A Villain Enslaves a Villain (Ch 1 – Part 1)

The sun was about to set when three men stood in front of the sole surviving gate of the ancient town of Awa[1] to prevent an outsider, mounting his horse, from entering. 

The town had been suffering an outbreak of the plague, which had spread weeks ago from the temple, claiming the lives of many residents and a few travelers who stayed within its confines.

As a result of the alarming rates of death, the governor had no choice but to issue a lockdown order and close the sole gate of the town to prevent both entry and exit, a necessary measure to contain the spread of the plague.

The appearance of the stranger suggested he was a knight of the Arkosia[2] Empire - an extraordinary one. His dark blue uniform, garnished with actual gold buttons, perfectly harmonized with his knee-high black boots. 

On his wide leather belt hung his two most frequently used weapons: a whip and an axe, both typically Arkosian and intimidating enough to send a shiver down the spines of their victims.

When the knight approached the three men, his features became clear. He was a notably tall man of great build, with broad shoulders, long limbs, and long, thick hair that hung on his back in thick brown braids adorned with silver ornaments. 

His handsome face bore a long, straight nose, beautiful, upturned eyes with thick eyelashes, and plump lips that seemed unaccustomed to silence.

“Who is this?” One of them wondered loudly.

“An Arkosian[3],” the other answered knowingly. “Didn’t you recognize the blue uniform?”

The veiled men carried no weapons except for the thin sticks they used for herding cattle, and they showed no signs of aggression or eagerness to fight. 

A pair of twins stood directly before the gate while the third guard, the oldest of the three, sat on a wooden chair, resting his hands on his stick.

When the horse halted before them, his rider demanded authoritatively, “Open the gate.”

Upon hearing his tone, which sounded like he was accustomed to giving orders, the eldest knew he was a high official and responded calmly, “The town has been plagued by an infectious disease for many weeks. It is safer not to pass through, young man.”

One of the two brothers confidently added, “We have explicit orders from the governor to prevent town residents from leaving and outsiders from entering until the plague is contained and eliminated.”

“Throughout my travel, I haven’t encountered anyone speaking of a plague,” the Arkosian stated.

One of the two brothers took a step toward the knight. “Fortunately, the spread of the plague is limited as the reason for its spread in our town started from the Awa Temple at the top of the mountain, which is why no one beyond this area knows about it,” he solemnly replied.

“My lord, are you here for the temple? I’m afraid you can’t go there.” Pointing his stick to the north, his twin brother added, “It used to be frequented by many people from around the world. However, three years ago, the king ordered its closure, and several soldiers were assigned to guard its gate and walls.”

“So now the temple has been closed for three years, but is it still the cause of the plague? How so?” The knight smiled but sounded skeptical.

“Indeed. The Awa Temple has been converted into a secret prison. After expelling all the hermits, one dangerous prisoner has been kept there. His presence has called for maximum security over the years,” the twins exchanged looks of dread.

“The towns’ merchants used to provide the soldiers guarding the Awa Temple with supplies, but the contact between merchants and those in the temple while transporting goods led to the transmission of the disease. They even brought rats into our town!” one of the twins sighed.

“Are the merchants still providing the soldiers with supplies?” The knight interrupted impatiently.

“No, ever since the town’s lockdown, the supplies have been sent monthly to the soldiers from the capital.”

“The plague has been passed to us because of that devil guarded by the king’s soldiers in the temple,” the old man interrupted.

The three turned to look at him sitting on the side.

“Who is he?” The knight questioned.

“We don’t know,” the old man frowned. “No one knows, but he is the curse that has brought plague and death upon us.”

The knight smiled excitedly, wanting nothing more than to continue his march. “Is he still under guard?”

“Yes, but why do you ask? Don’t tell me you intend to go to the temple?”

“I will,” the knight looked up confidently.

“I don’t think the soldiers will let you, but I admire your confidence, my lord,” the old man smiled, straightening up and taking a small medicine vial from a small bag over his shoulder. “I just remembered that the Arkosians are immune to plagues; they neither transmit nor get infected by them.”

He approached the knight, handing him the vial. “Please take this with you; someone might need it.”

The knight smirked as they made space for him to cross through the gate before closing it behind him.

* * *

Despite the townspeople’s doubts, fears, and disapproval of the foolish guards’ doing, the knight quickly crossed the roads heading north to take a shortcut through the mountains that led to the temple.

He initially did not intend to visit the temple, but curiosity got the better of him, especially after hearing about the plague and the guarded prisoner.

Besides, he wished to end his journey in this kingdom by going on a small adventure, of which he would tell the details to his friend, the Crown Prince of Arkosia.

When the Arkosian knight reached his destination, he marveled at how quiet and deserted the place looked. 

When he saw the torches of the four towers extinguish, he felt a strong sense of foreboding. That sense grew tense as he approached the ancient high walls; he saw no soldiers.

Then he stood behind the gate, and an overwhelming stench reached his nose of human waste and rotting corpses.

He got off his horse and pushed the gate, which, as he expected, was not locked.

Inside, he saw the bodies of the soldiers scattered to the right and left. The knight then disappeared from the front yard instantly and reappeared at the entrances of each of the four towers, only to find the guards dead inside.

Then, he disappeared again and reappeared in the temple’s main hall, which was heavily stained with blood and crowded with rotting, disease-ridden bodies.

After examining many of the bodies, the blood traces showed they had died from a deep stab wound.

It wasn’t the plague that killed them. Someone had ripped their intestines out with a blade, he believed.

When the Arkosian knight was sure that there was no living soul in the place, he destroyed the stone pillars scattered throughout the hall with one blow of his hand, into which the destructive current of his Uthusian energy flowed.

Then, the knight burnt the entire place. First, he set fire to the polished tree trunks supporting the hall’s ceiling after their collapse over the corpses.

He set fire again to the corpses of the soldiers at the gate after placing on top of them a load of wooden planks he found stacked in one corner of the yard.

As for the guards’ bodies inside the towers, he set the wooden stairs on fire, letting the merciless flames consume them.

* * *

It was almost dark when the knight had finished his mission. It was an easy task for him as he did that using his Uthusian energy[4] that flowed through his body to his strong arms. He closed the gate of the burning temple behind him and wanted to leave quickly before being exposed had it not been for an old man who appeared from nowhere and stopped him.

“My lord,” the old man quickly approached him. He was of short stature, emaciated, and devastated by hunger and disease. “You did well to set the place on fire,” he lifted his hand feebly, “the existence of dead bodies increases the possibility of spreading the plague.”

“Who are you?” the knight, who looked calm and composed, asked suspiciously.

The old man did not seem to have heard the knight’s question. “But my lord, I saw your tremendous power in destroying the pillars and moving the planks easily from one place to another.”

The old man stared at the knight’s face with a hidden dread. “Nothing is too difficult for you, Arkosian demons.”

“Mind your words, old man! What do you want?” the knight asked impatiently.

“Someone refuses to leave the place still and refuses to be helped,” the old man coughed. “Get him out of here.”

“No one is in the temple,” the knight confirmed.

“True, no one is alive inside the temple,” the old man nodded. Pointing to the other side, he added. “But the young man I’m referring to is hiding behind the north tower in a secret underground room.”

The knight shrugged indifferently. “If he refuses help, that’s his business.”

“I beg you, my lord. Get him out of there before the king finds out about him. Take him away—he saved my life and—” fearing the knight would disregard his request, the old man blurted, “he has such extraordinary abilities like yours.”

The knight blinked at the old man, who stood there for some time, squinting his eyes at him. Yet he turned his horse away and rode toward the hill.

“I don’t believe you, and I don’t care!”

The knight intended to wash his hands and leave the place before someone might discover the fire and expose him.

However, an inner feeling urged him to return to the temple from the northern side and search for the young man.

* * *