Heroes of the Eve
BookⅠ:The Fall

Part 1: Princess of Light

Prologue

…Irosa, village of the blade, Illiosis…

The night had crept in hours ago and most of the city was asleep. The few people remaining awake clustered together in torch-lit taverns, drinking the night away. Normally these nights are quiet, but in a certain tavern known as the Glenn's midnight the gears of fate were about to turn in unexpected ways.
The tavern was bustling with mercenaries, merchants, workers and soldiers alike. While most of the mercenaries staggered and brawled due to drink, one man sat calmly with his colleagues, starkly sober in contrast to their drunkenness. He had been chatting with said colleagues when he remembered something of interest. He turned and yelled to the tavern keeper, "Hey Glenn, you hear about the hell what happened in Vorlen?"
Glenn the tavern keeper looked up from cleaning a glass with a look of question and interest, "Nah, but it sounds like you picked up somethin' interestin', so c'mon Jerik, what happened in Vorlen?"
Jerik frowned and looked down at his mug. "From what I heard the capital of Vorlen fell three days ago. The vauge killed everyone in sight: men, women, even children. They say that some people made it out, but not many." He looked around and gestured for Glenn to come over to which he obliged before continuing in a lower, serious voice. "This hasn't been confirmed yet, but Vorlen's youngest princess made it out along with a few personal guards." He leaned back in his seat. "Like I said it hasn't been confirmed."
Suddenly a man stood up and marched over and slammed his hands on the table in front of Jerik. The man glared down at Jerik for a few minutes before he spoke, "Where the hell did you hear this?!" Jerik studied the man intently. He'd definitely been some sort of mercenary or soldier. He was wearing soft black leather boots, with black leather pants coming out of the top being held around his waist with a simple brown leather belt. A simple black bastard sword hung off his left hip. He had a gray cotton shirt covered by a black steel breastplate, and on hands were leather gauntlets with matching steel covering the backs. A black cloak billowed out around his lean body, and the hood was down. An all black metal balaclava covered his face from the nose down. His eyes were bizarre; they had two rings of color, the inner ring being a harsh frost like gold, with the outside ring a dark sea blue. His sleek black hair flowed down past his shoulders in a simple braid.
Jerik frowned as he thought about whether or not to tell the dark man the information he wanted. "Well, a colleague of mine was there and got out alive, but he lost his left hand in that battle." He looked into his mug again as he recalled the conversation with his colleague.
The man frowned as he studied Jerik simply. "Where can I meet him? I need to speak with him. I know someone who lives in the capital." The man was serious and concerned for his friend, and was eager to ride out and travel to Vorlen as fast as he could.
Jerik sighed sadly as he knew where the man was coming from. "What's your name? I'll take you to him in the morning, meet me here at dawn if you're serious."
The man nodded, a sad yet determined look upon his face. "My name is Eris Fujin, but you can call me Kage." Eris then looked to the tavern keeper. "Hey Glenn, can you get Jerik here another mug of beer? I'll pay for it." He handed Glenn a gold sun piece. "Keep the change, you need it than I do."
Glenn looked at the gold sun piece astonished. "A...are y-you sure about that, alright but I really can't keep the change sorry." He looked at the man who had been so generous towards him.
Eris chuckled grimly and sighed. "I honestly might not come back from Vorlen. It's better if you keep it and save it for when your family falls on hard times than for it to be on my stinking corpse if I die." With that, Eris turned and walked up stairs to his room, leaving the mercenary and the tavern keeper to ponder about him.

…Somewhere in Vorlen…

The screeches of vauge hunters hung in the air, sounding like a cross between a banshee and a series of hiss and clicks. A man on a horse was blazing down the road as if a dragon were on his heels ready to devour him. He was bleeding severely from a gash across his ribs. He was donned in simple steel half plate armor with a bastard sword on his left hip. He had no helmet on his messy brown hair. He looked to be in his early to mid twenties.
Sitting behind him, holding on for dear life, was young girl she was about twelve. She sported her mid-length copper red hair in a pair of pony tails and wore a torn, dirtied red dress with brown trim. She had a staff strapped to her back, and there was a symbol on her chest just below her neck going down to hide beneath her dress.
The man turned to his left as another knight came tearing out of the bushes. He sighed in relief as he saw he knew the knight. "Captain Forrik, you survived. Where are the others?"
The knight Forrik turned towards his subordinate. "Reesa and Gallis were cut down by the vauge hunters before I managed to cut them down. I was lucky to find you Callin."
Callin sighed, and looked ahead depressed. "Vorlen has fallen, and all we can do is flee to Altistaa. We should reach the border in a few hours." He suddenly drew his sword and slashed behind him, blocking the vauge spear before it could strike.
Due to the knights actions, the symbol on the girl's chest began to glow brightly, covering everything in a blinding white light. When the light faded a few minutes later the knights and the girl looked around finding themselves in a clearing in the middle of a forest.
Callin turned to look at the girl in shock. "Lady Liara, are you alright?" She gave a nervous half nod, her eyes wide with fear as she looked around. He then turned towards his captain and fellow knight.

"Captain Forrik, what the hell just happened?"
Forrik frowned as he continued to observe their surroundings. "I-I'm not sure, but we are definitely in Vorlen no longer."

Chapter 1
From Princess to Fugitive

Eris yawned as he walked downstairs and sat in front of the tavern keeper. The tavern keeper nodded grimly as he finished washing the clay mugs from the night before. Eris looked around for Jerik before he ordered drink and food.

After a few minutes Jerik sat down next to him ordering a drink as he did. He nodded before speaking. "My colleague is willin' to meet ya, we'll go after your done eatin' alright?"

…A few minutes later…

As Jerik stepped outside he looked around before heading down the street towards the western corner of town. They had been walking for a good ten minutes when they arrived at a small dark house. There was only a single lit room as Jerik opened the door.

He walked in and froze. His body held so tightly he was shaking, tension radiating off his pale form. His face was ghostly white.

No.

No no no no.

Not this.

Jerik suddenly shouted in shock and anger as he looked upon the dead bodies of his colleague and his family.

Eris stood in grim shock as he surveyed the scene. The room was covered in blood, Jerik's colleague was slouched against the wall opposite of where they stood. A cool twisted black sword was embedded in his chest pinning him to the wall.

The man's wife was lying on the floor in and surrounded by blood. She was covered with gashes and stab wounds, her pale white dress torn, stained to ruin by her her own blood. There was something else a strange bluish purple liquid covered not only her but her husband as well. There was a trail of the same substance leading further into the small house.

Jerik spun around, violently swinging at the man he thought he could trust, hatred burning in his eyes. He growled in frustration as the young mercenary stepped back in cold surprise.

Eris eyed the man he had asked to bring him here as he sighs. He looked Jerik in the eye before speaking. "The vauge did this, not me." He stepped further into the room following the strange substance he knew right away was the blood of a vauge hunter.

Jerik glared at mercenary before following him inside. The two came across the body of a massive beetle-like reptilian humanoid, a vauge hunter, it's sleek black carapace pierced through by an iron sword. The bluish purple blood seeping from the wound. Nearby, a boy Jerik estimated to be about eleven, was impaled to the wall by a twisted black sword.

Jerik wheeled back horrified at the sight of the damned demon-like creature's corpse. He stepped back as he paled, fear slapping across his face before he grunted.

Eris sighed as he turned away and exited the building. Stopping suddenly, he eyed in recognition a certain knight riding his battle horse with a certain princess riding double resting peacefully against the horse's neck as the knight made sure she wouldn't fall.

…14 hours previously…

Forrik frowned as he continued to observe their surroundings. "I-I'm not sure, but we are definitely in Vorlen no longer." Forrik turned in a full circle with his horse before he spoke once more. "We may very well be on the opposite side of the continent for all we could know."

Princess Liara looked at Forrik in shock. "What do you mean sir Forrik? Where are we!?" Shock and fear flashed suddenly on her face as a sudden vauge hunter cry rang in the air and three of the monsters stepped from the bushes.

Cailin frowned as he watched the creatures. It wasn't that the creatures had found them that was strange. It was that they had yet to attack that was strange. All of a sudden a shadow appeared behind them and Cailin grunted in surprise as a vauge stepped into view. This vauge was definitely the pack leader. Normal vauge were bulky, all black, two armed reptilian-like beetle humanoids that stood from eight to ten feet tall. This one was red with strange blue markings covering it's lean body, it stood to be about five and a half to six feet tall, it had four arms instead of two and seemed very intelligent instead of the normal instinctual predators he was used to.

Also unusual about this one was the weapon it wielded, normal vauge usually wielded a cool twisted black sword they seemed to identify as a sting. The other weapon of choice was a cruel looking, black heavy spear that was tipped with a serrated blade. This vauge carried two red slender double edged swords, as well as two red tri-edged double spears.

None of it's weapons were drawn as it clicked at the three hunters before they disappeared. It turned towards them slowly observing them curiously before it spoke. "So this is the pesky little human girl mother wanted us to capture, as well as her two male guards." it spat in disgust.

Cailin was reeling shocked that it's voice was surprisingly feminine. Then it slammed into him it had spoke, it was female.

What The Hell!

No way, this is a nightmare!

But it wasn't, it was very real and she was speaking to them.

She eyed them as she continued speaking. "I don't see why our mother is so afraid of you girly." She pauses for about a minute as she considers something. Before she looks up with a frown of curiosity. "Then again last you were seen was a few hours ago in Vorlen. Yet here you are in Illiosis, all the way on the other side of the continent in less than two hours. Yet humans have never been capable of that kind of magic. So tell me how the hell did you do it hmm?"

Cailin honestly didn't know and he told her as such. Though the female vauge didn't believe him. So he just ended up not bothering trying to convince her. Suddenly he was curious about the vauge before him. "If you don't mind me asking what are you? I mean I know you're a vauge but not one I've seen."

She laughed suddenly, a screeching, clicking sound. When she finally calmed enough to stop she spoke once again. "I am a True Born "vauge" as you call us. We become the pack queens, each of us are different, I am Chi'ark'ǎ. I was born with control over fire and mana. My sisters control wind, earth, water, metal, light, and dark."

Cailin was trying to figure out how to survive and get lady Liara out of this in one piece when sir Forrik got off his horse and stepped forward. Grimly he drew a sword, a blue bastard sword that radiated power. He turned to Cailin grimly as he decided what he would do before he even knew what he decided, he handed the sword to him speaking. "Cailin take this sword, Shergul and flee with lady Liara, do this for me so I may know that both you and m'lady are safe so I may hold these monsters off in peace." Forrik drew his sword, a thick heavy single edged silver gleaming sword of seven and a half feet in length, the Marsho, captain Forrik's full blade sword.

Cailin turned and fled taking Shergul with him desperately. He knew there was no place for them here, Captain Forrik was serious and was planning on killing the vauge as fast as he could.

The pack queen laughed in amusement at this human's belief the he can hold her off. "So you think you can hold me and my hunters off eh?"

Captain Forrik smirked grimly before replying. "I don't plan on holding you off, I honestly plan on killing you right here, right now. From this point forward I will no longer hold back!" He readied himself and charged forward with surprising speed for covering the distance between them before she could even blink. Swinging his massive blade, cutting her hunters down with ease, splaying his two pairs white angel wings as well as his draconic tail.

Chi'ark'ǎ jumped back in surprise as the human revealed his true form and heritage. She hissed in pain as she realized that this man had managed to cut leaving a deep and long gash from her left hip to her right shoulder. In the blink of an eye he had cut down all her hunters with the same ease as if he would picking up a quill and a paper. She hated to admit it but she was no match for this being, she was also very afraid.

He stood there waiting at ease, waiting, for her to make a move. He is grim his wings drooping to the ground. His massive weapon held in one hand with ease.

She hissed at him, cursing him in her native tongue. Her Glare of daggers had done nothing to scare him, it had only brought a wry smirk to his face. She charged him recklessly, filled with a violent furry.

Forrik dodged and parried all her strikes of her four weapons with such an ease that it seemed he blocked them with a boorish contempt. Suddenly he struck out faster than she could register. Next she felt blood, pain and darkness.

Cailin had been pushing his horse for hours now. He knew he couldn't stop, not with the vauge possibly pursuing them. He turned to peer behind him, it appeared as though they were in the clear, for the time being at least. Maybe they could rest get their bearings, maybe some sleep and food. He slowed his horse down to a canter, as he looked down to see that lady Liara was not asleep simply quiet. He sighed gratefully as he got off his horse and helped her off his horse. Before setting up camp and preparing a fire for food and warmth.

Chapter Two

'Darkness…it's so cold…w-where am I?…W-who am I? W-why am I here…I-I need to open my eyes…I-I need to wake up'

"Hey, are you ok?

H-huh, who was that?

"Hey c'mon you need to wake up, alright."

Who—

"Wake up!"

CRACK! The sound of a slap reverberated in the air.

As he opened his eyes, the first thing he was struck with was how beautiful she was looking down at him in the moonlight. Her hair a waterfall of silver, her eyes an endless lake of sapphire, her skin like porcelain, pale and fragile to the touch. Then the stinging pain of the slap she dealt hit him like a wave. He flinched as the pain settled over him. "Oww"

She glared at him for a few seconds before sighing. She rose and held out her hand. "C'mon get up, we need to get to the village before bandits show up."

"What? Umm alright, where am I?" He looks around confused as he takes her hand getting up.

She sighed frustration and exasperation flitting across her face as she realized he was serious. "The plains of astaire, an old battlefield where the kings of old fought the vauge in the old wars."

He frowned as confusion set in, what the hell was a vauge?

She turned marching away, adamant to leave here as soon as she can. "C'mon we need to leave now!"

He followed her as fast as he could through the disorientation. He hurt everywhere, it was like he had been punched by a mountain giant. Damn, why in the hell was she so fast, couldn't she just slow down. Wait, what the hell? Why would a mountain giant be in a plain. Wait, better question, what the hell is a mountain giant again. Damn, my head hurts like hell. Need to call forth my stuff. Suddenly he collided with the girl who had decided to help him. She stood still quietly listening. He knew not to make a sound, she was listening for signs of danger. She cursed and drew a pair of butterfly swords, getting into a adept fighting stance.

Seven rough looking men wearing what looked like pieces of sets of armor thrown together to suit their needs. The leader donned leather armor over it was a chainmail shirt, a worn out steel breastplate covered this as well. His arms donned in steel pauldrons and iron gauntlets. Iron greaves covered his heavy leather boots. He wore a leather and iron helmet with horns adorned upon it. He carried a massive bardiche in his hands as he chuckled darkly. "Look what we have here boys, a couple of travelers. Girl's armed, boy not so much." The rest of the bandits laughed at my new companion and partisan. I frowned, angry that these men would steal and attack others for greed and enjoyment. "I believe that is where you're wrong, I have weapons, but not on me as of the moment. I can call them, see how you like being gutted if you wish." He laughed arrogantly and smiled. "Boy, you know there ain't no such thing as a callin' a weapon right? They ain't living being, don' think, don' eat, don' breathe, don't speak."