The Path of the Righteous

Another clap of thunder echoed through the streets outside of the house, the ebony clouds opening up, unleashing a torrential downpour. Often Toho found himself caught out in storms like that, but tonight he was fortunate enough to be in doors. Sitting by the window he gazed out into the darkness, relaxed by the pitter patter of rain drops against the aluminum oning that hung over said window. The streets were the picture of a ghost town. Though rain was rare in the Roaring Thunder, the residents knew to stay inside when it did come along, wet streets combined with the natural electrical current running through this nation was a lethal combination.

Like a giant flash bulb the lightning illuminated the street and Toho’s face as if it were daylight. The pure white light filtered under his hood, washing out his facial features, the scar that extended from right corner of his mouth down to his collar bone the only prominent feature. The light faded, and he was again shrouded in darkness. Turning back to face the room Toho pulled a lighter from his pocket and flicked the lever. Sparks flew. Letting out an exasperated sigh he pulled crumpled box of Marlboro from his napsack and fished through for a few seconds before pulling out a bent up cigarette. Placing the cig in his mouth he flicked the lever of the lighter once more. After a few more strikes of the lever a flame shot up from the lighter, casting a deep yellow light over the room. Bringing the lighter to his face Toho lit the cancer stick, taking a few puffs to ensure it stayed lit.

With his lighter working as a small torch, the drifted dropped from the window sill, his boots hitting the wooden floor with a thud, rattling plates still on the dining room table from a dinner that took place hours ago. As he made his way across the room the Nomad was careful to not step on anyone who was lying on the floor. Some people might not make the effort to avoid the bodies of those they just murdered, but Toho was different. Even though this was a family of heathens that wouldn’t listen to reason they were still humans, and as such he would show their corpses some respect.

On the way up to the stairs, he tripped over the body of a boy, couldn’t have been any more than 11 or 12. His eyes were bulging out of his head, and the front of his shirt was stained red with blood. A gash across his neck stretching from ear to ear left him looking more like a pez dispenser than a child just beginning puberty. Toho pushed the body against the wall and delicately pulled his eye lids down whilst muttering a prayer to himself, before claiming one of the beds upstairs as his own, for the night at least. Tomorrow the rain would stop, and he would burn this place to the ground, and continue on his journey, but for now he would sleep.

Word Count: 514

Toho was up and out the door before five AM the following morning, the house burning to the ground behind him. The sun had yet to rise, and as such most of the nation was still sleeping, allowing him to walk the streets without the risk of questioned. The rain from the night before left the ground slick, a few puddles crackling with electricity. Removing a capsule from his hip Toho knelt next to one of the charged pools of water and held it out. With in seconds the matte black capsule turned a neon blue. The drift returned the capsule to his hip and continued on his way.

Overall his trip to the Thunder Plains had been a waste, the king had been out on what was said to be a diplomatic excursion. While it made the Nomads trip pointless it did create an opening that would make is ultimate goal a lot easier to achieve. The Thunder King would probably be traveling with a body guard unit of some sort, but it was guaranteed to be smaller than the army he would have at his beckon call if a fight were to break out in the center of his kingdom. The rumor was that he was heading to the Water Nation, the very same place Toho planned to go after dealing with the Thunder King. It worked out perfectly, he would kill three birds with one stone. This new world based on an arbitrary monarchy needed to be extinguished, and he would be the one to do it.

Pulling his hood down over his eyes Toho reached into his back pocket and pulled out his bible, clutching it to his chest before placing it flat against his forehead. With his eyes closed he continued walking at a brisk pace, not tripping or running into anything, a miracle to say the least. In deep concentration he muttered various scriptures to himself, his lips moving a mile a minute. By the time he put the book back in his pocket he was breathing as he if had just run a marathon. Tears ran down his dirty cheeks leaving clean salty streaks. Through it all he had a smile on his face that stretched from ear to ear, and determination in his eyes that challenged the world to try and stop him. He was untouchable, and he knew it. Soon he would right the wrongs of this world, shattering the blasphemous bubble that these heathens created for themselves. The Raging Sea would be the first nation to become enlightend to the ways of the righteous, serving the one true ruler, God.