Varics leg was swollen and infected pus leaking out slowly. My leg was no better.. We had slept the night up on the tree or at least had tried too, but our injuries made it so that sleep was nearly impossible.

The wolves continued to circle underneath the tree, yipping and growling, saliva coming from their mouths and dripping onto the forest floor beneath them.

That’s when realised that if I didn’t find a way to escape soon that I was going to die.

I looked down at the wolves and then I looked at Varic, “Any ideas?” He looked down at his leg, then looked at my leg, “There is no running, even if we do make it back to the plantation Master will give us the whipping of our lives.” He took a breath, his face downcast and full of pain. “Soon enough the guards are gonna come looking we both know Master hated losing property, and if the guards do find us.... then wolves or not we’re dead meat. We just need to choose our way to die.” He looked back at his leg, his eyes filled with despair and started to cry,

Cry for all the things that he had lost, cry for all the hopelessness of the situation, cry because of the bone sticking out of his leg.

Then I cried too. I cried remembering my mother, I cried for the injustice of it all, I cried because there was no hope. I cried most of all because there was nothing we could do. Then I remembered.

I remembered the sound of the whip as it his Varics back, the pained cries that were released into the air. I remembered as I turned over and slept. I remembered my mother limp and broken on the cold, bloodied dirt that was her final resting place, and the grin that stretched across my masters face.

I tilted my head back screamed, and howled, and roared. I knew then that I would survive. No matter the cost.

I would survive and then I would make Master pay.

Varic looked at me, a look that said he understood, that he understood that none would stand against us.

...

Rain was pouring down in droves, and the wind was coming just as fast. Even the wolves while still remaining under the tree were whimpering and whining, circling around our captor and sanctuary slowly. Varic and I on the other hand were in much worse condition, both our legs were horribly infected and we were in constant and continuous agony, our moans and cries carried along the winds and then lost. The one good thing about the rain was that it cooled our parched throats, and let us suffer for a little while longer.

...

The wind was howling, whistling, and coming much harder than ever before. Our tree was swaying wildly and it was all I could do to hold on, Varic was doing the same. I could smell the matted and damp fur of the wolves, I could feel the wind pushing against the tree, howling as it did, like a vengeful spirit that had found its mark. For hours it went on, the wind against the earth. The tree swaying wildly but holding on.

It was then that the wolves left, probably taking shelter against the intense storm, they knew that their prey couldn’t go far not with a storm like this and injured body parts.

Varic and I exchanged looks wondering what to do, if we made a run for it we probably wouldn’t get far, but maybe we could find safer place. I made thoughts known.

“I think we’re safe, Var!” I yelled, making myself heard over the tempest.

That was when I heard the crack, and felt the tree start to bend beneath me. The wind was too powerful and the tree to weak.

It didn’t happen all at once, but it was still fast. I realised that there was nothing that I could do.

The tree was falling, and I realised something.

That I was powerless.

Insignificant.

Weak.

I hated the feeling, the feeling of having no control.

I forcibly rode the tree, holding on for dear life, all the way down to its horrific collision with the ground. The collision jarred my entire body, and made me lose my grip, lose my grip and fall into a pit. That was the last thing I saw before my vision faded into black.

...

I woke with a splitting headache, a horrible pain in my side, and the continued agony in my leg..... except that this time it was in my other leg as well, looking down I saw multiple bone pieces sticking from appendages, then looking at my side at saw that it was in no better condition then my legs.

I could still breathe but each breath was but a gasp, a gasp full of pain. I continued to look and saw Varic clutching a piece wood that protruded from his abdomen, he was in pain I could tell but so was I.

Continuing to look I saw that we were in a pit, we had landed on the unfortunate bodies of some animals that I did not recognise.

That was when I heard the scream, and horrible ear-wrenching thing, but not a thing of pain or horror but a scream that seemed to have been birthed from delight. It was something that I never wanted to hear again.

The scream abruptly cut off, replaced by a man, a man with a table upon which sat a.....brain? Or at least what looked a brain, a quivering mass of white bloody substance.

“Hello, there. Who might you be?” He summoned a knife and started to carefully cut the brain in front of him.

There was something about this man that was seriously wrong, I could see it in his eyes, and he was cutting up a brain of an unidentified creature. I started retch. Varics eyes going wide with horror.

“Now, now, now, that’s not very nice.” The man spoke in a tone as if he was chastising a little child for stealing a cookie, “The human brain is an interesting thing,” He held up the brain in his hand fresh, bloody, and glistening, a horrifying piece of red meat. “The average brain weighs about three pounds, sometimes they get as large four pounds if your lucky,” He giggled, “You have to be careful when playing with a brain though it feels like heated butter... firm, but still bouncy, it is in fact quite fragile, if you’re not careful a part might, just..... fall off.” He said this last bit with a flourish, ripping off a part of the brain with a wet tearing sound and letting it fly into the air and land on the ground where it splattered into a red mark upon the pits floor.

I really did throw up that time, letting loose the little food I had left within my stomach. I had a feeling that if I wasn’t careful it might be my brain on that operating table, being cut up for that sick mans amusement.

“Sorry sir, but I don’t know what your getting at.” I whispered subserviently.

“YOU MADMAN!” Varic shouted at the same time, spittle coming from his mouth.

With a wave of the mans hand Varic fell backward, unconscious, but still breathing. “So rude, so rude.” The man muttered

“Anywaaaay, I can see that your in a bit of predicament here, trapped within a pit with no way to get out. I too am suffering from a problem such as that.” He sighed, put the brain down and started to cut it once more, the knife entering it with sucking sound. “I am trapped in a place called the In Between, trapped there by malevolent entity that refused to keep a deal!” He shouted this last part, and took the brain in his hand and ripped to pieces, a snarl upon his face. Then he stopped and his face took on the look of a kindly grandfather helping a young child. “I have a deal to make with you youngling, I will make you my avatar, my chosen one if you will, in return,” He smiled. “You release me from my prison, kill the god who trapped me, and serve me until the end of your days.”

This man was mad! There would be know way in all the hells that I would agree to serve a man like that, and kill a god? Release him? No way.

“Sir, I see that you are a honourable and good man, but I must respectfully decline your offer.”

The man sighed as if he was expecting this answer, “It is obvious that you do not know what the benefits of this are, it is also obvious that you do not who I am. I am the Madman!” He looked at me expectantly.

I looked back in what I hoped was awe, I had never heard of him.

“You do not know who I am.” It was not a question and was uttered in a flat almost monotone voice. “IDIOT!” He suddenly screamed, a scream akin to the one he let loose before appearing in the cavern, causing me to flinch back and gasp in pain as my bones cut through my skin.

“You do not know of the Madman? The scourge of Aetherians, annihilator of the Heavenly Hunt, and blight upon all sentient races?” He was talking fast and animatedly this time, pacing back and forth apparently determined to end my ignorance. “He who exchanged blows with Death, killed greater demon lord Voran’ininan, and subduer of one of the fallen gods of the infernal realm?” He peered into my eyes, “Now have you heard of me?”

I took a deep breath, this man was more powerful than I had realised. He might be my key to power. The key to killing my master, the key to vengeance. “Now I have, and I would like to ask what the benefits of being your avatar are.”

The Madman smiled and began to talk, “There are four types of power in this world, six to some, but four that you need know about.” He took a deep breath, “The first are the marked; those that have been marked by the gods, and have powerful abilities related to the domain that the god rules over. They are the paladins, but don’t be fooled just as not all gods are good the same applies to the marked, they are powerful combatants that are bolstered even further when fighting for a cause that increases the power of that gods domain.”

“The second are the empowered, the most mystical of the four. They take on the powers of one of the greater elemental aspects, not the elemental gods, but the primal aspects of what those gods embody. They do not have the pure power of the marked, but they are like a jack of all trades, they have aspects of both the gifted and the marked. They are what are known as spellswords. Beware, their powers.”

“The third are the gifted,” his face curled in disdain. “The wizards, the sorcerers, the healers, they are powerful when they have studied for years but are otherwise weak and need others to protect them.”

“The fourth are the avatars, what you would become, they are chosen by a powerful entity like myself.” He gestured to himself and let out a laugh, “They are the closest to marked, yet have subtle, but profound differences, they become the embodiment of their entity and eventually become what their entity is, it is confusing but know that avatars grow in power as their patron grows in power. They are like warlocks, or emissaries.”

He gestured around grandiosely, “I can grant you power, the power to feel no pain, the power to crush your emotions, the power to stop that would do wrong. By saying yes you can become a hero among men! You can slay those that put you into captivity! You can have freedom! You can have choice! You can choose what happens, no longer will life pass you by! You can take it by the horns and guide it where you will.” He summoned a crystal, and held it out to me, “Accept this crystal, make a sacrifice, and power will be yours!”

It was like an irresistible force was pushing me, urging me to take the crystal, take the power that lay before me.

I remembered my mother, crying out in pain, blood running down her back, Master standing over her and grinning. It was then that I remembered something that my grandmother once said, “Remember, whenever something seems to good to be true, it usually is.”

I hesitated, thinking about my mother, and the words that my grandmother had instilled in me, I started to draw my hand away. That was when the Madman stomped the ground shaking it and drawing my thoughts away. The irresistible feeling came back, along with new thoughts.

It’s only with the Madmans power that I can take revenge.

My grandmother was right, thing is this isn’t too good to be true, after all I will have to serve him.

I could take control and help all the slaves.

I could save them.

I reached out and took the gem.

I immediately felt the power coursing through, it was tangible, real, I felt it heal my injuries my bones knitting back together, it was better than anything I had ever felt before. Intermixed was pain and doubt but most of all I felt the power, it was visceral; and it was greater than anything that I had ever tasted before.

That was when the Madman grinned, “Now, time for the sacrifice.” A knife appeared in his hand.

He pointed at Varic, lying still on the ground, “Slit his throat.”

He asked me to slit the throat of the only friend I had in the world, the only friend that I could trust. This was too much, too much to ask, too much to do.

“Master,” I came out of bondage only to be put into bondage by another being, “Anyone but him, anything but him, he can be useful to me.”

“Exactly why you must kill him, no avatar of mine can have weakness, and this boy is your weakness, kill him and be done with it.” The Madman’s reply came, full of disdain.

I remembered how he gave me the gold coin for my birthday, I remembered how he comforted me after my mothers death. Powerful or not this was an order that I had to refuse.

“Master, you assume that he is my friend and that I care for him, you are wrong, I only ask you to spare him for he could be a good servant, a good minion if you will.” My voice wavered and shook.

The Madman smiled, “Stupid, stupid, stupid, I know that you care for this boy, it is easy to see.” His face turned ugly, “I am thousands of years old, and thousands of others more skilled than you have tried to beguile me with words, do as I say, now.”

I felt fear enter into my heart, hoplessness, these were the feelings that I tried to escape, the feelings that I thought taking the gem would end.

I took the knife, and tried to plunge into my own heart. Only for it to stop an inch away from my skin. I tried again only for the same thing to happen, I looked up at the Madman, and saw that he was smiling.

He started to giggle and then he started to laugh. “Aaaaaaaah,” he let out a sigh, “Avatar, avatar, avatar, there are hundreds of others that would gladly take this chance, but you? Nooooo, you spit in the face of the gift I give you,” He came to me and backhanded me across the face, he seemed to look into the distance, “Guess I’ll have to take matters into my own hands then.”

He started to talk, fast and very, very persuasive.

“It’ll be okay, Ajax.”

“He’s right.” thoughts came unbidden to my head.

“Power is all that you need, no matter the cost.”

“All I need is power.”

“I am your master, your friend is useless to me.”

“My friend is usele-“ This was wrong, something was messing with my head, I felt dizzy and nauseas, something was very, very wrong “No....no.” I stumbled backwards, “What are you doing to me?” I felt another wave dizziness come over me, and the Madman spoke again.

“Your friend is nothing.”

“No, no, it’s not true!” I was breathing heavily, but the words that the Madman spoke were so powerful, so hypnotic.

“Your friend is nothing!” The words came again this time more forcefully, pushing against my will, telling me to obey.

“No....” My voice was barely a whisper, “No.... he’s my friend.” Tears started to stream down my face.

“Your friend is NOTHING!” The words came stronger than ever, and destroyed what little was left of my willpower, I screamed, screamed as my will was broken, screamed in empty defiance.

I strengthened my grip on the dagger and stumbled over to Varic, tears streaming down my face, I was too weak, too weak, too weak to stop this madness. I put its cool, serrated edge against his throat.

-Varic-

My eyes opened, and I saw Ajax standing over me... with a dagger to my throat. What was he doing? Why was my only friend holding a dagger to my throat? This didn’t seem like him, I was confused. As I looked up at him he uttered words that I would remember forever “Die slave, for your no friend of mine.”

“Ajax,” I gurgled,

“Friend.” Tears formed as the dagger slid across my throat, cutting deep into its flesh but also tearing deep into my soul. And then all I saw was darkness.

-Ajax-

It was as I held the blade to his throat that Varic regained consciousness, confusion shining in his eyes, seeming to ask why? Before turning into emotions of despair, sadness, but most of all heartbroken loss and accusation. Words were ripped from throat, words that I tried to fight but had no control over, words that I would regret forever, “Die slave, your no friend of mine.”

His eyes looked up at me, filling with tears as I brought the blade across his throat, only profound loss and sadness was harboured there.

It was that he uttered the words that would haunt me forever.

“Ajax,”

“Friend.” It was then that I regained control and saw what I had done, the bloodied dagger in hand, and the glazed eyes of my friend.

I knelt down beside him, my only friend, the only one who had ever comforted me, who had ever cared. And screamed, a scream of loss, a scream of hate, a scream of one whose mind had been broken, a scream of madness, a scream of one that has become lost on the path of the Mad. I screamed, I nudged him, crying, begging him to come back, I howled my defiance but it was all for naught.

Rumbling came from around me and I saw the mountain explode fire shooting high but I cared not,

I laid upon the cold, hard ground and cried, cradling the head of the friend whom I loved.

His last words echoed.

“Ajax.”

“Friend.”