Dawn. The sun's rays slowly crept over the landscape of Albion, illuminating Bowerstone and the surrounding areas. Birds began to chirp and the wildlife emerged from their dens to welcome the day.
In the nearby Hero's Academy, the light was not welcome. One young man, who was not ready to start his day, was sound asleep. His face was buried in his pillow and sounds of soft snoring could be heard. This was Austin, who was more interested in his dreams of being a powerful warrior than his studies.
"Austin! Wake up!" A male voice yelled into the room.
Austin rolled over, revealing his face to the light, and grunted, "What is it? This had better be important." He glanced at the door and saw his longtime friend, Cody.
"Today we're practicing with Skill. You know how the Heroes of old had three different arts? And how most major events in Albion's history involve some combination of the Heroes of Strength, Skill, and Will? Well, today we're focusing on fighting with ranged weapons. Skill. Remember, sleepy head?" Cody cocked his head on one side and sighed as Austin scratched his head. "I see that you're not quite awake yet. Very well, I'll wait for you outside while you get ready. Just hurry up!"
Austin saw Cody leave and felt a slight twinge of jealously. Cody was a tall and slender man with hair as red as fire. With his well groomed beard, Cody's head and face looked as though he was nothing more than a body with a ball of fire for a head. His hair was usually kept back in a ponytail. Although he had no Hero blood in his veins, Cody did show aptitude for swordplay and enjoyed studying the fighting techniques of the ancient Heroes. Cody especially enjoyed reading about the feats of one of the greatest Heroes of all time. His name was lost in the waves of time, but he is usually called the Hero of Oakvale. Or what was Oakvale. The town of Oakvale, like the Hero, was lost in time's flow. Some consider Oakvale a legend. Others fear Oakvale for what it became—Wraithmarsh, the land of despair and horror.
Austin shivered at the thought of Wraithmarsh and silently prayed that he would never have to walk that cursed ground. He shivered once more, not from fear but from his bare feet hitting the cold wooden floor. Austin stood up and walked to his dresser that was across the room. He couldn't help but look into the mirror. Austin could be described as a man of moderate attractiveness. He was reasonably tall, nothing usual. He was big, but not particularly muscular. He studied his face and noticed that he needed to shave. His eyes were not quite blue but not quite hazel. Sort of like the color of waters at the deep end of Bower Lake. His hair was the color of soil, dark and rich in color. Austin was pretty much a normal man. Studying at the Hero's Academy to enrich his knowledge of being a guard—not just a normal town guard, mind, but a royal guard. In fact, the only thing that Austin could say that really sets him apart from everyone else was that his father was Logan, former king of Albion. His uncle was indeed the King of Albion and a Hero. Of course, his cousin was the prince.
Austin sighed. So far he had shown no sign of Hero potential. But then again, neither did his uncle, the king, until he was roughly the same age as Austin. Another sigh. He hoped that one day he would show his potential and rise above all others. Perhaps he could save Albion from some mysterious threat? Or discover a new species of monster? Maybe one day he would emerge from his cocoon and become a powerful warrior, equipped with all the powers of the Heroes of yore.
But today was range training and that was what Austin had to focus on. He had crafted a crossbow in his spare time. Although considered outdated, he favored such a weapon due to their versatility. Perhaps not as fast as a pistol, but crossbows pack a bit more of a punch. Though not as powerful as a rifle, they are faster to reload. Plus a fair amount of Heroes chose crossbows as their ranged weapon, so if a crossbow was good for them it would be good for Austin.
He reached for his clothes—a button down shirt, jacket, and pants. He slipped on his shoes and grabbed his crossbow. Cody opened the door to the room and said, "Are you finished? Let's go. This is going to be good." On his hip was a pistol, Cody's favorite ranged weapon.
Austin smiled, "Let's go." The two walked into the hall of the dormitory wing of the Hero's Academy and made a left down the path that would lead them down the stairs and eventually outside. Candles lit their path—though it was daylight outside, inside the gloomy walkway was dark. The sounds of the feet echoed up and down the hall. Finally, there was the wooden door that would lead them outside.
"You know, someone should make the dormitory a little more cheery." Cody muttered as he reached for the door. The door opened with a loud groan and sunlight greeted the two men. "Hrmm, wasn't ready for that…" Cody grumbled, shielding his eyes from the harsh light.
Austin squinted and walked outside. The shooting ranges weren't far from the Academy—close enough to see from the building, but not too close so that a stray arrow or bullet could hit a window or student. "Hey. Who's that in the range?" Austin spotted a figure that was almost clearly female.
"Let's go check it out." Cody led the way. They marched down the path and passed by several fruit bearing trees. The sounds of swords clashing rang out in the distance. "It's a girl. Who is it?" Cody couldn't see her face. Whoever it was, she was more interested in the range targets off in the distance.
Austin approached her. "Erm…miss? May I help you?" His hand reached out to touch her shoulder.
She turned to face him. "No. I do not need your help, Austin, son of Logan." Her voice carried a hint of a sneer.
"Jean!" Austin couldn't help but look surprised. "Is Reaver around? I know that you two are attached to the hip." His voice carried the same amount of contempt. Jean was the second-in-command to Reaver Industries and was almost always standing by Reaver's side. No one was sure exactly what kind of relationship they had, be it romantic or otherwise. One thing was clear though—no one liked Jean much. She was too much like Reaver, caring too much for herself and little for anyone else. Although, I would think that she cares about Reaver. She's constantly siding herself with him. Why does she show him so much loyalty? Austin thought, biting his lower lip. He would admit that she was pretty, but her personality was a definite turn off.
She was tall—tall for a woman, at least. Her hair was a lovely shade of chestnut, not at all like Austin's mud colored hair. Her face reminded him quite a bit like Reaver, just more feminine. Perhaps he had rubbed off on her. I bet the reason she looks like him has something to do with the way dog masters start looking like their dogs. Austin thought, studying her. He had to suppress a snicker. Jean's outfit was typical for the upper class—gloves, a long dress, and so on. Austin really didn't care what her clothes looked like.
Jean narrowed her blue eyes and sighed, "No. I came alone. On Reaver's request, I might add." She cocked her head to one side and watched Austin's reaction. He looked puzzled. She smiled, "There is an important discussion that be starting soon. I would highly recommend that you go. It might be important to you."
"To me?" Austin frowned. He was just a guard in training. Not a fully fledged member of the guards yet. "What kind of discussion is it?"
Jean smiled and batted her eyelashes. "I don't know. Reaver didn't tell me. That's why I'm going too." She eyed Cody's pistol. "May I try?" She asked.
"You want to shoot my pistol?" Cody couldn't believe his ears. "Miss, I don't think a young lady such as you should be firing a gun. Might damage your pretty little hands."
Jean snorted. "Please. I've done worse things with these hands besides firing a gun." She didn't wait from Cody to protest further. Jean grabbed the pistol and turned to face the targets. Without missing a beat, she fired. The target furthest back jerked, indicating that it had been hit. "Perfect," she said. "Who exactly again is too lady like to shoot a gun?"
Cody's gaze fell on the grass. Austin growled, "Okay. How about my crossbow? If you miss, you'll stay out of the meeting. Deal?"
She grinned, "Deal."
Austin was confident that Jean would be unable to fire a crossbow, especially one of his own design. Very few in Albion had crossbows anymore and, if they did, they would be found in Albion's more dangerous areas where guns were not so readily available. Jean inspected the crossbow carefully. "What do you think?" Austin asked.
"It's handmade," she answered. "A nice design, I'll admit."
"Can you fire it?"
"Of course." To prove it, Jean lifted the crossbow, aimed, and fired it. The target jerked again, proving that, once again, she hit it. Austin looked shocked. No one except him was proficient with firing his crossbow. Jean saw his face and answered, "I seldom use guns. I have a longbow that I use. Your crossbow really isn't that much different. It's requires less muscle to shoot. But it's nice to find someone out there that cares for antiquities, even if it is you."
Austin stared at her angrily. "Well at least we know that a useless dog like you can use a crossbow."
She flushed. "A dog, you say?!"
"You heard me."
Jean looked livid. Her eyes went wild and a snarl formed on her lips. For a second, Austin thought she would leap at him. However, Jean composed herself. "Well, we shall see about that. I trust you are going to the castle." Her voice somehow regained its calm and uncaring demeanor.
"I'll be there." Austin glared at her. There was something about her that he did not trust. One moment, she was calm, if not insulting. The next, she was feral, like a wild animal. Then, not a split second later, she was calm again. It was eerie. Women. Never know what might set them off. He thought, shaking his head.