[Locked] [Community Project V2] Shadowblaze Chronicles

Great empires rise and fall, and many do so over the span of thousands of years. These empires were born out of the will to protect their people, and many of them died because of the same people that they once protected. But, many of those great empires are guilty of enslaving their own people, and brought this end upon themselves, for forsaking the same people they initially sought to protect and nurture.

There is, however, one empire that has withstood the test of time, and has never changed its policies of protecting its people, granting them freedom and security, while viciously destroying and forces that would harm those under it's protection. The Eradician Empire. Any force that attempts to attack the empire or its people is annihilated without exception. The Eradician Empire stands today because of its Empress, who has lived for tens of thousands of years, and is said to be not only immortal, but invincible.

The Empress of Eradicia is thought to be invincible for good reason, as well; Every time there is a major battle, the Empress herself comes to the front lines, and none have ever wounded her, despite there having been millions of enemies who've been unfortunate enough to cross paths with her. She leaves no survivors from any invading force that she herself defends against, and many other great nations came to fear her mere presence, as it was like being in the presence of a death god.

Etheria Eradica was her name. She is the Empress of the Eradician Empire, and a grand master of ancient arts and magic. An unparalleled power among the world of sentient beings. Her only downfall was that she cannot be everywhere at once, and thus still needed to make alliances to protect parts of her empire. That being said, today was a special day. It was a peace ceremony, an event to mark the unity of her Empire with that of four allied nations. She knew that she couldn't be everywhere at once, despite her mastery over both arcane and combat arts alike, and thus decided that the best way to protect her people, was to have more people to protect her people with.

The conditions of this merger were that she would travel to each of their nations after integration into her empire, and aid them in development of both their economies and their military. The economies would support their people and their military would protect their people, and aid in the protection of the empire. As another condition, if a large-scale invasion were to be launched against any of these nations after the merger, She would send her personal forces, including either herself of one of her trusted generals, to defend them and drive away the invaders. This would keep both civilian and military death tolls to a minimum, and support the growth of the empire.

Etheria Eradica was an immortal blessed with eternal youth, so she hasn't aged since the time she became immortal. Originally, she was a human with brown hair and eyes, but now she had a pale complexion, with silver hair and golden irises. She adorned a velvet-colored dress with black frills, and wore a transparent red veil over her face. It did not hide her face, it simply dimmed others' view of her face. She also wore black gloves made from silk, which covered her arms up to just beyond her elbows, and black stockings, of which their length beneath her dress could only be guessed at by those around her. She wore velvet-colored shoes, with flat bottoms, unlike many women who preferred to wear raised heels. Yet, she walked toward the doors to her palace's throne room in a smooth, even rhythm.

Etheria pushed the doors open to her throne room. She did not approve of guards or knights doing tasks she could accomplish on her own, for her. She walked gracefully toward the throne, stood in front of it, and then turned to her knights and the diplomats from her allied nations. "Today is a day that we will remember." She announced. "We will be uniting a total of 5 nations, including my own empire, under my rule. That does not mean, however, that I will interfere in the political systems of your nations," She explained. She nodded to her knights, and they moved to the sides of the room, to open the doors and allow several people carrying boxes to enter.

She turned to the diplomats and smiled cheerfully. "Instead, I will be aiding in the development of your nations, for the sake of your economy, as well as your military. These boxes contain instructions about how to rotate your crops to make them more effective, what fields to rest and when to rest them, so that you produce more food." She explained. She stepped down from the throne and nodded to her most trusted general. She turned back to the diplomats. "This man is my most trusted general, and a master of combat, Evan Darfolza. He will be making instructions for how my other generals will aid in the development of weapons and training of your military, to increase their effectiveness. Our aim is to make all of your militaries organized and strong enough to repel any large-scale invasion force, even before reinforcements from the empire arrive." She explained.

Evan Darfolza was a stoic-looking man of average height, with black hair, brown eyes, and a short, fuzzy beard that accented his apathetic expression. He plated armor over joints and his vital areas, but the rest of his armor was made of soft leather. At his belt were two swords, one on each side. He was an ambidextrous combatant, and a master of swordsmanship. Despite his average height, he gave off an aura that made him seemingly tower over the other knights, one that would suggest he was a fighter nearly on par with the empress herself.

Evan walked over to each diplomat, handing each one a book. He stepped back and cleared his throat, his expression turning more serious than before. "The training will be simple at first, to train novice recruits into passable soldiers, and will become more advanced as their skill levels increase. The principles and uses of each stage of training are detailed thoroughly in those books, so that your own veteran forces can begin teaching. Our generals will aid the veterans of your forces with this task, but cannot cover all major cities, and so will give priority to the cities that are most vulnerable to being sieged. Once they've helped to train your troops, they will give instructions for building new defensive siege equipment, like those that defend the cities of our empire." Evan explained. He returned to the Etheria's side, but stood tall next to her.

The diplomats were kneeling until now, but stood up slowly after seeing this act. "Must we not kneel in the presence of her majesty, the Empress Etheria?" One of the diplomats spoke. Etheria raised an eyebrow. "Respect is earned, not given. I do not expect diplomats I've recently met to kneel any more than I would make the brave knights who defend my empire kneel. Be at ease, for the greatest respect you can show is to not fear me, for this is ceremony to show that we mean to create peace." Etheria proclaimed, walking to each of them and placing her left hand on their right shoulders. She walked back to the throne, and stood in front of it.

"Thus, on a day such as this, I ask you this. Did your nations' leaders accept my proposal that we combine our forces and create a peaceful empire that can defend itself effectively?" She questioned. The diplomats nodded, nearly in unison. The first diplomat stepped forward. "My name is Terack Norfel. I am the Imperial diplomat for the Queendom of Sharee, and her majesty, the queen, has agreed to this merger. The Kingdom of Dremlo, the Kingdom of Fortrani, and the Queendom of Webnimae also agreed." Terack replied, taking the scroll offered to him by the female diplomat next to him. "This is the treaty you created, signed by the Kings and Queens of all four nations." Terack stated, presenting it to Etheria.

Etheria nodded with a smile, and took the scroll from Terack. With this, the ceremony ended, and the diplomats made their exit from the throne room. Each of them was escorted by one of Etheria's most trusted generals, Evan included, and protected by a platoon of knights on their trips home. Etheria left the throne room and made her way to her chambers. It had been a long day, despite her success, and she hadn't had the chance to store her arcane powers today. As she entered her chambers, and unfamiliar face awaited her. A man with silver hair and golden eyes, and pale skin, just like hers, stood to confront her. "Your peace ceremony was a nice plan, but it all hinges on whether or not you remain alive." The man stated, in a threatening tone.

Etheria began backing away to exit the room and get backup, but just as she was about to leave, the doors slammed shut, and a powerful arcane barrier formed. "You've improved quite a bit over these last nine thousand years, Vastenarok." Etheria complimented her intruder as she set up her own barriers. Vastenarok sighed. "You forget the first year. I've waited for over nine thousand years. That first year of healing was complete hell." He explained as he waved his hand, tearing open a rift out of nowhere. Etheria began charging her hands, ready to strike. She struck the ground, creating a surge of lightning strikes throughout the room, but Vastenarok seemed to be predicting where they would fall, and dodged all of them by teleportation.

Vastenarok laughed. "You can't hope to catch me with that spell, especially since I'm on-guard. It may be powerful, but the signs are too obvious. Plus, I've learned more magic than you have over these past several thousand years." He proclaimed, wearing a cocky grin. From the rift poured out demonic beings, many of which Etheria hadn't seen in tens of thousands of years. Etheria grimaced, disgusted by the thought that Vastenarok had dabbled in ancient dark magic. "You needed to learn necromancy and demon taming, two forbidden ancient magics, before you could do something like this. Why would you forsake your purpose as a sorcerer? Why would you forsake the arcane edicts?" Etheria interrogated, preparing several offensive and defensive spells at once.

Vastenarok smiled grimly. He waved his left hand, and a sigil appeared upon Etheria. "With this, my ultimate curse, you will soon be flung into a dimension of oblivion. Enjoy eternal suffering and anguish, as one who cannot die will experience the most exquisite tortures the universe has to offer." Vastenarok jeered. Before she could be flung into another dimension, however, she release all of the spells she was preparing at once. "Burn in hell, Vastenarok! You'll have to bide your time once more!" Etheria shouted, charging her last attack. She created a miniature star, and then left it in the room as she was sucked into another dimension. Vastenarok tried to lower his arcane barrier quickly so that he could escape, but it exploded at that moment. The Palace of Eradicia was wiped off of the map.

Vastenarok crawled out from under the rubble, and most of his legs were blown off during the explosion. "You always were untouchable, but I don't have to touch you where I've sent you... it'll only take about a year for me to make a full recovery, so your last stand was in vain!" He screeched, cursing Etheria for the excrutiating pain he felt throughout his entire body. He dragged himself up to a broken wall and leaned against it.

"No matter. I've gotten rid of the pinnacle of power of the Eradician Empire, and now the world can be thrown back into the darkness. Demons, come forth from the rift, and terrorize this land!" Vastenarok commanded, opening the rift even wider. Demons of all shapes and sizes poured forth, some humanoid, some beastly, and many strange at best. The scattered in all directions, with one goal in mind. They will destroy this world, and make it their own.

The demons were soon halted by the sorcerers and knights that protected the capital city, but many demons were able to break through, despite the slaughter of most demons that engaged in combat with the empire's defenders. Vastenarok took the chaos as an opportunity to escape, creating a warp portal for himself. Once knight witnessed his escape, and couldn't believe his eyes. The area where the palace used to be was locked down by layers of arcane barriers erected by the arcane sorcerers under the employ of the Empress, and the search for Etheria Eradica continued, to no avail.

Rumors of her 'death' quickly spread, and the allied nations that had agreed to the merger had their doubts of how they would proceed. She was thought by most to be immortal and invincible, and so most people feared that this incident, in which she had disappeared, was merely the precursor for worse things to come. Over the next six months, the Empire tightened its security, and sent veterans to train common villagers how to defend themselves, in case of emergency. Demon attacks stopped entirely, but most of the demons that escaped the capital on the day the palace disappeared were still missing.

In one small village, news of the Empress' disappearance hadn't come yet, nor had any veterans made it there yet, due to it being located deep in the mountains to the east. A young upstate, Masayoshi Hitobashira, was training in swordsmanship so that he could protect his village. Everything would change when the demons visited his village on one fateful night...

It was a quiet night. The gentle breeze slowly pushed through the village. Hanging wind chimes tapped each other slowly, making gentle, yet high-pitched noises. There were many dimly-lit candle lamps hanging from poles. A thin mist waded across the ground in and around the village. Figures danced silently in the mist, slowly but surely approaching the village. It was surrounded on all sides.

The roar of thunder raged throughout the night, and a deafening screech echoed in the aftermath. The dark figures became clearer as they grew closer to the village, lit by the candle-lamps. Horns, teeth and hoofs adorned many of these beastly figures. Some looked like bears, some, like boars. There were even a few that looked like elk. Masayoshi woke up from the sound of the thunder earlier, and had already dressed himself in a set of working clothes, and armed himself with a large butcher's knife.

He peeked out from his home, pushing open the sliding wooden door slowly. He noticed the creatures closing in around the village, and went back inside, closing the door silently. "If I'm gonna fight those things, I better be prepared." He whispered, keeping his voice down to avoid attracting the attention of the creatures outside. Masayoshi went into the basement, and took his deceased father's armor from a dusty wardrobe. It was segmented, in pieces, for both flexibility and strength. His father's helmet was lost long ago, though.

He equipped it piece-by-piece, soon donning a similar appearance to the samurai of old, prior to the Eradician Empire's conquest. His father was once the head of a small mercenary group, called the Aetherian Mercenaries. Masayoshi opened an old chest containing his father's belongings, and found a segmented spear, with steel chains connecting the segments. The spearhead was an awkward diamond shape, with the blades curving slightly inward to an extremely fine point. "This will work." he whispered, closing the chest.

Masayoshi slowly climbed the stairs from the basement to the main floor of his home. He peeked into the main floor, making sure the coast was clear, and that none of the creatures had entered his home already. His home was still empty, but the front door had been opened again. Something had checked his home for people already, and likely moved on. He exited his home, keeping low to stay under the cover of the mist.

The figures had closed in and surrounded the village on all sides. From the looks of it, there were various types of bestial creatures, the likes of which he'd never seen before. He gripped his spear tightly, but forced himself to smile, in order to stay calm. He only had one shot, since he was the only person in the village who'd trained for combat. He figured that he would likely only be able to fight one or two of the beastly beings before his stamina gave out, so his plan was to escape the village stealthfully. He had to acquire assistance.

He often traveled down the mountain to the towns on the plains, to get supplies for the village. He knew the nearest town had a mercenary post, and they would work any job for the right price. He carefully and quietly snuck to past a few of the creatures, making it past 2 lines of the things. The third line seemed to notice something amiss, then they all scattered, falling back a few yards. They were on high alert now, watching for movement. Masayoshi knelt on the ground, completely still, trying to keep his breathing as quiet as possible. One of the creatures started to approach him, slowly.

"Halt your search. It doesn't matter who's sneaking around, we have bigger fish to fry tonight." A grim, deep voice commanded. A short, thin man stepped toward the creature. "Don't ruin the plan by attracting unwanted attention. Get back into formation and prepare for the attack. We must wipe out this village soundly, not allowing them to fight back." The man spoke, directing the creature back to its previous location. The creatures obeyed, and got back into formation, surrounding the village. There was a silence. The man walked toward Masayoshi slowly, then stopped in front of him. His figure was clearer now, but features were still shrouded because of the mis between them.

"To have noticed our attack preemptively, you must have quite the senses." Complimented the man. "We're always looking for talented people to join or ranks. Look, if you want to live, you will take this opportunity to come out and join us." He explained, in a threatening tone. "I don't trust people who won't give their name, who are you?" Masayoshi replied, silently moving to a different spot afterward. The man chuckled. "So be it. My name is Andrew V. Lithum. Look, I don't like to do this kind of work, either, but I can't avoid it. I have no choice. If you join me, I can guarantee your protection, and will personally train you." Andrew explained, offering his hand in Masayoshi's direction.

Masayoshi thought of the people who had taken care of him in the village, and knew that they would be killed whether he resisted or not. He had to find a way to save them. "I will join you, but only if you agree to spare this village for 1 week. I want to say my goodbyes to the people who saved me and raised me. Otherwise, I will do everything I can to escape and bring reinforcements now." Masayoshi threatened. Andrew sighed. "I'm afraid I'm not allowed to do that, even though I would if I could. The attack begins now. Demons, charge!" Andrew commanded. The demons began their attack, and tore open the homes of the village.

Mere seconds later, an explosion occurred in the center of the village, near the cobblestone well, and a mysterious humanoid figure stood in the center. They wore a short black cloak that came about halfway down their back, under which they wore dark-grey leather armor, studded with what appeared to be silver spikes. There were crossbows on their wristbands, and two swords sheathed on their sides. One of those was a thin, curved sword, which appeared to be a katana, a lost weapon once wielded by ancient warriors. The other was a longsword with jagged edges, likely designed for tearing flesh. The mist cleared around them.

The blades of both glowed with a thin yet menacing blood-red aura. He slowly drew both blades, then leapt towards a demon in the next instant. The demon was vaporized in a single slash, dissipating into dark red smoke. He leapt between several demons, taking each out with a single strike. Andrew observed this and drew away from the scene, whistling for his demons. The demons began to retreat, but were disintegrated one after the other by the successive attacks of this mysterious being. Only a few were quick enough to escape.

By now, the villagers, who were previously panicking because of the demons' attacks, stood together in awe, after seeing the scene of this being destroying so many demons. Masayoshi also stood up, curious of this person's intentions. He cautiously approached the mysterious person, not sure whether to trust them or not. They sheathed their blades, and turned to Masayoshi. He had jet-black skin, almost as if his skin was itself a shadow. His eyes were a glimmering red, like the luster of polished rubies. His hair was a shade of white, the color of fresh, powdery snow. He looked directly at Masayoshi, and smiled.

"You're the only one who took to the field tonight, I'm assuming you know how to fight?" They questioned. Masayoshi nodded, but drew back slightly, preparing for a conflict. The man waved his hands, dismissing the gesture of a fight. At this time, Masayoshi noticed his sharp, elongated ears. "You're of the elven races. Who are you, and why would you help our small village in the mountains, so far from civilization?" Masayoshi interrogated, lowering his spear slowly, just in case he needed to raise it again. The man laughed in surprise.

"I'm a bit special amond elves. There are two races that are restricted based on the solar and lunar cycles. Because of this, we have to travel only when we're able to. I just happened to need to pass through these mountains tonight, consider it a lucky coincidence." He explained. Masayoshi frowned slightly. "That still doesn't give me your name. My name is Hitobashira Masayoshi. And yours is...?" He questioned, hinting that the man should introduce himself. "The name's Elgaraf Moonshade. I'm a Drow, so I only travel at night. I'm a traveling mercenary by trade, though sometimes I work for things other than money. I prefer to travel alone, or in a small party if necessary." He explained.

Masayoshi nodded, stabbing his spear into the ground. "Alright, what is your price for saving the village from demons, then?" he asked, thinking ahead. Elgaraf laughed. "You know, you're pretty sharp, kid. Most backwoods hicks would assume I saved them out of good will, but it seems you have a better head on your shoulders. Actually, I'm in the middle of looking for an apprentice, and you would fit the bill. All I need today is to stay in your home until tomorrow night, when I can leave again. But, if you'd like, you can hang with me, and I will train you in the combat arts." Elgaraf explained.

Masayoshi turned to the villagers, and the village elder stepped forward. "We are grateful for you training to protect us all this time, but I'm afraid it won't be enough. We need more powerful fighters. You may stay if you like, but things won't be easy. I say you take the chance to travel the land, and learn many things, youngster." the village elder proclaimed, looking at the other villagers. The villagers nodded one after the other. "Let us retire for the night, and tomorrow we'll help prepare you for a long journey." The village elder stated, turned back to his home. There were holes in a lot of the houses, and busted up doors.

"It will take us a while to repair the village, but you'll always be welcome to visit us. We'll keep your home ready for you if you ever want to come back and settle down." the village elder explained. The villagers returned to their homes, and Masayoshi led Elgaraf to his own home. The door was still open from before, so they simply entered. "Please take off your boots when you enter" Masayoshi requested. Elgaraf nodded, undoing the straps on his boots. He slipped them off, and they landed in the entryway with a thud. Elgaraf followed Masayoshi into a room with a floor of mats made from soft rush-covered rice straw, contrasting the wooden floors in the rest of the home. The walls were all made with wooden frames and a stiff, paper-like surface.

"This is the room in which you'll sleep tonight, I'll prepare a futon for you. It's not the best, but I hope it's good enough for you." Masayoshi explained. Elgaraf shook his head. "No, I'll wait until sunrise to go to bed. You know, because I travel at night, it's better for me to sleep during the day." He replied. Masayoshi nodded. "Alright then, let's plan ahead. How many hours per day should we travel? I'm assuming it has to be after sundown, because of your weakness to daylight." he proclaimed.

Elgaraf's expression turned grim. "Don't worry about me that much, kid. I can still hold my own, even in the daytime. A few demons here and there won't make a difference." he retorted. Elgaraf grinned. "Though, it would be nice and all for you to stay up late, you're too young for that to work long-term. Leave the night watch to the professionals, and just stay alert during the day. We can travel during the few hours after sundown but before it gets too dark." Elgaraf explained. Masayoshi nodded in agreement. "Alright then. I'm off to bed. Please wake me up if anything occurs while I'm resting." Masayoshi requested, leaving the room. "No problem kid." Elgaraf replied, returning to the front door.

He sat in the doorway, keeping an eye on the edge of the village, and the two mountain paths in and out. If anything came in or out, he would see it. After just a few short hours, the sun began rising, and Elgaraf yawned. "Time to head in and wake up the kid." he spoke to himself, drowsily walking inside. Masayoshi was already awake, however. "My apologies, I was a bit too excited to stay asleep for long. Today's a big day for me." he explained. Elgaraf frowned. "Give it a rest, kid. I'm heading to bed. Wake me up when we're ready to leave." he replied, nearlly ignoring Masayoshi's presence altogether.

After Elgaraf went to bed, Masayoshi went to the other villagers to gather supplies for the journey. They gave him one horse, and a weeks supply of food and water for two. "Sadly, because of the destruction last night, this is all we could provide. I hope you understand." the villager elder explained. Masayoshi nodded in affirmation. "Someday, I'll return. I want you to send for help from other towns, for safety reasons." Masayoshi proclaimed. After gathering the supplies he needed, Masayoshi went to wake Elgaraf. He was sound asleep, but didn't snore. This surprised Masayoshi, since he assumed from his speech that he was a rough person.

"Alright, Elgaraf, it is time to depart." Masayoshi stated, nudging Elgaraf. He opened his eyes lazily. "Five more minutes." he replied, turning on his side. Masayoshi sighed, and went back to the front door of his home. A little girl with brown hair came over, and approached him. She was holding something behind her back, and fidgeting suspiciously. "Thanks for saving me from wolves a while back, Masa-nii. I never did say thanks..." She spoke with a timid expression. She closed her eyes tightly, then ran up to him and thrust the object she was holding behind her right toward Masayoshi's chest. A basket of apples.

She set it down and ran off. Masayoshi was taken a bit aback, since none of the villagers had ever acted that way toward him. It appeared that most of them actually saw him as a minor nuisance, since taking care of him after his parents were killed. He smiled, and picked up the basked. Elgaraf came out just at that moment. "What, was that a gift from your little girlfriend?" Egaraf jeered, elbowing Masayoshi in the side. Masayoshi grimaced. "She's only seven. Definitely too young for dating." Masayoshi retorted defensively. Egaraf laughed. "You're funny, kid. You getting high-strung just says you like her." Elgaraf teased.

Masayoshi ignored his comment and began walking toward the mountain path. He grabbed the reins of the horse he was given, which carried the supplies for their journey, Elgaraf followed shortly. Masayoshi and Elgaraf began their trek down the mountain, and the sun went down. Once they reached the foot of the mountain, they decided to camp for the night, and trade watches once day broke. Elgaraf took watch during the night, and Masayoshi during the day. They had a few days before they would reach the nearest town, in which there was also a mercenary post. Their travels would be arduous, but Elgaraf planned to start training Masayoshi in the combat arts in the second town they stopped in, where they would also re-supply. Meanwhile, events in the Eradician Empire's capital had taken many turns for the worse...

Elgaraf Moonshade examined the sleeping Masayoshi’s face in the early hours of the morning. It had been another night without incident, and it was just about time for him to wake up the boy so they could be on their way.
Elgaraf had never intended to become attached to the boy – his offer to take him under his wing and train him had been a lie, to score himself a free roof for the night. The boy had surprisingly seen through him. The drow indeed was in search of something, but it wasn’t a student.
He briefly pondered slitting Masayoshi’s vulnerable throat as he lay sleeping. It would be fast, efficient, and lethal. He could be on his way, and none would be the wiser.
But there was also benefit in playing along. The boy seemed like he knew the area well, and after all he had done nothing to deserve a hasty death. He could also keep watch while the drow was sleeping, and cover for his vulnerability to sunlight. If worse came to worse, Elgaraf could just turn him down. There was something about Masayoshi which reminded him of his younger self - Elgaraf had been watching when the boy had tried to negotiate with the enemy commander, despite the clear difference in their power levels. The recklessness in that action was all too familiar to him.
His mind made up, he gently roused the boy from his sleep.
“Time already?” Masayoshi muttered groggily.
Elgaraf nodded in response. They would make haste while the sun was still rising, and hopefully travel a good distance before noon. Elgaraf would rest then, and Masayoshi would take watch.
The two gathered their belongings and slowly set off towards the plains, travelling in the huge shadow of the mountain. Little to no words were exchanged. When the time came to eat, they would eat. When the time came to drink, they would drink. When the time came to rest, they would rest.
“How much farther is it?” Elgaraf asked a while later. The sun had almost completed its trek to the pinnacle of the sky, and this meant it was almost time for him to sleep.
“Not long,” Masayoshi replied. “We’ll probably arrive at dusk, assuming we rest during the hottest hours of the day.”
The boy’s face was flushed with perspiration – a result of travelling in his segmented armour. When it came down to protection, the plates of the samurai armour would cover more than Elgaraf’s studded leather – but at the cost of travelling ease.
They ended up setting camp under the shade of a large tree. Elgaraf lowered his back against the solid bark and closed his eyes, his breathing deepening. Within moments, he had fallen asleep.

***

“Elgaraf! There’s something in the distance!”
Elgaraf squinted out at the harsh sunlight. Masayoshi had his spear by his side, and was staring off into the distance. Following the boy’s line of sight, Elgaraf spotted a mass of movement on the horizon. The brightness dazed him and caused his head to throb, but he could tell they were demons.
“Are they coming towards us?” the drow asked, his hand around his rapier. “I can’t tell.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Masayoshi replied. “It looks like they’re travelling parallel to us. I think they might be headed towards the town as well.”
Elgaraf closed his eyes, trying to concentrate in the intense brightness.
“What should we do?” the boy continued. “Do we fight them? We can’t let them lay waste to another settlement…”
“No, we can’t fight them,” Elgaraf said. “Not unless you can take them on all by yourself.”
Elgaraf couldn’t care less about the settlement. But the horde that was marching off into the distance had to be under the command of an elite – perhaps Elgaraf would finally find a worthy opponent.
“We’ll follow them,” he concluded, “and maybe we can confront them once they arrive. “
“Will you be able to?”
“Don’t worry, elves don’t need to sleep as much as humans. I should be fine if the town is as close as you say it is.”
Masayoshi looked uncertainly at Elgaraf, but the drow waved him off.
“I guess we’d better hurry, or we’ll lose them.”

***

They arrived late in the afternoon, as predicted. The demons had gathered by the town gates, talking amongst themselves before the guards without a care in the world. Bringing his finger to his lips, Elgaraf drew Masayoshi to the shade of a nearby tree, where they would not be seen.
“Stay back, demon filth!” one of them roared. “You shall not set one foot inside Arden!”
No one appeared to pay attention to him.
“So how should we do this?” a demon asked its comrade, as if they were discussing the weather. “Should we destroy their town completely? Or leave the women?”
“We should torture them,” another rasped. “I just love hearing human screams.”
“No.”
The cloaked human who spoke was clearly the leader of the demons – the way he carried himself exuded an aura of superiority. His hair was a golden blonde, and combined with his pale skin he almost looked ethereal.
“Lithum has given us orders to be as fast and efficient as possible. We will eradicate this petty settlement, leaving none alive and move on to the next town.”
One of the guards was shaking with fury, his knuckles tightly gripped around his sword. “You have been warned, demons. Now, face the might of Ard-“
There was a blur of movement, and Elgaraf almost choked in surprise.
Where the guard’s head had been was now a fountain of blood - the leader of the demons had decapitated him with one swift blow. Elgaraf hadn’t even had time to see what happened – there had a been a quick blur of shadow, and the next moment the man’s head, separated from his body, had come rolling to a stop in the midst of the other guards. A few moments later, with no head to command it, his body collapsed within a pool of his own blood.
“Elric…”
“No way…”
Elgaraf had heard tales of mages who practiced the shadow arts. When the sun was setting they were at their strongest due to the extremely long shadows cast. The shadows could be manipulated to their will, whether it be an edge sharper than the sharpest blade, or harder than the hardest gem. But he had not expected them to be this fast.
“L-Let’s work something out,” another guard stammered, his face almost as white as the shadowmancer’s. “Is there anything –“
Another shadow whipped around, the guard looked down to find it embedded in his chest. He was dead before he hit the ground.
“We have to do something!” Masayoshi whispered from beside Elgaraf. “At this rate they’ll all die!”
Elgaraf’s grip tightened around his rapier. He wanted to… his blood was racing to fight this new foe. But in his heart, he knew that he would not stand a chance if the shadowmancer had twenty demons on his side. He would wait for a better opportunity, hopefully with just the two of them. He wanted a worthy opponent, but he also wanted a fair fight where both parties were at their strongest.
“We can’t take them on,” he cautioned. “The shadowmancer is at his strongest at this time. If we just wait a bit until the sun sets, he will be vulnerable.”
“But the town could fall in that time,” the boy urged. “If anything we can stall it out!”
Elgaraf shook his head. “If you want to do something, you’ll have to do it yourself. I value my own life over the lives of those who I don’t even know.”
Masayoshi’s mouth drew into a thin line as he looked at the party of demons, who had launched themselves at the guards. The shadowmancer was standing at the back, watching in silence. Elgaraf saw the hand which was holding segmented spear tremble.
“I can’t just stand by and watch.”
Elgaraf said nothing as Masayoshi stepped out from their hiding place and approached the shadowmancer.

The demons snarled as Masayoshi approached, ready to attack him. The Shadowmancer, still wearing his cloak, turned to the gates, refusing to acknowledge Masayoshi's presence. His shadows sliced the gates to pieces, and chunks of iron and stone fell to the ground.

"Demons, kill or stall our uninvited guest, I don't care which. I will slaughter the townspeople myself, don't let that child enter, or anyone exit the town." The cloaked man commanded. He walked into the town of Arden, systematically slaughtering the townsfolk, merchants, and guards. Screams could be heard in the distance for a while, but then it fell silent.

Elgaraf stepped out from behind the tree, no longer worried about his chances of survival. He had taken the time to observe the demons, and noticed that two of them stood out as the pack leaders. Twin demons, each of them more than three times the size of Masayoshi, towered over the rest of the demons in the group. They had curved, sword-length under-claws, and wore plates of iron over their chest, likely to protect their weak spots.

He joined Masayoshi to confront the demons. "Hey kid, if you want to fight that shadow-wielder, it's your funeral, especially since you're not trained yet. Even I'm not crazy like that. Instead, we should fight these guys, it'll be much easier than taking on their leader. Do you see those two?" Elgaraf asked, pointing to the huge demons that stood above the rest. Masayoshi nodded.

"They're the pack leaders. Without that man, the demons should scatter as soon as they're defeated. I'll take care of the rabble, and you should fight the pack leaders. Use their lack of speed to your advantage." Elgaraf explained. Masayoshi nodded again, and dashed toward the pack leaders. They had dark gray, scaly skin, and judging by their straight horns and curved claws, were probably reptilian demons.

The night before their travels began, Masayoshi had studied from his father's old books about many types of demons, and about their physical traits, strengths, weaknesses, and intelligence levels. Reptilian demons were normally unintelligent, brute-force demons with some kind of specialty relating to their claws.

There was a dark purple residue on the edge of their under-claws, and Masayoshi decided to treat it as lethal poison, which must be avoided at all costs. Demons tried to stand in his way, but Elgaraf quickly dispensed of them, stabbing them with his rapier. Masayoshi noticed Elgaraf's slightly dazed state, he was likely weakened because the sun was still up, although it was setting.

He had to hurry and figure out a way to defeat the pack leaders, because even one as powerful as Elgaraf wouldn't be able to handle all of those demons while still in a weakened state. He dodged the swings of the two brutes by a hair's breadth each time, purposefully cutting it close so that he could test their speed.

Elgaraf recently explained that holding back is for the strong, but Masayoshi decided he would hold back in a different way - a way that lets him learn more about his opponents. He himself was very fragile, and one hit would likely kill him, even if the coating on the edge of their claws wasn't poison of some kind. He had to carefully dodge each strike, while saving his energy.

Elgaraf, on the other hand, was having trouble, having been weakened by the sunlight. He hadn't fought during the daytime for several years, so it was quite painful to do so. He was already sweating. A few of the smarter demons noticed this. "He's worn down! Don't fear him too much, but don't throw your lives away, either!" One of the smarter demons howled, stepping away from the fray. Elgaraf decided to prioritize him, as smart demons can be problematic during long battles.

Elgaraf charged the demon, sheathing his rapier on his back and drawing his katana and longsword at his sides. He decapitated the demon with his katana, and stabbed its fallen head in the brain with his longsword. This would prevent it from communicating with its comrades and causing more trouble.

The other demons then converged on him in a surrounding circle, apparently not forgetting the demon's advice. There was another demon behind them, continuing to give them directions. "Damn smart ones... They always make life harder." Elgaraf cursed as he was forced to block consecutive strikes from demon after demon.

Meanwhile, Masayoshi had been dodging the brutish pack leaders carefully, but leading them away from the fray. They were near a hill now. Masayoshi was visibly very exhausted, sweating bullets and breathing heavily. His armor was lighter than most, but still too heavy to move quickly consistently, and his stamina had hit rock-bottom.

His only solution was to create some distance and ditch his armor. The demons were reluctant to charge him for some reason, and he looked behind himself momentarily. The hill he stood at the edge of was very steep, and the drop was farther than some small cliffs, although not as deadly, because it was a grassy slope.

He could survive the fall if he rolled down the hill correctly. He threw his spear down the hill, and jumped down after it, landing about five metres down before he began rolling. The demons ran around the opposite sides of the hill, not keen on following him straight down. As he was rolling down, but before he gained too much speed, he planted his feet into the steep slope, dragging some dirt down, but stopping himself.

He then leaned into the steep hill, with his back to it, and lifted his feet off, allowing him to slide straight down. At the bottom of the hill, he picked up his segmented spear, and re-attached the pieces together, knowing that the range of his spear means little with such a small shore. There was a raging river merely a few metres away. The demons finally reached the opposite sides of hill, and charged at Masayoshi from the left and right.

As they swung, Masayoshi ducked, then jumped into the river. One of the demons screeched, and melted into a puddle of bubbling green liquid. As he guessed, their claws were coated with a lethal toxin that dissolved anything wounded by them. The remaining demon began howling, enraged that they were tricked into killing their twin.

Masayoshi followed the current, swimming as quickly as he could to distance himself from the second demon. He had a hard time doing this with his spear, and threw it ashore. After he had gained enough distance that the charging demon was nearly out of sight, he swam desperately to reach the shore. He nearly drowned in his swim, because of the armor he still wore.

He removed it and threw it on the ground, dreading his family keepsake for the first time. The demon was catching up, still charging him recklessly while howling in rage. He dodged the demon, and dashed as swiftly as he could back toward where he threw his spear. As he came across it, he picked it up, and continued to run.

The demon was gaining on him again, even though they were much slower than him earlier. This could only mean one thing. Masayoshi was the one getting slower. It made sense, seeing as he was thoroughly exhausted. His legs screamed at him in pain every inch he ran, but he had to ignore the pain. If he didn't, he would surely die.

He finally came to the steady slope the demon had come down, and ran in a zig-zag pattern up it. He was already slowing down, so he couldn't outrun the demon anymore. This would help him avoid the demon, and allow him to dodge more easily. The demon caught up, and swung at him with powerful blows, tearing out the ground where they missed Masayoshi.

He finally made it back to the top of the hill, noticing Elgaraf having similar trouble. He tripped the pack leader after dodging another strike, and the pack leader fell down the slope, tumbling to the bottom. He knew that their best chance now was to team up, and dashed toward Elgaraf. Masayoshi jumped atop a demon and broke their neck with his arms, jumping off of the demon and into the fray with Elgaraf. "What took you so long, kid?" Elgaraf questioned.

"I was tired out because of my armor, so I had to make a detour to ditch it." Masayoshi replied, ducking under a demon's punch. There were eight of the demons left, and Masayoshi was starting to recuperate, since he didn't have to run as much anymore. "Alright, fair enough. Can you handle these guys?" Elgaraf asked, noticing the remaining pack leader charging toward the fray.

Masayoshi nodded. "I might not be able to finish them off, but I can keep them occupied." he replied. Elgaraf smiled. He sheathed his katana and longsword at his sides, then re-drew his rapier from his back. The charging demon aimed to tackle him, but he stepped to the side, just far enough for the demon to miss, and crash into the town's walls.

He lunged into the demon, and sliced the straps that held the demon's armor plate over its chest. The demon got up, and the plate fell off. There was an opening in the chest, with the demon's beating heart exposed. Elgaraf dodged a few more swings, returning to join Masayoshi.

"I'll fight off the rabble, you just have to strike that pack leader in the heart. It'll be good experience for later." Elgaraf explained, deflecting the demon's massive claws with his small, thin rapier. Masayoshi nodded, switching places with Elgaraf. He detached the segments of his spear, and swung the bottom end around to his left, striking the demon's claw in mid-swing.

The toxins from the demon's claws corroded the bottom end of his spear a bit, and he decided from that to play it safe and dodge around it. After he got behind the demon, he noticed that there was no armor where there used to be on the back, either. The plates must have been held together by the straps Elgaraf cut.

Masayoshi jumped upon the back confused pack leader, and stabbed it in the heart with his spear repeatedly before jumping down and away. The demon screeched in agony, flailing about until it dropped the the ground with a massive thud. The ground shook slightly. This meant that the demon was incredibly heavy, which Masayoshi attributed to its slow speed.

Masayoshi hadn't fully recovered, but was well enough to fight the rest of the fray with Elgaraf. Just then, however, the demons stopped fighting altogether, howled in unison, and fled in all directions. Elgaraf sighed, and sheathed his rapier, returning it to his back. "What did I tell you, kid? Kill the leaders and the cronies run." Elgaraf stated calmly.

He was still sweating, but wasn't breathing hard at all anymore. Masayoshi noticed this. "How can you recover so quickly after you run out of stamina? he asked, still breathing slightly hard. Elgaraf laughed. "You really don't know much about the drow, do you? We're made for combat, unlike most elf races. We're built for longer fights than most, kid." He explained.

Masayoshi nodded, and Elgaraf nodded back. They knew what they had to do next. They quietly entered Arden, hugging the west side of the street, because the east-setting sun still shined on the buildings there, minimizing the shadows. As they followed the trail of bodies, they noticed the cloaked shadowmancer in the distance, his shadows waving back and forth, as if testing something in the wind.

Elgaraf and Masayoshi went around a corner, and peeked from behind a building with had flowers stacked in pots on the side, which gave them a good amount of cover. The shadowmancer stood next to the central fountain, in the middle of town, and opened a portal from out of nowhere. Elgaraf had seen these portals before, knowing them to be spatial rifts.

The shadowmancer tossed a large, blood-covered sack into the portal. He then closed the portal, and another cloaked man approached him. This man had no shadow at all, which was very strange. Elgaraf recognized the man's presence immediately. It was Andrew V. Lithum, the man that attacked Masayoshi's village. He decided not to inform his traveling companion, seeing as they would probably do something stupidly reckless.

"Emil Jörg Baumhauer - The Last Shadowmancer. Did you prepare the ingredients as instructed?" Andrew interrogated. the shadowmancer, Emil, nodded. "Affirmative. All living beings in the town of Arden have been eliminated, and their heads have been secured." he replied.

Elgaraf had a realization at that moment. "Those demons we faced earlier, there were a few more intelligent from the rest." He whispered. Masayoshi looked befuddled. "So what does that mean?" he asked. Elgaraf continued observing the two for a moment, since they remained silent and merely stated at one another.

"They had been summoned using a ritual with severed heads as an offering... Demon rabble can be summoned easily, but if you make offerings to them, they'll gain abilities from those offerings..." Elgaraf explained, still whispering. Andrew had apparently noticed them, and suddenly glared in their direction. Terror struck Elgaraf at that instant.

How did he not sense this intense bloodlust before, when that man invaded the mountain village? His aura was one of power Elgaraf couldn't measure, meaning that Andrew was immeasurably more power than him. He ducked around the corner, grabbing Masayoshi and covering his mouth to prevent him from making noise. Were they done for?

It all made sense now, though. He had to be many times more powerful to command a force of nature, such as a shadowmancer. Yet, from what he heard during Masayoshi and Andrew's conversation during the village attack, he's fairly low-ranked in his organization. Just what kind of god-like beings were they provoking, anyway?

Emil also glanced in the same direction after noticing Andrew's glare. He then turned back to face Andrew. "Is something amiss?" Emil inquired. Andrew nodded, pointing at the trail of bodies strewn everywhere.

"You left quite a mess, and reinforcements from the Empire are on their way. Clean up these bodies and all the blood before the sun sets, because you're useless after sundown. Meet me at the fortress once you're done." Andrew commanded.

"Also, next time you lose the demons I lend you, there will be severe consequences. Don't leave the rabble to fight by themselves. They obviously had their work cut out for them." Andrew threatened. Emil nodded in response. "It won't happen again, I promise, Andrew V. Lithum." He replied, almost mockingly.

From that, Elgaraf figured out that Andrew must have watched their battle. There was no other explanation for his words. How long had he been watching them, anyway? He let the two of them live on a mere whim, twice in a row, but probably wouldn't do so a third time. "We have to leave, now!" Elgaraf whispered, pulling Masayoshi back into the alley.

Masayoshi nudged Elgaraf, pointing out a small, agile girl, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. She stopped on the roof nearest to Andrew and Emil, in a position that made her seem ready to pounce down. Andrew turned away from Emil and opened a portal. "The sun's on the horizon, you have ten minutes before you run into problems. Finish quickly." He commanded.

Emil nodded in affirmation. Andrew entered the portal and disappeared, and the portal disappeared after him. Emil used his shadows to gather the decapitated bodies of the guards, merchants, and townspeople he'd slaughted, absorbing the blood along the way. His shadows took on a slight red hue as they absorbed mass amounts of spilled blood. The shadows retracted to him as he gathered the bodies from the main road, then stood still.

The shadows then shot out in all directions, searching for and grabbing bodies. Elgaraf noticed this, and knew that they were in trouble. The girl who was previously on the rooftop nearest to them had made her way to the roof of the building Masayoshi and Elgaraf hid behind. She dropped a rope next to them. "Grab it!" She spoke, keeping her voice quiet, yet with a sharp tone.

She had reddish-brown hair, deep green eyes, and an average-fair skin tone. She had a circular scar under her left eye, in the shape of a sun. Elgaraf noted this - it was a trademark scar that was only carved by one person he knew of. She wore black leather armor, and steel fist gauntlets. She was certainly the close-quarters combat type. Elgaraf didn't trust her, but the alternative right now would be much worse.

Elgaraf grabbed the rope, letting go of Masayoshi. He scaled the rope to the roof very quickly. The girl had tied it to the chimney. Masayoshi grabbed the rope next, but was too exhausted to climb still. Elgaraf noticed this, and pulled him up. Just in time, too, as the shadows entered the alley to search for bodies. The girl pulled the rope up before the shadow could find it.

The girl untied the rope from the chimney and gathered it in her hands. "My name's Marie Ekielon. I'm an elite scout of the Eradician Empire, working for the Head General, Evan Darfolza. I was sent with 2 others as an advance party, to get in touch with this town's soldiers, but it looks like it's too late for that. Who are you two, and what is your connection to that... thing?" she questioned.

Elgaraf nodded. "That's some great timing you had, but let's not talk here. That one's master already knows we're here, and could come for us any time. Let's leave town first. He wouldn't leave his subordinate alone when he's about to become vulnerable unless it's a trap." Elgaraf explained. Marie nodded in agreement.

Masayoshi sighed. "Near the river at the bottom of the steep hill, south of town, I left my armor behind. I need to pick it up before we return to our camp." he explained. Elgaraf shook his head. "Not tonight kid, we don't have time. You can retrieve it tomorrow." Elgaraf replied, signaling him to follow. Masayoshi followed him to the other side of the roof to observe Emil.

Emil had gathered a giant pile of corpses, towering taller than the buildings surrounding the central area. He then opened a portal, and threw the bodies in one after the other. Soon enough, the entire area was void of people, or evidence that people had been killed. The sun had fallen over the horizon completely, and, noticing this, Emil entered the portal as well, closing it behind him.

Masayoshi let out a sigh of relief, but Elgaraf's expression remained grim. "Did you see what he did to the guards at the gate?" Elgaraf inquired, facing Marie. She nodded, but then tilted her head. "Sort of. All I saw was that one moment the guards were alive, and the next moment, they were dead. I didn't even notice his shadows strike them." She replied.

Elgaraf nodded. "I'll explain everything we learned today after we make it back to the camp Masayoshi and I set up. Escaping this town with our lives intact is our top priority for now, especially since we don't know anything about the abilities of the other one who came." Elgaraf explained. Marie nodded.

Marie tied the rope around the chimney again, and slid down the rope. Elgaraf went after her. Masayoshi went last, and slid down as carefully as he could, but was too exhausted and lost his grip. He hit the ground with a thud, and fell unconscious. "Damn kid, he pushed himself way too far today." Elgaraf said, lifting Masayoshi over his shoulder.

Marie, and Elgaraf, who carried Masayoshi, traveled back to their camp. Elgaraf set Masayoshi down inside his tent, and placed a blanket over him. As he exited, Marie had gotten comfortable near the fire pit, and was poking at the coals. "I'll get the fire started," Elgaraf started, "so I'll be back in five." he stated. Marie nodded.

Elgaraf trekked into a nearby forest, which was only a few hundred metres from their camp. They set up their camp under some hills, so that it wouldn't be visible except from the direction of the forest. He gathered fallen branches and twigs until he had a sizeable pile, and returned to camp. He took two smooth rocks he found, and set them near the fire pit.

Marie wondered why he went through all of that trouble just to make a campfire, when there were lots of twigs around the camp as well. He silently started the fire, striking the smooth rocks together with a slight grind. The spikes became cinders, and turned into embers. The flame finally gained strength, and dimly lit the camp. Elgaraf then went and set up a new tent.

Marie crossed her arms and moved closer to the fire. Elgaraf noticed she was cold, but he had only one more blanket. He wasn't going to put himself at risk in the future for a perfect stranger they'd only met today. Masayoshi came out of his tent at that time. Marie looked at him, noticing his expression. He was clearly still exhausted.

Even though it was mid-summer, this was still a cold night. "Are you cold?" Masayoshi asked Marie. Marie was shivering, but shook her head. "Elite Scouts do not fear the weather." she retorted. Masayoshi chuckled a bit, then tossed his blanket at her. "I only brought blankets for two. You can use it tonight, we'll alternate nights." Masayoshi stated.

Elgaraf frowned. "Kid, you want to get hypothermia? You dived into a river earlier today, you need it more than she does." he scolded. Masayoshi shook his head. "I'm not going to sleep yet. I'm going to dry off by the fire, and we're going to discuss yesterday's events." Masayoshi explained, taking charge of the situation.

Elgaraf wasn't pleased with this, but decided to let the child be, knowing he had a very difficult day, and accomplished much more than he was expected to. Why not let the kid have the spotlight for a little bit? Marie's face brightened at the notion of this discussion. "So, what happened first?" She inquired. Masayoshi looked at Elgaraf, and he nodded at Masayoshi.

Masayoshi sat down very close to the fire, placing his hands mere centimetres from the flames. "So, we should start with how our journey began..." he began. Masayoshi and Elgaraf took turns explaining the events during their journey in detail to Marie, and afterward, she pondered the information for a while.

"So, we need a plan of action." Marie stated. Masayoshi and Elgaraf nodded in agreement. Masayoshi put his hands down, apparently warmed up enough from being so close to the fire. Elgaraf grinned. "I hate to admit it, but we stand no chance against these enemies, and they're just the grunts." Elgaraf explained. Marie shook her head, stood up, and took out a scroll.

"This is the message that was supposed to be for the people of Arden, but they're gone now." she exlained, handing it to Elgaraf. He opened it, and read the contents. "So, basically, the first reinforcements sent here were the main army, and they vanished without a trace, so the Empire's abandoning its people?" Elgaraf stated apathetically.

Marie was visibly offended by this. "No, it just means that the Empire will try, but cannot guarantee the safety of its people in the absence of our Empress." she explained, trying to improve Elgaraf's opinion of the Empire. Elgaraf sighed shaking his head in disagreement. Masayoshi stood clapped his hands together, noting that he felt the tension between the two of them.

"It doesn't matter. We're back to square one, and there's demons and much worse after us now. We need a new plan of action." Masayoshi said, changing the conversation. Elgaraf and Marie nodded in agreement. Elgaraf then turned to Masayoshi. "I normally travel alone, but only agreed to allow you to come with me to cover my weaknesses. Another person would only slow me down even more." Elgaraf explained.

Marie shook her head in disgust. "So I'm a third wheel, am I? Two's company, three's a crowd? Look, my partners were killed in action, and I'm likely assumed to be dead as well. Right now, mission failures result it death, because Evan Darfolza has become something like a dictator in the Empress' absence, and decided that mission failures will be treated as high treason." She retorted, defending her position.

Masayoshi understood that having her in their party with have both merits as well as flaws. The relationship between her and Elgaraf was already unstable, and given time, could be even more volatile. Yet, having her along would mean they could actually scout the surrounding areas safely during the day, because the camp would always have one person present and awake. It would be quite invaluable to have this ability, especially now that they've started trouble with demons and their masters.

"Elgaraf, I think, though it may not be agreeable, we should take her along. Her ability to scout surrounding areas will be an invaluable asset during the daytime for our travels. It would also increase the safety of our camp, in case of emergencies. We can always take extra supplies from the town of Arden, since they'll soon be pillaged by bandits anyway." Masayoshi explained.

Elgaraf sighed. "If you feel that strongly that she would be useful, so be it. I'll hold you accountable for this, kid. But let's get one thing straight - I don't trust her. Not even a little. She could easily stab us in the backs anytime. I don't trust you either, but I trust that you're weak enough that I could kill you if you double-crossed me." Elgaraf retorted, warning Masayoshi.

Masayoshi nodded. "I understand. I won't let you regret this." He replied. Marie walked over the Elgaraf, and took out a book. "I found this recently, I came across it as I was heading through the town. It seems to be a translation guide for an ancient language. It might come in handy later, so I'm giving it to you." She explained. Elgaraf shook his head. "Miss, that's your next mistake - assuming that because I'm an elf, I'm well-educated? That shit is better off in Masayoshi's hands, lady." Elgaraf sneered.

Marie turned away in disgust, but then went over and presented the book to Masayoshi anyway, "He obviously hates me, this isn't going to work out." She said, her expression one of anger. Masayoshi smiled weakly. Elgaraf noticed at that time, that Masayoshi still hadn't fully recovered, and doing tomorrow's watch would be suicide if something went wrong. Elgaraf walked over and took the book out of her hands. "Fine. I think I'll abide you. But, only because he needs you more than I do." Elgaraf proclaimed.

Masayoshi then sat back, backing against a tree, and wrapped himself in his own shirt. "I'm going to need to sleep in a bit... Elgaraf, could you get my armor from near the river sometime tonight? It should be right along the shore between two slopes." Masayoshi requested, shutting his eyes and dozing off. Elgaraf nodded, knowing the boy could no longer hear him. Marie stepped in between them and sat across from Elgaraf.

"That child is something else. What's you're relation to him, anyway?" Marie inquired. Elgaraf stood up, brushing himself off. "He's my traveling partner. He's also soon to be my student..." He started. "But no more questions. Time for you to sleep. I need you in peak condition so you can take over his watch when the sun comes up." Elgaraf explained. Marie nodded in agreement, taking the blanket Masayoshi gave her into her tent.

She wondered why Masayoshi slept outside his own tent, even though there were three tents up now, but decided it wasn't important enough to ask about. Elgaraf sat by the fire pit, and put out the fire by turning it over. He didn't want to draw undue attention to their camp, and he didn't need a fire to see or stay warm, anyway. Meanwhile, a major scheme had been hatched in the Empire's capital, one that would transform the Empire into an ocean of chaos and destruction.

Name: Rocan Ikawa
Race: Wevirian
Gender: Male
Sexual Preference: Come on, we all know he's in puberty. Anything with a pussy and tits.
Class: Manipulator.
Subclass: Electromancer.
Second Subclass: Burster.
Elemental Affinity: Earth.
Age: 14.
Height: 3'7".
Weight: 5kg.
Ethnicity: Asian.
Skin color: Darker than yours, whitey. But seriously... Like, Okinawan tone?
Penis Color: Black. Well, you know, if you can find it. He's still Asian.
Hair Color: Black.
Eye Color: Brown.
Armor Type: Does not wear armor.
Clothing Type: Wanderer's rags.
Preferred Weapon: Dual Short-swords, can be connected at the pommels.
Trade Skills: Scavenging, Camping, Scouting, Cooking, Construction, Trapping
Combat Arts Prowess Level [0-9001]: 6800
Arcane Arts Learning level [0-9001]: 735
Elements Learned: Fire, Water, Earth