His blood pooled around him as his life slowly faded away, but Praxis had one thought and only one thought, I will burn down this Empire to ash.
He never expected an ambush. Praxis was always careful with how he moved, especially while in foreign territories. He made sure chose the most ideal routes. The second he got a even a hint something was off, he would change routes last minute to avoid any unnecessary problems.
He travel light and with a small group of trusted men. No one should have known his location, but somehow they did. They knew exactly where he was and when he was going to be there. They even waited for him to arrive.
He realized he must have been betrayed. The only ones who knew all his routes was Ralos, his most trusted advisor and secretary, the highest ranking generals, and the royal family. One or more likely many of them must have directed this attack. The only explanation which made sense in Praxis' mind was betrayal. His family had betrayed him and sent assassins to kill him.
Praxis did not even realize what was happening until it was already too late. He was traveling through a narrow relatively unknown merchant trail. It was a dirt path created between a mountain and a forest. It had been a few hours ride when the carriage came to a stop.
Praxis was inside the carriage with Ralos and his personal knight Sir Karvin. Two other guards, Joseph and Fred were with them and they were outside driving the carriage.
"What's wrong," yelled Ralos turning around and glaring at the two guards through a small window.
"There appears to be someone injured on the side of the road. Should we ignore them and keep moving forward?" asked Fred.
"Out here? It could be some sort of trap set by bandits. Do you sense anyone around in this area, Karvin?" asked Ralos.
"No, I do not. It is only us and that man. And he does not appear to be any type of threat either."
"In that case, what would you like to do, your highness?" Ralos asked Praxis.
Praxis did not respond right away. He began thinking about the options before him. He had always been slow and methodical in the way he tackled problems. If this was an injured citizen, then the least he could do was offer aid. On the other hand if this was a bandit, then the two royal guards and definitely a royal knight could easily handle a gang of bandits. The potential risks were negligible compared to the potential damage either action could have caused.
"Go and check what's wrong, but proceed with caution," Praxis commanded the guards.
"Understood," said Fred stepping off the carriage.
The guard slowly approached the bloody man with his sword half drawn as Joseph stood back near the carriage. Ralos pulled the blinds aside and watched the guard, impatiently. The trip had already took over a month and he deeply desired to return to the palace quickly.
The guard arrived near the location of the man, "Hey are you alright, sir. Do you need any aid?"
The man did no respond, laying slumped back against the mountain side.
"Excuse me, sir. Are you in need of any assistance," Fred repeated.
This time the man huffed. He rolled forward over to his knee. Quickly, he pulled one of his feet up and implanted into the ground. He pushed his torso slowly up, staring into the guard's eyes The guard was disturbed by the man's bloodshot eyes, but as a member of the royal knights, he knew he had to keep calm and stand firm on the ground.
The other men back at the carriage watched on as it looked like the two men were staring at one another. The interaction lasted for a few seconds, but time felt as if it slow downed with anticipation. Those few seconds felt like an eternity of uncertain anxiety.
Something is wrong here, Praxis thought, but before he could even say anything the guard's body dropped to the floor.
It took Praxis another few seconds to register that while the guard's body laid there on the dirt blood spraying out the severed neck, the guard's head was being held up in the man's hand.
"You f**king fiend," Joseph screamed drawing his sword. It wasn't even fully drawn when an arrow crackled through the sky and struck him right through Joseph's head. He too was now a corpse, his body falling to the ground.
As his body fell and not with a moment to register what was happening, the carriage burst on fire. Karvin grabbed Praxis and leaped out of the carriage with Ralos jumping out right behind them.
They landed on top of the guard's corpse and immediately tried to turn their attention to the injured man, but he had vanished.
"Hurry take cover behind the tree, Prince Pra…" Karvin was yelling, when a fiery arrow flew through the sky hitting him in the chest. Karvin ignited in flames.
As Karvin screamed out in pain, Praxis and Ralos made a dash towards a forest when a gust of wind passed by them and Ralos' body fell to the ground split into two.
A volley of arrows, daggers, and spells all came whirling at Praxis. They delivered more than 20 near fatal blows. He was shot by archers hidden over a hundred meters away from. They hit him 6 times.
The assassins who were hidden in the same trees he was running to threw 11 daggers and knives at him. Each aimed towards a vital organ and by the luck of fate missing them barely by a few centimeters.
They incinerated one of his arms and froze his feet pinning him to the ground. Even if he wanted to crawl away, they made sure he couldn't. He realized it was all on purpose. They wanted him to stay alive for as long as possible.
He was battered, bruised, and adorned with arrows, knives, and daggers in every corner of his body. Yet, he clung onto his life for as long as he could. His breath was slow and heavy. He couldn't feel any part of his body anymore. He couldn't move his remaining hand or legs. He was stuck there slowly bleeding out.
As he laid on the ground, they came and surrounded him. There were 13 of them. They wore face coverings and wore a grey outfit. It had no marking or insignia that would expose their identities.
Praxis was going to die here and disappear into the realm of forgotten nobodies.