Phantom

I remember it was early one morning in the region known as Halvera Valley. The large land was mostly forests, hills, and towns. It was simple, full of mortals and their mediocre lives, all just trying to get by as the government and the wizard continued to fight for territory ownership.

Well, I suppose fight is far too big a word for it. The government fought; the wizard toyed. It was no different that morning in a town I believe was called Tinderling.

It wasn’t a big town, even though there were rather popular companies and businesses there, thus why they tended to attract the wizard of that territory rather often.

I would know, seeing as the wizard was yours truly. What could I say? They had better resources for me to collect.

That morning, the government decided to try their luck once again. You’d think after the times prior they would learn to stay out of my affairs, but clearly not. That day, they were bringing out the “big guns” to stop me.

The group of about twenty men, better known as military agents, stood at attention as their Sargent paced back and forth in front of them, giving her little speech, “We cannot fail this time, men! Our pride as protectors of our region depends on this mission! That wizard brat will not get away from us again!”

The agents gave salutes with their usual, “Sir, yes, sir!” Helpless fools.

That’s when a green military jeep drove up to them. The man who climbed out was a pretty average looking guy with dark skin, a shiny bald head, and sharp hazel eyes while dressed in a green military uniform with a few gold badges on his chest. The agents all quickly saluted as he walked over, making it pretty obvious that he was someone important.

The day I first laid eyes on him. Who would have thought he and I would become as involved with each other as we did later on? There are quite a few people I still find myself surprised fate would tie me to, him being one of them.

The female Sargent stopped her pacing and faced him, “Sgt. Jones.” She gave a salute, though I could tell in her expression that she wasn’t too happy to see him.

He returned the gesture, “Sgt. Terra. At ease.”

The woman, Sargent Terra, puffed out her flat chest as she spoke up to him, being about a head shorter, “What are you doing here, Jones? I thought you were given a different assignment in the next region over.” I wondered if they were talking about Madam Maxine’s territory to the East or Silver’s to the North.

They were the only ones with territory in regions near my territory, seeing as I could tolerate them. Anyone else would try to start picking off bits of my territory, slowly trying to take it from me, and I happen to hate that. Weak little vultures who weren’t tough enough to terrorize their own territories and tried to steal off someone else's.

Sargent Jones was pretty straight to the point in answering her, “I was made aware that you have been having trouble with the region wizard. I came to see how it was coming along. The commander feels that this might be a bit more than your squad can handle, so I thought it best to come and lend my assistance.”

In other words, their bosses were not happy with the reports about her failures over the last… three months or so? I can’t remember. They kept trying new plans, but they failed miserably every time. Didn’t help that they clearly didn’t know the first thing about fighting a wizard, especially one as powerful as I was. Probably thought that I was just another teenager and wasn't expecting much from me. A stupid mistake on their part, but not an uncommon one even among my own kind.

Clearly, Sargent Terra could read into his words like I could and was obviously offended, “We are doing just fine actually! We've found weapons that can harm his kind and we are prepared to finish him before noon!” Confident, wasn’t she? Especially for someone who had yet to even touch me in her prior attempts.

Sargent Jones must have seen those reports, because he didn’t look convinced. Even her agents looked less than confident in this latest plan of hers. Boy, she really was in way over her head. She was lucky I had been so nice the last few times. She amused me, so I didn’t hurt her. Her own humiliation at failing was plenty enough to satisfy me. For the time being anyway.

Sargent Jones didn’t even bother to argue, “Very well. If you’re sure. Just be warned, the commander is ready to have you pulled out if he continues to hear that you’re wasting valuable resources.”

I could see Sargent Terra was not a very sensible woman, especially with that haughty grin she wore as Jones headed back to his jeep, “It will all be worth it when I drag that brat back to headquarters. The commander will be giving me a promotion by the end of the day!” Jones’s expression told me he didn’t believe that, but he didn’t say a word as he pulled out and drove off.

Sargent Terra’s smile melted into a scowl as she turned back to her men, “Do not screw up this time, or you’ll all be demoted if it’s the last thing I do!” They all gave her salutes, though they clearly knew it was pointless. These clowns were officially the most pathetic ones sent after me yet.

They still had no idea what they were up against.

I finally spoke from where I watched them, “You really are pathetic, aren’t you?” I laughed as the agents and sergeant looked around in surprise, trying to find where my voice was coming from, “You’d think you would have learned your lesson by now.”

One of the agents finally spotted me, “Look! He’s up there!”

They all looked up into the trees where I stood. I was sure I looked rather threatening standing there, my eyes glowing in the shadows of the surrounding leaves. I sometimes wished I could be in the crowds when I would make an appearance, just to see my terrifying arrivals in their full glory.

Sargeant Terra wasted no time, “Prepare to fire!” The agents all grabbed their large guns. Those were new, but clearly made by mortals, so I wasn’t the least bit concerned. Mortal-made weapons were never going to be enough to stop a powerful wizard like me.

Immediately, they started firing their weapons, shooting off large pink balls of light. I would have to assume they were condensed energy or something like that. After all, the government made a point of not using anything magic-related, believing it was evil or beneath them or something like that. And they call me arrogant.

I quickly flew out of the line of fire to stand on top of a nearby building. Sargent Terra wasn’t through with me, “Keep firing!”

One of the agents looked nervous, “But what about..?”

She simply yelled at him, “I don’t care, just fire already!!” They started shooting again, missing as I flew out of the way. Of course, their shots blasted into the building, shattering windows and breaking off chunks of the walls and roof.

This continued as I went from in front of one building to above the next and around another. It was pure chaos, and I wasn’t even doing anything yet. I couldn’t help laughing as I watched the idiots destroy the town all on their own. People were panicking, careful not to be hit by the trigger-happy agents and their psychotic sergeant. It was beautiful, and I very much enjoyed it.

Finally, the agents stopped firing. Not that there was much of the town left to destroy. Sargent Terra wasn’t happy about it as she spun around to face them, “Why did you fools stop?! We nearly had him!” Ha! As if! They never even got close!

I simply floated in the air and watched them as one of the agents nervously answered her, “Sir, the guns are empty. There’s nothing left to shoot with.”

Oh boy. If Sargent Terra could have combusted from rage, she definitely would have at that moment. I only laughed, which got her attention, “You really are the most pathetic one yet.”

She turned to me as I floated down towards the ground, “Listen, lady, I’ll give you one thing; you’ve certainly got persistence.” I laughed at her in a taunting fashion, which made her face go a cute shade of red in her anger, “Sadly, that’s all you have, and even that wasn’t good enough to face me. You, Miss Terra, have failed, and I’m sure your bosses will just love getting that report.” I looked over the mess of a town, “And when they hear about the collateral damage on top of it? Oh boy. You are definitely not getting that promotion, sweetheart.”

Oh, I loved the way she glared at me at that moment. That kind of passionate rage always just made my life feel whole. To know I could cripple someone’s pride that thoroughly and shatter their dignity that swiftly? It was what got me out of bed in the morning.

She suddenly pulled a gun from her belt and started shooting at me. Of course, that was a waste as I only needed to wave my hand for the magical transparent barrier to block them all as if they were flies hitting an electric lamp. I simply watched the pathetic bullets drop to the ground at my feet, a bit disappointed with the attempt.

Once her gun started clicking, now empty of bullets, I let down my barrier and shook my head, “How sad. Can’t even take your defeat with some dignity. The fact is, lady, you’ve lost.” I turned and walked off towards the building at the end of the street, “Better luck next time. That is, if you’re not fired by then.” She could only watch in rage. There was nothing else she could do, and she knew it.

I let my magic push open the glass doors of the jewelry store, which had somehow managed to survive most of the mess outside, and made my way to the front counter. The people inside stayed back and on the floor. No one dared make a sound as they watched me in fear.

I faced the young woman behind the counter, who was the only person to stand up. From how nicely she was dressed, I would assume she was the higher management of the place. She spoke calmly, though it was clear she was frightened, “Wh-Whatever it is you want, you can take it. You can have all of it, just please don’t hurt anyone, sir.”

At least she was smart, “I need all the platinum you have. Oh, and sterling silver, just to restock my supply while I’m here.”

She gave a polite nod, “Yes, sir. Just give me one moment to go get it from the back.” She quickly hurried off, leaving me with the terrified onlookers.

I had to laugh, “You all should be very grateful to the nice lady. This is how people ought to act if they don’t want to get hurt. This is already going far better than what I did in the next city over. They tried to fight me for it and I didn’t care too much for that.” People only looked more frightened, which was the point.

The woman came back with a bag of jewelry, “Here is all the platinum and sterling silver we have, sir. I’m afraid we don’t sell much platinum jewelry here, so this is all we have of it. Some of the sterling silver has gold chains and pieces attached too, but I assumed they were still what you wanted.”

I accepted the bag, “You see? More people need to be as cooperative as you. If they were, less people would get hurt during these kinds of visits. In fact, if it wasn’t for your idiot government, I would have come and left your town without any damage being done whatsoever.” I winked at her as I walked away, “Keep up the wonderful work. I’ll definitely have to make this my go-to stop for precious metals from now on. I’ll even give you a good review if you want.” The slightly insulted look on her face made me laugh as I left out the front doors.

Immediately, I threw up my barrier again as a barrage of bullets flew at me, some even missing as they shattered the windows and made everyone inside start screaming. I was annoyed as I saw Sargent Terra again, this time with a larger gun. You know, one of those really fast ones that shoot a lot of bullets in succession. I never remember what they’re called. I was never very good with gun knowledge.

Once she finally stopped, I rolled my eyes in disappointment, “You really are persistent. Sadly, now, it’s getting to be annoying. I happen to have other places to be, you know, so I’d really rather not waste anymore of my precious time on you and your theatrics today.”

She threw down the gun, which I assumed was empty now, and was about to pull out another gun. I was officially done with this. Before she could aim the gun, she suddenly dropped it and her body went stiff. I watched her, moving my hands in different motions, forcing her arms down to her sides, her legs straight and together, and her back and head at attention. Now she looked like a tin soldier, just waiting for my orders.

I chuckled as I walked over, “I could easily have you strip down and march around town butt-naked right now. Destroy what little dignity you have left. Wouldn’t that be fun?” She paled at that. She seemed to be catching on to how very much in trouble she really was. I even circled around her, looking her over, “You have a nice shape too, so I bet you’d look really good doing it.” Her expression became a bit frightened.

Yeah, despite her big mouth and arrogance, she was still a girl underneath it all. This was why I could never understand why they hired women to work jobs like this. If I were any other powerful wizard, I would take her home and keep her as a pet. Or worse. Certainly wouldn't be hard at all. Mortal women were so easy to take advantage of, after all, even among their own kind. Lucky for her, I wasn’t so lewd. Even I had my morals.

But she didn’t need to know that, so I only chuckled and continued my cruel little trick, “Or better yet, I could take you home and make you actually useful. I could use a plaything.” Now she was really scared.

That’s when I heard voices inside the jewelry store. I looked to see a group of people near the front desk. One of the guys had blood on his hands as he helped with something behind the counter.

Where was the young woman from before?

I walked back, completely ignoring Terra now, to find the young woman now bleeding out on the floor as people tried to help her. Some of the people were saying to get her to a hospital, others said something about not moving her or risking something I couldn’t understand, and yet others were sure she’d never make it either way.

I sighed, which got all their attention and made them back away, “She would hit her.” I walked over, making most of them quickly move back from me. Only a younger woman and a guy in a suit stayed with her, one putting pressure on the towel that was now slowing the bleeding in her side. I stood over her and looked over the three before reaching out my hand and muttering a spell. I figured I might as well.

Everyone watched in awe as my magic made a bright light shine over her body. They watched as her pained expression softened into a calm, rested ease. Once I stopped, her body relaxed completely.

One woman nearby gasped in horror, “Oh Thia, he killed her!!”

I glared at her, “Will you shut up! I did not kill her, she’s perfectly fine now, idiot! I healed her!” That seemed to surprise everyone, as I expected it to. The girl at her side quickly lifted the towel and checked, only to find a faint scar where there had been an ugly hole a moment ago.

I turned and headed back to the door, “Consider this my reward for her good behavior. Let her be a lesson to you all. Don’t annoy me or get in my way and I won’t give anyone any trouble. Understood?” A few of them nodded obediently. With that, I walked out of the store.

There stood Sargent Terra. Still under my spell. Definitely in the process of rethinking her life decisions.

I sighed as I approached her, crossing my arms as I shook my head in disappointment, “Now see what you went and did? Almost killed an innocent girl with your stupidity. Have you no shame? The one person in this dinky town with some sense, and you almost killed her. And worse, I went and saved her. Do you know how bad that looks for my reputation, sergeant? You know how soft it looks? That’s not good for me. I happen to have an image to uphold, and here you are screwing it up for me. Do you know how that makes me feel? I worked hard to build up my reputation. Spent years on it, and now you come along and spoil it?”

I leaned in so our faces almost touched, letting me smell the light perfume she was wearing, “Do you know what I usually do to people who mess with my public image, Sargent Terra? Hm?”

Her audible gulp almost ruined my serious moment, “N-No, sir.” Oh, so I was sir now? Wow, I really spooked her with my earlier threats, didn’t I?

I crossed my arms behind my back as I circled around her again, “I usually beat them to an inch of their life. I would make a public example of them. Let everyone of my territory watch as I torture them for the world to see. Very graphic, very cruel, that sort of thing.” Her fear at that moment was far more entertaining than I had expected. I really had to work hard not to lose my composure and ruin the bit. What can I say? I was a man for the theatrical.

I came to a stop in front of her and gave her my cruelest grin, “So, what shall I do with you now? Shall I carry out my earlier threat? Perhaps take you home and make something useful of you? Or maybe I’ll just get this over with and torture you right here and now?” She looked like she would have dropped to her knees and begged for mercy if she could at that moment. I think tears were even beginning to come to her eyes.

And where the heck were her men? It took me until that moment to remember that she originally had a bunch of guys with her. Where the heck did those cowards go, were my thoughts. Did they actually ditch her to fend for herself? Were government agents even allowed to do that? Geez, it was a wonder why women ever took that job.

At that moment, there was a familiar ringing in my ear. I held up a finger to my frightened victim, “Hold that thought.” I tapped the earpiece in my left ear, “What is it?”

I heard the familiar voice of my servant girl on the other end, “I apologize for bothering you, sir, but I noticed you were gone longer than planned for. You still need to finish the potion before nightfall, sir.”

I only groaned loudly, “Right. Almost forgot about that.” I remembered my current victim and decided to enjoy myself further, “It’s not done yet, is it? I would really hate to have to start over. And cleaning up takes far too long.”

My servant spoke again, “No, sir. I’ve watched it carefully to see if it overflowed, but it is still entirely stable. Should I add anything in your absence, sir?”

That was a big no-no, “Sure, if you want to risk getting your face blown off.” Terra looked frightened by the mental image of whatever plot I was concocting.

This was why I loved that earpiece. My conversations stayed private and I could talk it up like I was plotting something evil, even though it was nothing so exciting. Of course, my servant was familiar with this, so she never questioned it, not that she ever questioned anything, “Very well, sir. I will continue to supervise it until you return.”

I gave a cruel grin, “Lovely. I’ll be there soon. Just have to finish up with this one. Shouldn’t be too much longer.”

I hung up and turned back to Terra, “So? Have enough time to think about what I should do with you?”

She finally started begging, as I expected would come sooner or later, “I beg of you! I have a family! I swear, I will never bother you again! I will leave and never return! Just, please, let me go, sir. I’ll do anything!” Oh, I loved it when they said that.

I grinned as I crossed my arms behind my back, “Oh will you now? Anything? Are you sure?” She nodded, being the only thing my spell would let her do. I waved my hand and released the spell, “Then get on your knees.” She clearly did not want to do that, but she hesitantly gave in and did as I said.

I watched her with a cold grin, enjoying this far too much, “Do you know what else I want you to do?” She didn’t dare answer me.

I stepped forward, making her whole body tense up. I watched her for a moment, then finally spoke, “Close your eyes.” She looked like she could cry, but she did as I said. As fun as this was, I knew I had to get back to the castle and finish that potion. So, I would have to settle for the short version.

“Bark like a dog.”

Terra’s eyes flew open and she looked up at me, rather caught off guard by my command. I repeated myself, “You heard me. Bark.” She still was surprised, seeing as she expected something far different.

Yet, she finally did as I said and barked. I rolled my eyes as she gave little yaps like a small dog would give, “Louder.” She got a bit louder, though it was clear she was getting very embarrassed as people started to stare. I smirked, “Louder, sergeant. I want the whole town to hear you. You don’t want me to give you my other punishment instead, do you?” That got her barking nice and loud. I burst into laughter, making her face go red with embarrassment, but she didn’t stop.

I floated up into the air, “Give me a nice long howl while you’re at it. One to put werewolves to shame!” She did as I said and I could not stop laughing. It was fantastic.

Finally I flew up into the air over the town, “Let today be a lesson to all of you.” I gave them my cruelest, most deviously pleased grin, “Stay out of my way.” With that, I’d flown off with a final laugh.