me pushed me onto the block, my neck in the divot. I tried to shake them off but to no avail, I tried shouting, an objection, a plea, anything, but the result was the same. I froze when I felt the cold steel of the blade on my neck as the executioner measured his swing. I look up at the faces of those I had come to know in this world, most watched with expectation, or hate, some averted their eyes, but it was one face that caught my eye: Calianna's. I didn't know why she lied about what had happened, I thought maybe she had been manipulated, or maybe this was all some bad dream, but as I looked at her, my life about to end, I saw her tear-stricken cheeks turn up into a sick, sadistic smile as she waved goodbye.

In that moment, everything became clear: Calianna wasn't lying because she was being manipulated, she was the manipulator! She'd set me up, 'But why?' I thought, 'Why would she do this? I was only ever kind to her.' Memories rushed through my mind as I tried to find some reason she might have to do this. 'This couldn't be about making her drink alone or going to the adventurer's guild, could it? Would someone really kill for something so small?' As I searched for understanding, I found it in the way she wrapped her arms around The Hero of The Sun and nuzzled into his chest, the way she called him "Sir William," while I was just "Isaac." 'She's trading up! That bitch!' As the reality of the situation came crashing down, my feelings of hopelessness and desperation were replaced by a blood boiling anger. 'All this time, she was putting on an act, stringing me along, and for what, shits and giggles? This two-faced bitch saw some hopeless loser of a Hero and thought "Hey, he looks like fun, I think I'll frame him and watch him die, then I'll have a good sob story for the next one." Mother fucker, I bet that pretty boy fuck was in on it too!' My teeth dug into the rope as the thought of those two, laughing and plotting against me seared itself into my mind. The cuffs cut into my wrists as I tried to break free of them, not to escape death, but to wrap my hands around their necks as I saw the life fade from their eyes.

As the executioner brought his blade down to sever my head from my neck, everything went red and a shockwave erupted from my body, breaking the chains that bound me as well as throw the guards back. I got to my feet and looking up I saw the now terrified faces of those that, not a moment ago, would have gladly seen me killed. I looked down at my hands, they were glowing with the same crimson energy as when I summoned my dagger, and when the dagger absorbed my phone. Then, as if just by thinking about it, the dagger appeared in my hand out of thin air, and never before did it feel so right in my hand. I looked back to the traitorous bitch, her fear of me was real, I could smell it, and it made me smile the same sick, sadistic smile she wore moments before.

"Guards, kill him!" The King cried out, the two spearmen thrust their spears at me. The spears were easy to avoid, I jumped backward, but I was now within range of the executioner's swing. I managed to pivot on my foot and in one fluid motion slice his throat and catch his hands. I couldn't see the expression behind the executioner's helmet, but as he fell to his knees, trying to stop the blood flowing from his neck, I could tell it was one of fear and shock. The room was silent as the executioner's body fell onto its side, the blood pooling. I had just killed a man, a human being, and it felt so... good.

I looked over to the spearmen, their shaky hands gripping their weapons tightly, I chuckled at the thought of these two fools trying to kill me then turned to the so called "Heroes." They surrounded the King and Cardinal, weapons drawn. 'I could kill them.' I thought, 'I could kill them all, who would stop me? Who could stop me?' This feeling I felt was like nothing I had experienced before, 'Is this what being high feels like?' I took a step towards the frightened group, but before I could take another, an arrow of light shot past my head, grazing my cheek. I touched the spot, a single drop of blood beading on my cheek, I looked to the bow wielding Hero, Rin's face was one of determination. Out of all the Heroes, Rin was the only one who didn't seem okay with my execution, he might have even believed me when I said I was innocent, but in this moment, he looked ready to kill me, and that made me laugh a bit. "Well, I guess that's it then." I said, though I barely recognized my own voice. "Officially out of the club! Just as well, though, can't say I really cared for being a hero, too many rules, not enough rewards." "You're sick!" Dani chastised, "Maybe, but at least I'm not stupid." I shot back. "Tell you what, though, how's about a deal? You stay out of my way, and I won't kill you, how's that sound?" "You vile, traitorous, honorless-" The King stumbled, trying to regain some modicum of control though everyone could see he had none. "You are no Hero, you're not even a man, you are a devil!" "Ooooooo, a devil? I do like the sound of that." I mocked the disheveled monarch. "Call me whatever you want, but I'm going to end The Blight and go home, even if I have to do it on top of a mountain of corpses, I'll do it without any help from any of you. And as for you," I gesture to the lying bitch with my dagger, "I'll be looking forward to when we next meet." I turn to leave but stop as I'm in the doorway. "Oh, and Claire?" I call out to the Aussie, "I finally came up with a name for my weapon: Guillotine, the king killer." I laughed as I left, the maniacal sound echoing as I fled from the castle.

I managed to escape from the castle just before the King called for every guard in the city, and now found myself in the shit filled back alleys of the lower district of the city. The high I was riding had subsided, and the reality of the situation had come crashing down like a ton of bricks. I began hyperventilating, my knees were weak, my stomach was in knots, and I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. I couldn't tell if it was from the smell of human waste, or nerves, or maybe both, but my stomach wretched and I threw up what little was in my stomach from the previous night. When the heaving and hiccups stopped, I wiped the tears from my eyes and tried to clear my still burning throat. 'Okay Isaac, let's stop and think about this: you were about to be killed for a crime you didn't commit, then you unleashed some sort of power you didn't know you had and killed a man.' It felt as though someone had dropped a bowling ball into my stomach. 'Oh god, I killed someone. I murdered someone! It was self-defense, but he was just doing his job!' And just like that, the shaking was back.

I was too distracted by my own thoughts to notice someone approaching. "It's you!" I heard a familiar voice say, I turn and see the shop owner from yesterday. "You picked the wrong alley, you son of a bitch!" The shop owner said, cracking his knuckles as he got closer. While it wasn't the same as it was in the castle, I could feel fire in my veins as the large man grabbed my shoulder. I turned and threw my fist as hard as I could, making contact with the man's nose. The punch had caught him by surprise, and I pushed him up against the wall, my dagger at his throat. The man held his hands up, fear strewn across his face. As I thought about opening the man's throat as I had done so before, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the blade. I hardly recognized myself, I looked less like the guy I see in the mirror and more like some wild animal, and I could see blood on my face. It wasn't the blood from the cut Rin's arrow gave me, no, it was his blood, the blood of the man I murdered. The memories began flashing before my eyes, how he tried desperately to stop the bleeding, the coughing sounds he made as he struggled to breathe, and the silence of when he was gone.

I dropped Guillotine and tried fervently to wipe the blood from my face with the front of my t shirt. I backed up into the wall opposite of the shop owner, sliding to the ground as I gripped my hair, wishing the pain would make me forget the memories. Neither I nor the shop owner moved from our spots for a time. "Did you do it?" I heard the man ask. "What?" I ask back, "Did you do what they say you did, rape that girl you came in here with?" I let out a defeated sigh and ask "Does it matter?" I hear the man move inside his shop, but I don't bother to look up. 'Maybe it'd be better if I had let them kill me.' I began to think, glancing toward the discarded dagger, thinking it might be better to go out on my own terms than someone else's, but before I reach for the weapon, a bundle of clothes is dropped into my lap. "Take off your shirt and put those on, you'll look like a bum off the street, but nobody goes looking for bums." The shop owner said. "I-what?" I blurt out in my confusion. "I'm guessing you don't have any coin on you, so let's just say you'll pay me the ten Copper later." He continued, paying no mind to my bafflement. "Hang on, what is happening?" I ask, standing to address the man directly. "What's happening is you're a wanted man, but I get the feeling there's more to the story. Everybody's going to be looking for you, so you've got to look like someone else, hence why you've got to get rid of that shirt." I shook my head and gave in, relinquishing the last piece of home aside from my boxers. The shop owner was right when he said I'd look like a bum off the street, the clothes were plain and smelled of dirt, but the boots were a size too small. "Got any other boots?" I ask, but the shop owner just shook his head. I knew better than to go without footwear, the feeling of what I prayed was mud between my toes was very uncomfortable. I ended up taking Guillotine and cutting out a spot for my toes in the boots, they fit well enough and really sold the whole hobo look I was going for. The last thing the shop owner gave me was a belt with a scabbard on it. "You'll need something to carry that knife in." he said. I considered throwing the dagger away, 'That's what you do with murder weapons, isn't it?' I thought as I stared down at the weapon. "Hey!" The shop owner said as he nudged my shoulder, "You can try and run from your mistakes all you want, but you can't run from who you are." I thought about the man's words for a moment before taking the scabbard, sheathing my dagger and throwing the belt around my waist. I could tell the scabbard had changed, just as the last had, but I had already gotten used to weird things like that and ignored it.

I thanked the man and made my way to leave. "What will you do now? Where will you go from here?" The man asked, I stopped and looked to the man over my shoulder and said "I'll do whatever it takes to get home."