CHAPTER 2: Defense
"My pleasure." I said with a menacing smirk trying to prove I would, and I definitely could. We'll have to see about that. I'll set up some trials for you. They'll start tomorrow. You can sleep in any guest room you want." He said. Trails of evil, it sounded fun to me. I walked down a hallway which was to the right of the throne room. I chose a guest room and looked around after turning the lights on. It was a giant room with a king sized bed. I went to sleep, completely forgetting I was on a mission. I dreamt of a time before any of this. A time before the king, or the anarchy. A time when I was normal, with my family. An intruder came into my house. I woke up my brother to some see with me. He took my brother and framed me. There was no evidence that there was an intruder and I was sent away. He came to me in the place I was sent away to. He told me he was sorry. He said he'd take me away, let me escape if I gave him my capability of guilt. He sent me to the anarchy. I was just a kid. He made look like I killed my own brother and like I was crazy. When I woke up I heard noises of people whispering and bumping around. I pretended to remain asleep. I tried to open my eyes a little bit to see what it was. It was still dark, pitch black. I saw a shadow enter my room. It was a burglar. I still had the rage and hate of the reminder from my nightmare. I couldn’t help but to spring out of bed ravenously and tackle him. He fell back, crashing into the bureau. I continued to attack him. It was self defense, but that wasn't all. I felt like an animal. Throwing my hands at him like a drum. After I was sure he was unconscious I continued out of my room slowly and stealthily. I opened my door a crack to look through. There were two more intruders in the hallway. I silently opened my door and walked behind one. It was dark, so the other one didn't notice me. I wrapped my hands around him from behind him. I threw him to the ground. Then the other one looked directly in my direction, now noticing me. He ran towards me and I moved out of the way so he would tackle the other intruder I had thrown. "It's me you idiot!" He yelled as he was attacked by his fellow guard. He stood up. "Where is he?" One asked. "Shut up." The other commanded. I snook up behind one and whispered in his ear: "Here." I said misleading him as I ran away silently while he still thought I was in that direction. I grabbed the other one that I hadn't whispered to by the leg and pulled it from under him and he fell on his face. I couldn't help but laugh menacingly. The other one remained silent with fear and confusion. I ran around him to get behind him and tried to grab his shoulder to throw him down, but he grabbed my hand. "Shut it." He said knowing I was going to say something taunting and mocking. He grabbed my throat and lifted me from the ground. "What now?" He asked. I struggled trying to pry his hands from neck. Then I paused, silently, focusing. I was unlocking something in my mind, my secret weapon. While I was in the anarchy they taught me something, how to unlock my inner animal. So that's what I did, I became an animal, I entered the hunter mode. I kicked him in the groin and he fell dropping me. I fell into the ground my back. I rose faster than I ever had. I ran up to him. I stomped on his chest and kicked him in the face and he was immediately unconscious. I prepared to totally obliterate him, but someone grabbed me from behind. "Hey! It's me, the king. Calm down Hunter." He said. Then guards behind him must have turned on the lights. "No!" I growled viciously. "STOP!" He yelled. I calmed down in only a few seconds. "There were intruders, they were gonna, I had, no, but-" I stuttered. "Hey, it's okay. That was the first trial, testing defense and doing what is necessary. You succeeded." He explained. "It was staged? They aren't actual burglars?" I asked. "Yes. They are just some of my guards. It was all just a test, you're safe." He said calming me down. "That was cruel." I said angry. "It was bad. Bad." He said reminding me of our conversation about good and bad. "Bad isn't always the right path, it causes lies and fear." He said using the fake burglars as proof. I didn't know what to say. He was right, but I didn't want to admit it. "Something that may be worth the cause." I said. "If you insist, but that isn't the last trial." He said.

CHAPTER 3: Marketplace
After I calmed down from the fake intruders, he sent me back to bed and said he'd bring me somewhere in the morning as an apology. I woke up early as I usually do. I woke up, not remembering my dream. I got up and got dressed, being adjusted and awake almost immediately. I walked out of my room kind of suspicious from last night. I walked back down the hall to the throne room where the king was. "Oh, your awake now!" He said as I walked in and him noticing me. "Yeah." I said. "Are you ready to go?" He asked. I remembered what he said last night about bringing me somewhere. "Where again?" I asked. "To the marketplace." He reminded me. "What does this have to do with the trials of the bad?" I asked only being concerned with that. "You'll see." The king assured. "Are you ready to go?" The king asked. Though I had just woken up, I was wide awake. "Yeah, let's go." I said. Then the king stood up from his throne and all the guards saluted him. He waited for me to walk over to him and I did. They walked down the red carpet together and I felt strange. I had never gotten this much respect. They eventually got the the castle doors and I didn't want the saluting to end, I felt special. The doors were ginormous. We walked through them and into the city. "The last time I was out here I was ripping your guards apart." I said to the king. "That's true." He said. "You're an animal at nature." He said. "Be careful though, animals can be tamed." He warned me. That made me think and I knew it would stick in the back of my mind for the rest of the day. "You know, you remind me of someone I knew once." He said. "How?" I asked wondering. "A lot of things. Mostly your attitude towards things. You see things, classify them, and think of how to destroy them." He said. "For example, do you see that old lady?" He said aiming his eyes at her. "Yeah." I said. "What do you think about her?" He asked. "I think she looks like a nice old lady." I asked wondering where he was going with this. "Yes, that's it, you automatically classify her as good. What if I told you she was a cannibal?" He asked. "I would be freaked out." I said honestly. "Exactly. Once things aren't as you expect, that is where you will fall. In order to find good and bad, you must first find neutrality." He said. "I noticed this last night when you didn't expect that guard to grab and counter you." He said. "Yeah, but I took him down." I said. "Yes, but you used your animal side. You really are a Hunter, pun intended, but it's true." He said. "What's wrong with that?" I asked kind of offended. "Nothing, but you can't control it. You have to get it under control, and I'll be glad to help you with that." He said. "Okay, how?" I asked. "Training. You probably wouldn't expect me to be a master in several martial arts would you?" He asked. "No, I wouldn't, are you?" I asked. "Yeah, many." He said. "It's all about observation skills too." He said. "Look at the old lady again." He said. "What does she do for a living?" He asked. "How am I supposed to know?" I asked having no idea. "Observational skills." He said. "She looks happy right?" He asked. "Yes." I said. "She is happy while she is shopping, keep that in mind. What does she have in her basket?" He asked. "Eggs, milk, butter." I said naming a few. "What are those used for?" He asked. "Baking." I guessed. "Yes, and that is all she has so that must be what she is using with them. She is happy while she is getting baking supplies, she must enjoy baking. The fact that she is shopping for baking supplies and enjoys baking says something. What do you think she does for a living?" He asked. "She's a baker." I said. "Yes." He said glad that I understood. "But you assumed all of that. You're not sure if it's true." I said finding the flaw. "Yes I am. I go to her bakery all the time." He said laughing. "That's cheating, you knew she was a baker from the beginning!" I said laughing almost as hard as he was. "Yes I did, but I didn't have to tell you the whole truth." He said giving me even more advice. I realized the king was very wise. I felt like he knew me. "Can you really tell the future?" I asked. "Yes." He said. "Okay, prove it." I said comfortable with him now. "He is going to trip, in 6 seconds from... Now." He said pointing to a man. I counted, whispering, and then he did trip. "Wow." I said surprised. "How can you see the future." I asked wanting to be able to. "I've had a lot of encounters over the years. I can tell you that it is a fact that magic exists." He said. "Now prove that." I said. "Okay, look at that same guy who tripped." He said. The man was picking up the last of his things he had bought from the market that fell on the ground. Then he pointed at the man and quickly move his finger away to the left. The man immediately tripped. Then we walked by him. "Having a bad day, huh." The king asked him. "I guess so, sir." He said. After we got a few steps away from him. The king whispered in my ear: "And he'll never know it was me." He said. "Do you do that a lot?" I asked. "No, I'm their king. I'm here to protect them, not mess with them." He said with a small laugh. "How did you gain power?" I asked. "It's a long story that I'd rather not tell, but I can give you advice of how to control a kingdom." He said. "Okay." I said wanting to know out of curiosity. "Okay, the most important thing is the people's trust. They must trust you enough to lead them, to command them, to to give you their rights, and protect them." He said. "You must lead your people, lead them to victory in a war or in an argument. As people they naturally want to win." He said. "You have to command them. They must know that you have the wisdom and leadership to deal and bring them through any situation." He said about commanding them. "You have to convince them to give up their rights. In order for there to be order, and to do your job properly, they must give up a small portion of their freedom. If everyone did what they wanted the world would be on pieces." He said. "And finally, you have to protect them, and there are probably a few ways to do this. The best way is probably with a military. I have my army of knights, and, I have other ways." He said finally explaining it. "What are your other ways." I asked. "Ah, that is where I wanted you to come in. I have a group of people that work for me to take out rebels and lawbreakers. These people... are assassins." He said. I was excited to know I would be an assassin. There was no way I could get in trouble, I was hired by the king, so he wouldn't arrest me. I got to fight, which was what I trained for. There were no downsides I could find. I smiled from ear to ear with happiness. "Not yet though, you must pass all of the trails first to ensure that you don't get caught and ruin everything, and more importantly you don't get yourself killed." He explained. I was happy because my safety was important to him, he gave me loads of advice, and he seemed like he liked me. He reminded me of my dad before I was sent to the anarchy. "Are there any downsides to being an assassin for you?" I asked needing to know. "Not for you. Some people have trouble killing, some don't acquire the necessary stealth, some get caught. I don't think you'll have a problem with any of that though, will you?" He asked. "No way. I'll do fine." I said. "Okay, but one thing you may have trouble with is your hunter side. Oh, the irony that your name is Hunter is amazing." He said. "I know, it is like I was born to be a hunter." I said believing it. "Anyway, your hunter side is out of control. We need to work on that, and that will be your personal trial, along with all of the other standard ones." He said. "I don't think there is anything wrong with it. You're trying to tame me." I said remembering what he said earlier. "No, I'm am not. That is what makes you great. I would never take that away from you." He said. "I just wanted to show you around and tell you a few things. Did you have fun?" He asked. "Definitely." I said.

Then we went home and he set me up for my personal trial, to control my hunter side. As we started to walk back home, to the castle, it started to rain. We ran in the rain, it was fun. When we got home he asked me, "Are you ready for the trial?" "I guess, what am I going to do?" I asked. "First, you will do training with an android that I have." He said. "What do you mean?" I asked. "I have a robot that is programmed for martial arts training, he is programmed for many things, but this is one of the specialties." He explained. "Come, I'll introduce you." He said. He walk down the hall and I followed him. It was a long hall but at the end of the hall we took a right and into a room that was designed for sparing. It was a red mat on the floor and on the walls there are cabinets with weapons such as swords and clubs. "Like I said, I can see the future. I have already designed a program that is completely fitted to your hunter side." He explained. "So, go ahead, try to attack him." He said. The robot looked like it was inactive. It stood, still, silent, like it was asleep. I went into my hunter mode, on command. I stood, still, silent, and just stared at the robot mocking it. I started to think of making myself enraged trying to jumpstart my power, giving it a boost. I ran towards the robot preparing to attack, holding back my punching hand to claw at it. But suddenly, it moved and countered my attack. It's sudden motion that startled and stunned me. It punched me in the chest throwing me back feet away. I was on the ground. It walked towards me slowly with its menacing stare and its glowing, red, mechanical, eyes. For the first time in a long time, I felt fear. I would not let it take advantage of me like this. I quickly stood up and ran towards it. I pounced onto it, but it punched me in the face, and grab my throat and raised me off of my feet. It pulled its fist back, preparing to punch me harder this time. "Stop!" The king exclaimed the robot looked at the king still silently, contemplating if it should listen to him, like it actually has a mind of its own. "Let him go." The king said. It finally let go of my neck, and I was smart enough to know that I should back up this time, and not try to attack it again. "So far, you're failing this trial." The king said. "Control it!" He advised. "I don't know how!" I admitted. "You don't know, you're right. Man fears what he does not know. You're afraid. Afraid if you control it, you will not be able to harness it anymore. It is no good to you if you cannot use it correctly. You have to make it listen to you, you must command it, and it will be in your power. It will be stronger than you could ever imagine. Now go... do it." He said. The pep talk really inspired me to do it. I took a few steps back and close my eyes. I reached inside my mind and try to rifle through my own thoughts, curiosities, and wonders, to try to find the freedom and the power to control the hunter. I could hear the robot walking closer with its stomping steps as they got louder, I knew that my time to find the key was dwindling. I felt the pressure, the pressure if I failed, and with this pressure came fear, and I hated it when something made me feel fear. I realized then, that had to have rage to activate the hunter, then I could find it, and control it. With the rage of making me feel fear, the hunter was activated. I saw it appear in my own mind, then suddenly I grasped it. I opened my eyes and knew that I was incapable of not accomplishing this now. I ran towards the robot and I knew, it wasn't prepared for what I was going to do next. I ran up its body and scratched it in the face and chest and then I jumped behind it and as gravity dragged me down, I clawed the whole body of the robot. The robot fell to its knees, its eyes flickered out of life and then it fell and I knew I had won. I looked at the king, hoping that he was proud, that's the only thing I wanted. The look on his face just screamed that he couldn't have been more proud of me. I felt good. The robot was sparking and trying to utter some words. I listen closely out of curiosity, but the words it said or very suspicious. "You don't know the truth... secrets. Return at night." It whispered. I was scared, I had no idea what it was talking about. But, again, out of curiosity, I decided to return that night.

I felt like I was doing something wrong, but there was no rule against this. I knew guards were walking up and down the halls to make sure no intruders came in. I stealthy snuck past them, one at a time, until I was in the sparing chamber with the robot, still on the ground. I could see that the scratches I made on his back we still there, and they would be scars forever. I activated him with hesitation and worry. The second I pressed the button I heard him start to wire. His eyes suddenly lit up with a red glow. He stood up quickly, practically faster than I could blink, and went into a fighting stance. "Is this another test? What do I do? I can't scream or I will make the guard aware that I am not in my room. Do I kill it?" I wondered. So many things ran through my head in that moment. I thought this was a test, so I was was going to attack, but suddenly, seconds before I did, the robot stopped proceeding towards me to attack. "I apologize, I did not mean to scare you, hunter." It said. "One, I'm not scared, ever. Two, how do you know my name. Three, how come you were doing that? And four, why did you tell me to come down here?" I asked. "I know your name because I can access the king's archives, and that's also why I called you down. I was malfunctioning because the king reprogrammed me from my original mentality, so I glitch now and then. I know the king did this, because I read almost everything in his archives." He said. "All his secrets are there, if you ever find a way into them, I plead, in the name of God, do not hesitate to read them. It could save lives, maybe even yours." He said. "No, the king couldn't have that many secrets. There's no reason he would." I said defensively and in denial. "He has an entire army of assassins, uses magic to manipulate his people, and is using you for his own gain." The robot said. "You are a liar. Wait until I tell the king what you've said to me!" I said threatening. "No, wait, hunter... just ask him who trickster is, then you'll know the truth." He said. I considered it. As I snuck back up to my room I kept hearing our conversation over in my head, and once I got back in bed, I couldn't sleep, it couldn't stop thinking about it. "What if the robot was right? How could the king do any of that? How could I ever read the archives? Why would the king hold so many secrets?" All I had was questions. But eventually I went to sleep. I dreamt of my brother, elliot. The last night I ever had with my family, before I was sent to the anarchy. It was a nightmare. Anyway, when I woke up I knew what day it was. It was the day of the last trial, the maze trail.