[Locked] [Community Project V2] Shadowblaze Chronicles

Elgaraf, Masayoshi and Marie reached Aiful just as the sun was sinking below the horizon. It was a small, cosy town, consisting of neatly lined stone buildings along cobbled pavements. Orange street lamps dotted the roads, casting a fiery glow on the ground.

“Finally,” Marie huffed. “Took us long enough.”

Masayoshi looked up towards the sky. “It’s getting dark. Maybe we should turn in for the night and unwind tomorrow?”

“That’s a good idea,” Marie nodded. “But where are the inns? Should we ask someone-”

“How about there?” Elgaraf interjected. He pointed a black finger towards the centre of town, where an alarmingly large number of men were headed.

Masayoshi followed his gaze towards the two storey building. “How do you know that’s an inn?”

“Kid, there are only three places working men head when night falls. Home, taverns or a brothel. And I’m pretty sure that’s not a brothel, since there’s a giant picture of a beer mug on the door.”

Without waiting for a response, the drow headed off towards the building.

***

They ended up bargaining a price of one gold piece for the night. Elgaraf had already rested during the day, so he went downstairs to look around the tavern while Masayoshi and Marie rested in the rooms upstairs.

The room was filled with the deafening clamour of rowdy men, relaxing after a long day. The putrid stench of alcohol and sweat attacked Elgaraf’s nostrils as he pulled up a seat in front of the bartender.

The scruffy, bearded man eyed up the drow while polishing a grimy mug.

“Don’t see many of you folk around here,” he grunted. “What can I do for you?”

Elgaraf said the first thing on his mind.

“I want to get stronger,” he said.

The recent events that had befallen his party were fresh on his mind. He had left his home a long ago, searching for worthy opponents. For a long time, he had found none. But recently in the space of a few weeks, he had not only been overpowered by shadowmancers, time manipulators and arcane masters, he had even lost to a fellow warrior. He had always prided himself on being able to duel anyone one on one, but now he felt like he was but a mere novice in the world of legendary fighters.

He needed to become stronger. He didn’t want to lose to anyone in physical combat. If someone used magic, he needed to learn how to nullify it, or strike before the spell could be cast.

He was weak.

“I want to become the world’s strongest,” he said again.

The bartender looked him in the eye, a small smile playing about his lips.

“I’ve actually heard of an intriguing rumour you might be interested in,” he said.

Elgaraf waited for him to continue, but the bartender said nothing more. Instead, he continued to polish his mug, a suggestive glint in his eye.

The dark elf realized immediately.

“Hit me up with a glass of ale then,” he said.

Before Elgaraf could finish speaking, the clean mug had been placed before him, filled to the brim with frothing golden liquid. He brought the mug to his lips and took a deep swig.

“So, tell me more of this rumour,” Elgaraf said, leaning in. He didn’t want to lose any details in this clamour.

“Very well.”

The bartender glanced around to make sure no one was listening. Then, he looked Elgaraf in the eye and spoke.

“You’ve heard of Vastenarok and the Empress, right?”

Elgaraf nodded. He had heard around Arden and Masayoshi about the massive power struggle going on. After all, almost everyone had heard about it; demons did not simply run rampant through the lands. There was clearly a great force at play.

“It seems like Vastenarok is trying to reach the final stage of the arcane arts, and gain invulnerability to all. Only the Empress has ever achieved this – however, there is rumour of another who also reached this stage – not through mastering the arcane arts, but the blade.”

Elgaraf’s ears instantly twitched.

“Mastery of the blade?”

The bartender nodded.

“Legend says that she transcended simple synchronization with her sword. They became one – a technique that could defeat anything the master desired – whether it be magic, physical, or ranged. Her technique was too powerful for her to remain where she was, and she was forced into a hermit life.”

“What do you mean, a technique which could defeat magic?” Elgaraf asked. “How do you cut through something you can’t see?”

The bartender shrugged. “No idea, lad. I’m only repeating what a traveller once told me. But you know what he said? He said that he spotted her in the far north, the mountains where the snow falls every day and the ethereal lights shine in the sky at night.”

“That far north?” Elgaraf said.

He had heard legends of this place – an area of the continent so far up and so high up that few had ever been. The mountains were dangerous and unexplored, and every night there were mysterious multi-coloured lights that lined the sky – nicknamed the Aurora.

He could feel his blood racing in his veins.

“A swordswoman who could defeat anything,” he breathed. “And she roams those mountains?”

“Take it with a grain of salt,” the bartender said. “Don’t go charging off, the traveller could have just been delirious.”

Those words fell upon deaf words. Elgaraf stared the last drops of ale in his mug, already thinking.

He needed to get stronger.

The world was changing – and depending on what happened in the next few weeks or months, it could be for the worse. Elgaraf didn’t personally care too much for its people, but the thought of demons raiding the lands and ravaging it of all life was too much. The world was beautiful, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Pursuing this legend could well be killing two birds with one stone – he would be one step closer to becoming the strongest in the land. Perhaps with this knowledge and technique he would be able to foil Vastenarok’s plans for the world.

“The far north, eh,” he muttered.

He knew vaguely where to go. It was said that if you kept walking in any direction, you would eventually encounter the ocean. If you kept sailing, then you would fall off the waterfalls at the edge of the world.

But if you kept going north, you would reach the unpassable mountains – mountains so high up that their tips were lost in the clouds. A stairway to the heavens.

You couldn’t miss them – just head north, and you would happen upon them, no matter what.

“Thank you,” Elgaraf said, handing some coins to the bartender. “You’ve been a great help.”

“You’re not seriously considering going there, are you?” he asked.

Elgaraf didn’t respond.

“There’s horrors you’d never imagine in your wildest dreams,” he continued. “Furry giants which stand three times your height, titans who quake the earth when they sleep, dragons of pure ice…”

The drow stood up. His heart was racing – he hadn’t felt this thrilled in a long time. He would have to leave a note to Masayoshi and Marie, explaining where he had gone. He would buy a horse and stock up quickly, and leave straight away so they could not find him.

Elgaraf would miss Masayoshi. The boy had grown on him, and he was saddened he would not be able to finish training him. However, he couldn’t say the same for Marie – that woman didn’t mean much to him.

“Good luck,” the bartender said. “I can see you’re not going to move from your path.”

Elgaraf nodded in acknowledgement and headed upstairs, away from the ear-shattering noise. By the Masayoshi and Marie woke, Elgaraf would already be well on his journey to the frozen north. Without two amateurs to slow him down, progress would be tremendous.

Carefully writing a farewell message on a scrap of parchment, he left it under Masayoshi’s door and stood back.

“See ya, kid,” he said. “We’ll definitely meet again. This time, I won’t lose to anyone – not even a God.”

With that, Elgaraf Moonshade parted ways with Masayoshi and Marie.

It was much earlier than dawn still. Masayoshi awoke before Marie, and expected to see Elgaraf in the third bed in the room they’d purchased last night. It was empty, and so neatly made that it was obvious it hadn’t even been touched yet. Masayoshi was surprised that Elgaraf left without a word, though it’s probably better that he did, since Masayoshi had been finding reasons to keep him around, making it harder for him to get up and leave. Masayoshi noticed a folded piece of parchment at the edge of the bed, and picked it up.

The letter read, “To the kid and the woman… I had fun traveling with you both, although I didn’t care for the woman for the most part. Kid, if you wake up before the sun rises, look out your window and look to the mountains. I’m on a journey of my own, and I’ll see you again some time. I left a book behind in your bag, I can’t teach you any longer, but it has the forms for practicing use of the katana you were given at Sento village.” Masayoshi placed the letter back onto the empty bed after reading it, and went to his bags to find the book.

In the bag containing some pieces of his armor, he found the book, along with another folded piece of parchment. He set the book aside and unfolded the parchment first. It read, “I’m sure you already know, but watch out for that Andrew fellow and the Shadowmancer. They’ll keep getting a lot stronger pretty fast, so you need to keep up somehow.” Masayoshi smiled after reading the parchment, and folded it back up, placing it in his shirt pocket. He collected the other letter and placed it in the same pocket. He then went over and picked up the book, sat against the bed Marie was still asleep in, and began reading.

Masayoshi knew that his road would be a more perilous one, and on his own, there was no guarantee he could protect Marie. He needed to part ways with her, as well. But, unlike Elgaraf, he would wait until he could tell her. He wasn’t a fan of springing surprises on other people, though he understood that Elgaraf just did what needed to be done. Marie rolled over a few times, tossing and turning in her sleep. After a few more times, she fell out of bed, hitting the ground with a loud and obnoxious thud. She yelped and jumped to her feet, looking startled and ready for a fight.

Masayoshi chuckled a bit, but then his face turned grim. “Marie, we have a few important things to talk about.” Masayoshi claimed. Marie nodded. “What’s up?” She asked. Masayoshi sat down on his own bed, and took out the parchment Elgaraf left for him. He handed it to Marie, and she took her time reading it. “So, he’s probably gone for quite a while, then. We’ll be a traveling duo for some time.” Marie stated. Masayoshi sighed. “Well, about that…” Masayoshi started, but Marie cut him off. “So, you’re not going to travel with me? Do you dislike me too?” Marie interrogated.

Masayoshi shook his head. “I just don’t think I’ll be able to protect you while I’m on my own.” Masayoshi explained. Marie grimaced in disgust. “You think I need… protection? I can handle myself, plus, you’re just a kid! What makes you think I’d let a kid protect me? I’d be protecting you!” Marie retorted, apparently angry at the notion of †˜being protected’. Masayoshi sighed once more, seeing that she was a stubborn person. Now he knows why Elgaraf chose to leave at night, because it’s a hassle to leave when they’re awake.

Masayoshi began re-packing his bags. “Sorry, but I can’t allow you to endanger yourself for my sake. They may not care about you too much particularly, but at least you’re not the target they’re looking for. The Shadowmancer and Andrew V. Lithum will only grow in power from now on, making them more dangerous.” Masayoshi proclaimed, tying his bags up neatly. Marie looked furious, but didn’t say a word. That made it seem all the more perilous to say anything further. Masayoshi finally had all of his bags packed and ready to load the horses, when someone knocked at their door.

Marie went to answer it, and was about to open the door before Masayoshi stopped her. “Who is it? We already paid to stay until noon.” Masayoshi interrogated, his katana drawn and in hand. Shadows peeked out from under the door, and Masayoshi knew what this meant. “Ditch the bags, let’s go now!” Masayoshi shouted, yanking Marie toward the window. “What the hell are you doing?!” Marie shouted back, but soon figured it out as Masayoshi swung the window wide open. “Go now, jump! I’ll be right behind you!” Masayoshi directed. Marie nodded, and jumped out the window.

She landed in a fairly deep mud puddle below, as it had apparently rained late last night and early in the morning. Masayoshi signaled for her to run, and she picked herself up and ran down the path to the end of town. Masayoshi stood his ground as the Shadowmancer shredded the door to bits with his blades made of shadows. “Long time no see, Emil.” Masayoshi stated. The Shadowmancer shook his head. “Negative. I saw you last two days prior.” the Shadowmancer retorted. Masayoshi grinned.

“Alright, fine. But, If you were expecting me to run, you came out short on this deal today.” Masayoshi replied, wielding his Katana in front of him. He read some of the book Elgaraf left him before Marie woke up, but only learned some very basic things about combat with a sword. There was no time to pick up his spear, as that would give the Shadowmancer too much of an opening to attack. The katana’s blade was a mirror-polished, and painstakingly sharpened, with a carefully crafted blood groove. His father had made it probably thirty to forty years ago, but it still felt and handled like a good weapon.

The Shadowmancer, apparently running out of patience, made the first move, sending his shadows to attack Masayoshi. Masayoshi dodged the first few strikes, even though he couldn’t see them that well. Back at Arden, he couldn’t see the shadows strike at all, and had no possible way to dodge them if they came to blows. The training Elgaraf put him through improved his vision and reflexes greatly. Emil the Shadowmancer was surprised that Masayoshi was dodging his attacks, especially since he wasn’t holding back very much.

He sped up his attacks to his fastest pace, but Masayoshi was still able to block the ones he wasn’t fast enough to dodge. His blade wasn’t breaking, either, so he was blocking correctly. “Improvement. You were a mere child last time, and now you’re capable of blocking my attacks. Yet, you still hold no abilities of your own.” Emil stated, making an arcane circle behind him using his shadows. “This is my most offensive spell so far: It’s both an arcane art and the power of my shadows combined.” he explained, pointing at Masayoshi.

Masayoshi knew waiting to take that spell to cast was a bad idea, so he backed up to the window while blocking and dodging Emil’s shadows. The shadow arcane circle was completed at the moment his back reached the window, and he had no time to turn around. Masayoshi jumped out the window head first, with his face to the sky and his back to the ground below. He landing first on his legs, injuring both of his knees. He stumbled to his feet. His mobility was bad now, but he still had his horse. He hobbled over to his horse and cut the reins from the post with his katana, quickly mounting the horse.

There was no time to retrieve his spear or his armor, and he left the town of Aiful with all due haste. Eventually, Marie was on the road near him, and he helped her onto the horse as he passed. They rode swiftly back in the direction of the bridge they passed on the way. They made it to the bridge, but Emil soon caught up to them. “You cannot escape me now, dawn is here.” Emil proclaimed. He was on the opposite side of the bridge from Masayoshi and Marie, and Masayoshi grinned. “Actually, I win.” Masayoshi claimed, taking out a torch and lighting it. He threw it on the bridge, catching their end on fire.

They then made haste out of the area. Masayoshi had a hunch about the Shadowmancer’s ability to teleport using his shadows. It was a gamble, but it paid off. His theory was that Emil could only use his shadow teleport scarcely, and had to wait for a period of time before using it again. It turned out that he was correct. Emil would never had knocked on the door, as even though he was evil, he was very straight-forward. He would have sliced the door down from the get-go. So, someone else was standing there, and was swallowed up by Emil’s shadow teleport. They were an unfortunate victim of bad timing.

Masayoshi eventually made enough of a gap that he could no longer see the bridge or the smoke from the fire he started. They were almost back to Arden again, with the missing gates apparently replaced with large wooden stakes stuck diagonally into the ground. This was probably meant to slow down entry, and give bandits and thugs an advantage against trained soldiers. They decided to pass by Arden, heading for the safer bet: Sento Village, in the mountains. They arrived in less than half the day, and the sun was beginning to set, though still well in sight over the horizon.

Masayoshi noticed a few things about the village had changed. It had stone walls and gates now, and watch towers to attack malicious attackers from. The villagers couldn’t build like this, but neither could bandits. The Empire had likely stepped in to help, finally. Masayoshi entered the village, but was stopped by two soldiers wearing emblems of the Eradician Empire. “Who are you to enter Sento village uninvited?” one soldier interrogated. Marie was about to say something, but Masayoshi stopped her. “I’m Hitobashira Masayoshi, owner of that home.” Masayoshi explained, pointing to his large, oriental style home.

It hadn’t been touched, though all the other buildings had been completely remodeled. The village elder waved at Masayoshi, and the soldiers nodded at one another. “You may pass. Don’t cause any trouble.” One soldier stated. Masayoshi nodded, letting Marie off the horse. The horse carried him to his home, where Marie fixed the reins and tied the horse to one of the beams. Masayoshi fell sideways off the horse, falling into the mud. The soldiers sent him glares, but then noticed that he couldn’t stand up as he desperately tried to climb to his feet repeatedly.

One soldier left his post after nodding at the other, shortly after returning with a soldier wearing mostly cloth armor. “I’m the imperial doctor sent here, let me see your injuries.” The cloth-wearing soldier directed. Masayoshi nodded, struggling in pain while pulling up his pant legs. The doctor nodded a few times while examining his knees. “You have a serious sprain in one knee, and it feels like hairline fractures in the other. Wait here while I get you a cast for one and a split for the other.” The doctor ordered. The doctor went into a new building that had been built, and brought out the supplies he needed.

After fixing up Masayoshi’s knees, Marie explained their situation to the guards. “You destroyed imperial property to evade your pursuers, so you’ll need to pay to have it repaired.” one guard explained to Masayoshi. Marie shook her head. “I’m an elite imperial scout for Evan Darfolza, Marie Ekielon. Place it on my tab, and I will pay it after my next pay day,” She proclaimed. The doctor looked through his files. “Huh. Well, we’ve had a lot of deserters lately, but it says you were recently reinstated.” The doctor explained. Marie raised her eyebrow.

Why did Evan reinstate her after trying to kill her? Was this his way of giving her another chance? Or was it a trap to lure her in so that she could be easily executed? She knew Evan was a shrewd man, but also one of honor, warped though that honor may be. He probably wasn’t going to let her have a fourth chance because she asks nicely, and would probably execute her once he found her. She would have to leave as soon as Masayoshi was treated. Now that her presence here would likely endanger both of them, she understood Masayoshi’s reasoning earlier. This wasn’t child’s play, and she wasn’t up to fighting.

This was some really deep trouble, with few ways out. Marie knew that even if she left, Masayoshi would still be interrogated, but had a better chance of survival if he gave Evan the information he needed to find her. Marie decided that she would also leave Masayoshi a note, a note on where to find her, and leave for an unrelated location in the middle of the night. Evan would immediately recognize her handwriting. He is likely to receive notification of a recently reinstated soldier’s transactions, especially since the doctor seemed to find her suspicious from the get-go.

There were guards at both gates, and guards in the watch towers above. There was more than enough manpower to defend against bandits, but what about demons? Not quite. Marie decided that would be her plan to escape - she would waltz out of the south gate from where they entered, using her status as an Elite Scout as free passage to †˜search for roaming groups of demons†˜. She would claim she’d return within an hour, but would be long gone by then. Masayoshi would be on his own to recover, unfortunately, but would definitely be safer than if she stuck around until Evan arrived.

Masayoshi’s injuries were treated, and he was carried back into his home. They assigned a soldier to stay in his home and guard him while he recovered. The empire treats its civilians very well, and always considers their safety. This is the system Etheria had established and run for tens of thousands of years. The soldiers here spoke of her fondly, and most of them still held faith that their invincible empress would return some day, when they truly needed her. She was like the messiah to the people of the empire, because whenever she would come, peace would reign supreme, and her people would experience great prosperity.

Marie walked toward the south gates, and the guards nodded at one another. She made sure to leave a note for Masayoshi in one of his futons, where he would find it later, or would be found during a search. Marie was stopped with arms at the south gate. “We were instructed to keep you here until one of the Generals arrived to confirm your status.” one of the guards relayed. Marie nodded. “So be it.” She retorted. She then suddenly jumped up, latching onto the top of the wall. She climbed onto the wall, but the archers in the watch towers were already aiming at her.

The archers nodded at one another. They released their arrows, and Marie jumped straight down, where four guards waited for her to land so they could apprehend her. That may have worked if she was a normal scout, but she wasn’t - her title as a former elite scout wasn’t just for show. As soon as she landed she rolled right between the two guards in front of her, who attempted to dive and grab her. She then rolled back into a standing mode and ran downhill, knowing she could pace herself better down steep mountain hills like this. The soldiers pursued her, but quickly fell behind.

She was very skilled at running down hills to escape, as she’d fled from demons much faster than she herself was, and had to use them as her solitary advantage at times. She easily put distance between herself and the soldiers until they were well out of sight, and had paced herself better too. Something she had learned while racing Masayoshi was that her full speed charge wasn’t ideal for long distances, and so she then decided to continue her trip at a brisk jogging pace. She would head for Arden, where she would clear out some bandits and set up there.

Common bandits were no match for her, and she knew how to avoid their traps as well. Back at Sento village, however, the soldiers were discussing what to do about her in Masayoshi’s home. One of the generals had arrived, and met them inside Masayoshi’s home, not bothering to knock. He was a thin but muscular man, with toned, chiseled muscles representing his specialty as a combat arts master. He had a giant battleaxe on his back, which was nearly as long as he was tall. It had enormous blades, large enough to decapitate two or three heads in one swing, easily. Masayoshi watched this man uncomfortably.

The man walked up to Masayoshi, and say down across from him. “Now, let’s make this easy on both of us. I want the truth, and I want to get it without trouble so that I don’t have to harm or imprison you. Are we clear?” the man questioned. Masayoshi nodded, but held out his hand, signaling to wait. “My name’s Hitobashira Masayoshi. What’s yours?” Masayoshi introduced, beckoning the man to follow suit. He had a considerable tan, as if he’d spent most of his life training out in the sun. He had many scars on his face and arms, and probably more under the armor covering him.

His hair was very short, and very practical. His eyes were brown, a very common color. The man wore a steel plate over his chest and groin area, but the rest was hardened, studded leather armor. He wore a set of steel gauntlets, likely in order to deal more damage when his battleaxe wasn’t useable or wasn’t fast enough. The man grinned, showing that he was missing several teeth, probably from times he had brawled. “I’m the Fifth-ranked General of the Eradician Empire, Clyfford Falkon.” he replied. Clyfford leaned back in his chair, placing his feet on the edge of Masayoshi’s table. Masayoshi paid it no mind.

Masayoshi nodded. “Alright. Now that introductions are done, I’ll answer any questions and give you any help you need.” he stated. Clyfford’s grin went away, and his face became serious. “What is your association with Marie Ekielon, who was accused of high treason?” Clyfford began his interrogation. A soldier set two glasses of water on the table between Clyfford and Masayoshi, one for each of them. Masayoshi nodded at the soldier, and they left the room, closing the doors, but remaining right outside them. Masayoshi faced Clyfford with an equally serious expression. He knew lying wouldn’t work here.

He had to give Clyfford the full story. After explaining all the events of his journey to Clyfford, Clyfford’s expression brightened quite a bit. “From this, you’re relatively innocent in this situation. Now that you gave us this information, we need just one more thing. Can we do a complete search of your home and belongings?” Clyfford asked. Masayoshi nodded. “I can’t start my journey again for a while, so I’d like it if you could clear this situation so I can rest and recover.” Masayoshi replied. Clyfford smiled cheerfully. The soldiers began searching the place, and came across the letter from Marie to Masayoshi.

Clyfford figured out the location was probably misleading on purpose, and she did this mostly to leave some kind of farewell to Masayoshi since they traveled together. After a couple of days, Masayoshi’s injuries had fully healed. The doctor was surprised by this, but after Masayoshi discreetly explaining to the doctor and Clyfford that he was a Wevirian, they understood. Clyfford allowed Masayoshi to leave the village and return to his journey, thanks to his eager cooperation with their investigation. After reading Marie’s note he realized that she wanted him to sell her out to save himself anyway, which worked out.

Though, it’s not like he had a choice regardless. Healed up and prepared, Masayoshi made his way back down the mountain. He would return to the town of Aiful, and see about tracking down his belongings left there. Especially his spear and armor, since those were precious family heirlooms, just like the katana he held. He would continue this journey alone for quite some time now, and decided not to get too involved with other people, understanding now why Elgaraf was wary to travel with others. He didn’t yet know, but the Shadowmancer hadn’t given up on pursuing him, and would soon be hot on his trail…