Orario, the city of opportunity. Every adventurer dreams of making a name in this place, to engrave their accomplishments in the annals of history. Here, man and god work together to create a prosperous future for their familia. This was a place where adventurers could truly shine, honing their skills and earning a fortune. The stuff that dreams were made of.

But to a sad many, dreams were all it turned out to be.

Out in the country, monsters like those in the dungeons appear from time to time. But unlike the dungeons, these creatures were spread far and wide, and yielded little in a day's worth of hunting than an hour in the dungeon. Hence, any adventurer looking to make it big headed straight for Orario proper. What's left out here are those too weak to measure up to the city's standards, or extortionists looking to make an easy living off the desperate townsfolk.

No matter the case, these troublesome times didn't seem to concern out three adventurers. Three heroes who looked to Orario as a means to begin a new journey, a new life, and one wrought with the happiness they ought to deserve.

But till this day, those times seemed a long, long way off.

Gaspard Lenoire was a long, long way from home. Spending months on the road, riding from town to town in a carriage pulled by his trusty steed Silva, his journey was finally at its end. There he was, slowly making his way through the main street of Orario, the adventuring capital of the main continent. Here, all types of people milled about. From humans to half humans, elves to dwarves, even the humble prum were present, walking the streets, tending the stands, having fun. Now this, was a place he could get used to.

But unfortunately, he came for a different reason, and like the arrow-minded person he was, he went straight for his objective.

Further down the street and off to the side a little was the Guild Office, the place he travelled all this way to look for. It was a building like most others. Tall, in a sort of decorative, continental style, with banners hanging proud from two wings, and a high and wide set of double doors in the middle. No doubt for all the traffic this place was seeing.

People of all shapes and sizes came out, most clad in some sort of armor and brandishing any and all kinds of weapons, sometimes more than one. Each and every one of them eyed the man in black as he made his way in. Luckily for him, Gaspard wasn't looking for an adventurer. In fact, he was looking for an old friend.

Inside, was a wide room with a high ceiling and sunlight streaming through the generous windows. On the opposite side was a long counter where the adventurers were tended to by beautiful young women, the rumored 'Flowers of the Guild'. But among them was a single man, busying himself with their questions just as much as the adventurer's enquiries.

"Julian! Hey!"

The guild officer looked up to see an old friend stroll in front of him and dropped everything to meet him. Julian Smoke used to be stationed at the guild office in his hometown. You could even say they grew up together, with their respective occupations meaning they'd meet several times a day. Gaspard always wondered where he disappeared to, but to find him in Orario of all places was quite a promotion.

The handsome blonde smiled "Mr Lenoire, it's been quite a while. How's business?"

Gaspard sighed "You know how it is. How's the guild working out for you?"

He laughed "Not bad, not bad. Still though, what did you really come here for? As much as I'd appreciate it, you never come by for a simple visit,"

It was the mage's turn to smile "You know me, all business…"

Gaspard hefted his satchel onto the counter and withdrew a long, irregular object wrapped in thick cloth. He took his time unravelling it. Julian's anticipation was just too good to miss.

"And here we are,"

Between them was a long, smooth piece of glossy teal stone, pointed on one end and jagged on the other. The item he dedicated months of travelling to appraise, and the source of untold amounts of conflict and enigma.

Julian took out a magnifying glass "Now let's have a look here… hmm… interesting, very interesting…"

Gaspard gave him a couple minutes before asking the obvious question.

"Well?"

"I got nothing,"

"Then what was all that for?!"

"For show," he shrugged "Honestly, I doubt anyone in the guild would know what this is. You happen to have the other pieces? Assuming there are any,"

"I wouldn't be here if I did," Though if it really was a part of something bigger… That would be quite interesting.

Julian took a moment to tap his chin "Well… this is a problem…"

"You're telling me?" he scratched his curly black hair "Look, if you can't help me then, do you know who can?"

There was a spark in his eyes "Ah! Now that you mention it…"

He quickly and messily tore through a pile of papers until he found what he was looking for.

"And here we are…"

The mage looked to the disaster of a desk with pity. No pile of sheets deserved that.

"… Horace Bloodtalon, adventurer…"

He balked "An adventurer?" this could mean trouble.

"Yep, though given the way he looks you'd never guess he was just level 2…"

Gaspard was uneasy. He really couldn't handle adventurers. They were so loud and ill-mannered, not to mention greedy. Back home, they were the most unwelcome of sights. And being level 2… this put the mage at a significant disadvantage.

"… and you can find him here, in the ruined district. Some old shrine the guild owns, but the guy's taken it for rent a couple days ago. Came asking about some magic sword or something too. Couldn't help him either,"

A sword? Come to think of it… the mystery rock did look like a blade of some sort…

Gaspard took the paper and went immediately went on his way "Thanks for the info. I'll go pay him a visit,"

"Right, good luck with that," Julian smirked, unabashed by his sudden departure "I'll be seeing you,"

His mind was made up. He'd go to this wasted shrine, find this Horus guy and get some answers. Maybe then, he'd know what this accursed item could be, and be rid of it once and for all.

According to the address he was given, the building he was looking for was deep in the Ruined District, a small section of Orario mostly consisting of broken buildings and debris. That's not to say it wasn't any less scenic. In fact, Gaspard liked this place. There was so much history laid bare before his eyes. He couldn't help but think of the stories these old statues and columns once told.

It wasn't long before he encountered one of the few standing structures in the district. A two story building that looked like it was lifted straight out of the story books from eastern lands. Tiled, sweeping rooves, wooden beams and what looked like canvas instead of glass for the windows. Overall, the place looked old. It practically sagged under its own weight in front of him.

After quickly confirming that this was the place, he entered without hesitation. Struggling against the sliding door, he was finally greeted with the damp, musty smell of dust and age. Looking around, he saw the featureless hallways to his left and right. Straight ahead was another set of sliding doors, and with nothing to lose, he pushed forward, and definitely liked what he saw.

In front of him was a garden, open to the afternoon sky and surrounded by the building behind him. The grass grew thick and untamed, with wildflowers and small trees bursting from their pots. And the main attraction, a statue in the likeness of a beautiful woman. Weathering has done little to diminish her beauty. With a graceful silhouette and an atmosphere of wistfulness and warmth, she knelt on the ground, staring softly at the thing she held in her arms. As he approached, it indeed appeared to be a scabbard wrapped in cloth, but by the tenderness of her gaze, it could've been a newborn babe.

"Beautiful…"

SNAP

Gaspard turned, and his heart wretched.

There in the doorway was a woman in black. While he would welcome the advance of any of the female persuasion, he was seriously perturbed by this one's figure. Snow white hair, lithe frame, clad in traveler's plate clearly a few sizes too big. Her clothes were fastened on with belts and chains and every bit of it was stained some shade of black or burgundy. And in each hand was a set of claws, five cruel blades each an easy two feet long.

And she was staring right at him, her face hidden behind a featureless white mask as she held one clawed hand outstretched.

Gaspard's mouth ran dry. He didn't even notice her, and he prided himself on his ability to sense danger. He gripped his staff tight, and watched, as the sinister presence took one step closer.

"Don't you move!" He warned, putting his staff between himself and the girl

She paid no heed, and took another easy step towards him.

"I'm warning you!"

Still nothing, another step was taken.

He was tired of her antics "That's it! White Bolt!"

A spear of white magic flew from the head of his staff.

But she was already gone.

"Huh?" but in that instant, instinct told him to duck.

And he was glad he did, else those lethal talons would've beheaded him in a single swipe. The girl was airborne, agilely flipping away from her attempt at murder. Gaspard was shaken, staff still in hand.

He tried for a spell.

"Unforgiving night, I-WOAH!"

But his chant was cut short by a fan of glowing knives. Seemingly from out of nowhere, incandescent white blades flew at a break-neck pace.

He dodged but he was right off balance, tumbling to the ground and scrambling to get back up again before that demon could take another swipe. But she was done toying around. She landed before him and unleashes a flurry of clawed strikes without mercy or restraint. Gaspard was pedaling backward, desperately fending away those deadly blades.

Not only was she fast, she was strong. Every blow shook his arms as those claws bit down on his poor staff. Biding his time, he willed power into the rod and yelled.

"Rend, my blade of moonlight!"

A long, crescent blade erupted from the tip of Gaspard's staff, nearly impaling the savage girl as she advanced. Now that he had some breathing room, Gaspard put his new glaive between him and his assailant.

"Come on then!" he jeered

The girl crouched down, claws outstretched and lunged, bringing down her claws on thin air as he wove to the side.

"Take this!"

And he brought his magic scythe across her open back. The woman hardly flinched, she swung wildly in a vain effort to catch him. He leapt back and swung his staff wide while chanting.

"White dart!"

Three points of light flew from the tip of his staff as he swung. The first grazed her, galvanizing her as she charged. The second rooted itself in her left thigh, but even that wouldn't stop her. The next tore its way through the flesh at her shoulder, but she just kept coming.

Gaspard was quickly running out of ideas. The girl brought up her claws, and he brought up his staff. They were inches from gutting each other when-

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The doors flung open, and a new figure approached. He was a mountain of a man, clad in plate and mail like the warriors from ancient times. He had a dark, thick, furry hide as a cloak and a helmet seen only in the age of heroes that hid his entire face in darkness.

"You dare fight on sacred ground?!"

Gaspard couldn't explain it, but it was like he exerted an undeniable pressure, just by standing there. They could hardly move. The claw girl felt it too, she visibly shook in his presence. His footsteps held the weight of heavy steel boots as he approached them, his expression unreadable through the slits in his helmet.

He jabbed a gloved finger at the mage "And who, are you?"

The man blinked "Erm… Gaspard Lenoire wandering mage," then he added "At your service," with a bow

The warrior regarded him evenly, then turned to the girl "And you, introduce yourself,"

She stared at him. Her own expression a mystery beneath that mask.

"Gods, are you deaf, lass? Your name. NOW!"

The two combatants were taken aback. This guy was dominating them with words and presence alone.

Finally, the girl spoke "…Lilin," she said in a quiet voice

The warrior stepped back, and beat his breastplate with his right hand "And I am Horace, Horace Bloodtalon. Though you may only refer to me as 'Sir' or 'Horace'. Is that clear?"

"Y-yes sir," Gaspard answered, then quickly bit himself for answering on instinct. Who did he think he was?

"Good, now let's see why you've come to this sacred place,"

He moved between them and knelt before the statue. There was no change, but from beneath that dark cloak he saw the faintest glimpse of glimmering teal stone.

Gaspard's eyes widened "Hey, you don't happen to have…"

As if responding to a call, he felt his mystery stone get lighter. The warrior's stone floated unbidden, revealing itself to be some sort of hilt and maybe half a cross guard.

"No way…"

The claw girl shook, but something powerful tore itself free from her arms. Gaspard knew immediately what this was. Moving to bring out his own stone, it flew from his satchel in an instant and slowly drifted towards the petrified maiden's empty scabbard. Like an ancient puzzle, the pieces were bound by forces even he couldn't comprehend.

It was as he guessed. This Broken Blade hovered before them in all its majesty.

"You have been chosen," Horace said, knocking the other two out of their stupor

Lilin stared at him.

"Chosen? Chosen for what?" Gaspard said, seriously doubting the girl's ability to speak.

The knight waved his hand towards the statue "This, my new comrade is the Broken Blade of heroes, renewed by our efforts. As the writings decree, we are forever bound to this shrine, to serve as its guardians until the time for its revival has come,"

And that was how their adventures began.

Or so they thought…