AN: Okay, so I know I owe y'all a new chapter in Into the Blue, and it's coming, I promise! I'm finishing up grad school and finally finding more free time to write and do my own thing (in between hunting down jobs). This plot wormed its way into my head though (I blame my friends for getting me into Dungeons and Dragons, the jerks) and honestly, after all the stress of my final semester I kind of needed something to just unwind. I'm also hugely addicted to Skyrim and the Dragon Age video game series, so there will be elements of both of those in here as well. No prior knowledge is really needed to understand what is going on though. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think! Just one quick note that will hopefully help. The monks in the D&D are not at all like religious monks. They're trained to fight, much like Marco with his karate, which is why I made him a monk. There's no specific "order" or one way to be a monk, so everyone goes about it differently. The only requirement is that monks need to be lawful, but they can be lawful good, lawful neutral, or lawful evil, so there's a range of ways to play. If you're interested to learn more, the wiki page is a good source of information!

Disclaimer: I own almost less than nothing after paying for graduate school. Come December I'll own a shiny new Master's degree though!

Marco sat in the corner of the dingy tavern, eyes on the door and back to the wall. Not that he really expected anyone to be looking for him, not after the message he sent with the last guy that picked a fight, but it was always better to be safe than sorry. Really, this shouldn't even be his life. He'd been picked at the age of twelve to join the order of monks that had made a home just outside his village centuries before his birth. It had been a great honor and a great opportunity. He had learned much and been taught to hone his body into the perfect weapon by his masters. Everything had been going well and he had been preparing, after thirteen long years of study, to take his personal journey towards enlightenment. Well, enlightenment of the self at least. Monks did not need to declare any religious leanings or pray to specific gods, and Marco had found he trusted more in the general force of Balance than any specific deity. His journey was meant to teach him more of himself, more of his purpose in life, and he had been excited to begin. The night before he was meant to set off from the monastery, the world broke. Realistically speaking, he supposed the world was already broken before that night, but in his quiet little corner of it he had been left in the dark. But then the spreading darkness finally came to the sleepy little village and all he knew was that his master was thrusting his pack and a book, bound in spells and chains, into his hands and sending him out the door as fast as Marco's legs could carry him. He'd looked back, only once, to see the monastery burning in sickly green flames and dark shapes flitting about the sky. An unearthly howl had split the air and Marco had needed no other encouraging; he took off running and hadn't looked back.

Of course, he'd gather intel and rumors since his flight from his home. His village still stood, and it sounded like no one had been killed, for which he was grateful. He wished he could tell his parents he still lived, but after he learned of the state of the world, he knew it was better they thought he was dead. Apparently, the small kingdom of Mewni had been overthrown almost ten years ago. Though he had never visited the kingdom, Marco had learned it was ruled over by a mage-queen and her king. By all accounts, they had been kind and fair rulers and their kingdom had prospered. Then the darkness came, spreading from an ambassador to their court who was discontent to simply be an ambassador. He'd used his dark magic to force the king and queen from the throne, making a public display of their deaths, and taken over the kingdom. For a time it seemed like any other usurpation. Sad, to be sure, especially when marked by the deaths of a most beloved queen and king, but nothing the other countries felt the need to involve themselves in. Then, as is the way of most power hungry despots, the usurper decided he wanted more. War came to the neighboring kingdom and hadn't stopped until it too had been bowed under the darkness that had taken Mewni. War had then swept the entire continent, and no one was safe. For a time people fought back, refusing to bow to the darkness that threatened to consume them. Paladins and other forces of light banded together to try and turn the tide. For a time it even seemed to be working and the darkness was pushed back to lands that had already been claimed. But as is the way of things, the darkness came back stronger than ever, overwhelming anyone that stood in its way. The usurper now ruled the entire continent and no one dared to speak out. Taxes were high, food was not as abundant as it once was, and darkspawn roamed more freely, but at least everyone still had their lives. At least, that was what many Marco had talked to would say.

"It is better to keep your head down and bear the burdens placed on you than fight back and lose your life," one tavern owner had told him when he asked why the townsfolk did not bother to stop the beating of one man who could not pay his taxes. "Hope died long ago boy, it's better now to just live with the dark."

Marco had frowned at the man before standing and going to stop the soldiers attacking the man. It hadn't taken much, few could stand against a monk trained well, especially those that had mastered the use of their Ki, but it had left him marked. A bounty had been placed on his head and Marco had to keep in constant motion to stop the guards or bounty hunters from catching him. He wouldn't have bothered, would have picked his ground and fought there, if it hadn't been for the hastily scribbled letter from his master he had found tucked inside his pack the night after he had left. Apparently the book was important, but very dangerous in the wrong hands. Shortly after the fall of the kingdom of Mewni the monks of his order had been tasked to guard it and keep it from enemy hands, though the details on who those enemies might be were fairly vague. It honestly didn't look like much, even bound as it was in chains and spells. The simple dark brown leather cover had no inscriptions to tell him what it was, but the letter had also warned him to never open the book, to never remove the chains or spells. Marco had frowned as he glanced at the book, especially as the spells layered over its cover were thick with Paladin magic, layered heavily with a magic that was new to him. It wasn't evil, per se, but there was definitely an element of chaos in it; light magic with a touch of crazy. It interested him, but he followed his master's directions. It wasn't his job to know the mysteries of the book, but simply to keep it safe, and for the last three months that is what he had done. Marco would move from town to town, village to village, helping where and when he could between keeping his head down and bounty hunters off of his trail.

His most recent escape from a bounty hunter had taken him here, to this tiny little town at the foot of the mountain range that separated the east and west halves of the continent. The weather was turning colder and if he intended to continue with his plan to go over the mountains then he would need to purchase winter gear soon. Marco sighed and looked into the dregs of the piss water they considered ale here. He hadn't had much left, but sitting in a tavern was a great way to pick up on rumors and there was no way the proprietor would have let him stay if he hadn't bought anything. Not that it really helped all that much. Monks were apparently not very common here and the patrons of the tavern were more interested in talking about him with their companions in what they thought were hushed tones, rather than spreading any gossip that might help him stay two steps ahead of anyone looking for him. With a grimace, he swallowed the last of his ale and resolved to try and find a bed for the night when the tavern door opened again. Curious, he glanced up. From what he could tell, the regulars had all already stumbled their way in for the night and no one had said anything else about any other visitors to town lately. A cold wind rushed in around a dark cloaked figure standing in the doorway. The cloak was a deep, midnight blue and covered the figure from neck to just about their shins. Sturdy dark leather boots covered what was visible of their legs. Marco frowned again and looked up, but with the hood covering the person's face with shadow it was impossible to tell who the person was, or even their gender. The figure seemed to glance around for a second, eyes apparently not staying on anything or anyone for long, before they made their way over to the bar. The figure took a seat on one of the stools and motioned for a mug of ale. When the person sat, Marco thought he could just make out the line of two short swords strapped to the person's back underneath the cloak, but he could not be sure this far away and with the flickering fire light from the fireplace wreaking havoc with the shifting shadows. Still, better not to risk any chances. He stood slowly from his chair, careful not to make any noise that would draw too much attention his way, scooped up his pack, and made his way towards the door. He thought he'd seen an inn on his way here, hopefully they would have a cheap bed for the night.

Luck, it seemed, was with him. Not only did the inn have a bed he could claim for the night, but with the promise of hauling in more firewood for the elderly proprietors in the morning, they were willing to let him have the bed for free. It was in a small room, towards the back of the building, and in a rather drafty corner, but it suited Marco's needs just fine. He made sure to tuck his pack out of sight under his bed before curling up in the blankets and drifting off to sleep.

It was the sound of the lock being picked that awoke him. He shifted slightly, just before the door was pushed open, ready to spring from the bed if need be, but doing his best to feign sleep.

"I know you're awake," a soft female voice whispered to him. "I made sure to make enough noise picking that lock so you would be."

Confusion swept through Marco, even as he blinked his eyes open and sat up. The moonlight spilling in from the little window was enough to tell him the figure in his room was the same person that had walked into the tavern just before he had left. "Are you another bounty hunter?" he questioned. "I figured I would have at least a few more days of peace after the way I sent back that last guy who tried to take me in."

"No, I'm not a bounty hunter," the other person whispered. "Well, at least not fully anymore," she added as she reached up and pushed the hood back from her face. Bright blonde hair pulled into a ponytail was the first thing Marco noticed, followed by mischievous blue eyes and a smirk curling at the edges of her mouth. There was a patch of discolored skin on her left cheek, but the way she stood shadowed it from view. "I found it terribly boring to only be a bounty hunter. The guild kept yelling at me for the messes I would make of my marks. Eventually they asked me to go on 'extended leave'. Supposedly they'll let me know when I can come back. Of course, that was about six months ago now."

Marco felt his eyebrow tick up as he watched the woman's smirk deepen. "A bit of a recklessness to you then?"

"Not just a bit," the woman answered, her smile a full on Cheshire grin. "You know, you're awfully calm for someone that has just had their room broken into."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Marco replied with a shrug. He had taken the time while they were talking to stretch his senses with his Ki and he didn't sense any maliciousness from her. He could tell she was on a mission for something but that she did not wish him any ill will, at least not yet.

The woman barked out a laugh. "I suppose it doesn't hurt that you're a monk either," she teased with a grin. "You guys are notoriously hard to get to crack."

"You try and pry information from monks often?" Marco asked, his eyebrow going up once again.

"See, that right there is what I'm talking about!" the woman laughed again. She eyed him for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and collapsing onto the mattress at the foot of his bed. "You all stay cool as a cucumber no matter what happens. Anyone else would have called for help or tried to toss me out on their own. You're just sitting there, conversing away with me like nothing's wrong."

"I know you're not here to hurt me," Marco replied with a shrug. "Though now that you mention it, a name would be nice. I'd at least like to know the name of the person I'm having odd, middle of the night conversations with."

"Fair enough," the woman grinned at him again. "I go by a lot of names. Currently, I'm partial to Féileacán."

"You certainly don't look like a Celt," Marco told her. "Though I admit, if you're going to go by that, it sounds much better than in the common tongue. Butterfly just doesn't seem as intimidating or mysterious."

"You speak Celt!" Féileacán grinned in delight. "Not many in this part of the world do. I spent a few years there myself and picked up a few phrases from the people I stayed with. It's a very difficult language."

"I'm afraid I read it much better than I speak it," Marco replied with a grin of his own. "Pronunciation is a nightmare."

"Hmm, true," Féileacán said, a frown tugging at her lips as she tapped her chin with one finger. "It's about time I got a new name anyway, I've had this one too long. How about Star?" the woman asked, turning to him.

"Star is a nice name I suppose," Marco replied. "Or you could just give me your real name."

"I could," Star answered with another Cheshire smile, but she said nothing more.

"Very well then, Star it is," Marco sighed, feeling a fond exasperation despite himself. This woman was odd, no doubt, but in an endearing way. "So, Star, do you mind telling me what you're doing here? I was getting some much needed rest."

"Well, you see, I'm looking for something and I think you can help," Star told him, grinning wide.

"Me?" Marco asked. "You know nothing about me other than that I'm a monk."

"Your name is Marco; you gave up your last name as part of your training, though you still remain connected to your birth family. You're a monk from an order that traditionally remains neutral, which is why you're asked to give up all but your given name. You all believe that neutrality is achieved through having no particular ties to anyone specifically. However, adhering to that philosophy is not necessarily required to be part of your order," Star began, sending him another mischievous grin. "In fact, you personally favor balance over neutrality. Though, based on the reasons for the bounty on your head I would argue that you seek justice more than anything else. Currently your bounty sits at about ten thousand gold pieces if you're brought in alive, but only two thousand if you're brought in dead. That tells me someone wants to ask you something. Very, very badly if they're willing to shell out that much money for you."

"You came here looking for me I suppose?" Marco asked, favoring Star with a shrewd grin as he reached out once more with his Ki. It wouldn't do to be caught just because he had let himself believe this woman was harmless to him.

"No, actually," Star told him brightly. "I came tracking something else and you just happened to be here with it."

"With it?" Marco questioned, tensing his muscles to be ready for a fight.

"Yeah, you see, there's this book that I'm looking for," Star answered him. "Doesn't look like much really, just a plain brown cover. It'll be locked down pretty tightly though, covered in a lot of binding spells and the like."

Marco leapt from the bed, sliding easily into a ready stance, and narrowed his eyes at the woman on the bed. "How do you know about that?"

"Oh good, you do have it!" Star exclaimed. "I thought I felt its energy, but it's hard to tell with all of the binding spells on it. Kind of mutes its mana signature, you know? Plus, just because you were trained at that monastery doesn't mean they handed you the book when it fell."

"I will only ask one more time," Marco responded. "How do you know about that book?"

"It belongs to me," Star replied with a rather sunny smile.

"And how do I know you're not lying?" Marco pressed. "I was tasked with keeping the book out of enemy hands."

"I can prove it, if you'll let me see the book," Star told him, her grin never wavering.

"How?" Marco asked.

"It's a rather special book, but that's all I can say," Star replied as she stood from the bed. "So do you have it with you or not?"

Marco eyed her warily, but slowly relaxed his stance. He still couldn't detect any hidden motives from her and she did not seem to wish him harm. Carefully, he reached under his bed and pulled out his pack. Making sure to keep an eye on the woman, he drew the book from its place, but refused to hand it over. "I'll be keeping a hold on this, if you don't mind," he said as the woman reached for it.

"Fair enough I suppose," Star answered with a shrug. She reached out with a single hand, her fingers glowing a light pink, and tapped the chains three times. They fell away with a soft clink and vanished before they hit the ground. With them went the protective spells until all that remained was a heavy mana signature coming from the book itself.

"Took you long enough," an annoyed male voice huffed from within the pages themselves. "I've been waiting for ages."

"Ten years is not ages," Star laughed.

"It is when you have nothing but blank pages to stare at," the book replied as it began to glow with a dull golden light. When the soft glow cleared a small blue man with a large red gem in his forehead appeared, floating just in front of the book. "It's no small wonder that I didn't go mad."

"I think that may be open to debate," Star laughed again, before a frown tugged the corners of her mouth down. "Wait, did you say blank pages?"

"Of course," the blue man replied. "You didn't think it would be as simple as just finding the book, did you? That would be far too dangerous. Also, I notice that you have yet to say hello."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Star grinned. "Hello Glossaryck, it's been a very long time."

"Too long," Glossaryck answered as he lowered his head in a bow. "You have grown quite a bit since last I saw you. What happened here?" he asked, floating up to Star's face, reaching out a hand to turn her left cheek to the light. In the pale glow of the moon a jagged heart shaped scar marred the woman's cheek.

"A parting gift," Star said, her eyes and voice going flat. "Something to remember him by, he said."

"All the more reason to destroy him then," Glossaryck growled, eyes narrowed on the brand.

"That's the plan," Star offered with a tight smile. "And why I came looking for you, but the pages are blank?"

"Yes," Glossaryck sighed as he released Star's chin. "Your mother thought it best if the spells were scattered. She sent them everywhere, inscribed in stone throughout the continent. Only you may retrieve them, as they are yours by blood."

"Fantastic," Star grumbled. "She couldn't have made this any easier on me?"

"Excuse me," Marco interrupted, finally letting the book fall to the bed. "Would someone mind telling me what's going on here?"

"Who's he?" Glossaryck asked, jerking a thumb in Marco's direction.

"Marco, he's a monk," Star answered immediately. "He was carrying the book with him when I finally tracked it down."

"Ah, seems a bit young to be its guardian," Glossaryck replied, tugging at his beard and frowning in Marco's direction. "I distinctly remember that your mother entrusted it to the masters of his order."

"My order was destroyed three months ago," Marco responded, his voice tight and eyes shining briefly with unshed tears. "But I was preparing to take my journey for enlightenment. I am a master in all but name now and all that is left of those that taught me."

"You have my apologies then," Glossaryck said with a shallow incline of his head. "They're loss is certainly great. Your order was the only one to truly learn the art of mastering their Ki and finding balance. They will be greatly missed."

"Thank you," Marco sighed after a moment's pause. "Now, would you mind telling me what's going on here?"

"I told you I was looking for a very special book," Star grinned at him. "Really, I was looking for him. Glossaryck is an advisor of sorts for my family and I need his help. See, this really evil toe rag murdered my family and I'm going to kill him back," she said, rather cheerfully. "But to do that, I need access to the spells that have been handed down for generations in my family. Glossaryck is the keeper of those spells and the teacher to all mages in my family."

"Yes, and we have our work cut out for us," Glossaryck said, side eyeing Star. "Your aura shows evidence of Paladin training," he added with a disdainful sniff.

"I did the best with what I had when my magic manifested," Star answered with a shrug.

"I suppose, but you're magic is too wild for their methods," Glossaryck grumbled. "You are more rogue than warrior, more chaotic than lawful. I shall have to make you unlearn everything they have already taught you before we can really even begin."

"I'd think I'd need to find my family's spells before we could begin," Star laughed. "Any ideas on where to begin?"

"Well, there is that as well," Glossaryck acknowledged with a sigh. "And I am afraid not. Your mother did not want the spells so easily found if the book fell into the wrong hands. All I can tell you is that wherever she left the spells inscribed, it would be a place of power. And possibly rather odd, depending on the spell."

"So we need information then," Star said with a quick nod of her head. "I know just the place to go to get information!" she added, a Cheshire grin spreading across her face.

"Lead on then, my lady," Glossaryck replied with another bow.

"Well Marco?" Star asked, turning her bright grin on him. "You coming too?"

"To where?" Marco asked warily.

"To kill a very bad man and possibly liberate the world along the way," Star replied.

Marco eyed the woman for a moment longer, his gaze switching between her and the book. "I was told to guard the book," he said after a moment. "I suppose that still applies, even if it has found its owner. It's not like I have anything else I need to be doing. I'll follow you for now."

"Excellent!" Star exclaimed. "Off we go to Harbrook!"

"Harbrook?" Marco questioned. "The city of thieves?"

"Best place on the planet!" Star laughed as she flashed her right hand, showing the tattoo of the Thieves Guild for a moment before it disappeared once more into her skin.

"Your mother would be apoplectic if she knew," Glossaryck grinned at the blonde woman.

"I know," Star agreed with another laugh. "That's what makes it half the fun!"

Marco eyed the two a moment longer, before sighing and moving to pack what little he needed back into his bag. After a moment's hesitation he handed the book to Star and watched her slide it into her own bag. He made sure his throwing knives were secure in the places he had secreted them about his person before slung his pack across his shoulder. He gestured once to the door to his room and followed after the woman as she slipped silently out into the hallway. He watched her pocket a coin purse that had been left out and some bread as they passed through the kitchen and wondered just what he had gotten himself into by agreeing to follow this odd woman. For now though, he would travel her path and see where it led. There was nothing saying he had to stay, after all.

AN2: Well, there's chapter one. Reviews are always welcome and if you have any questions, feel free to pm me or drop it in a review :)