Sooo... I wrote this a while ago, wasn't planning on posting it here but I needed evidence that it exists so might as well~ I'll just be posting it at all once, it's already complete and everything x3 Please enjoy~

A bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky with a blinding flash and traced the arching path of a glowing purple orb. It made contact with a glob of sickly green flesh and consumed it whole. The hand encased in brown gloves with metal armbands, connected to the silver handle of the aforementioned purple orb, held the weapon completely still as the sizzling sound and putrid smell of thoroughly cooked meat filled the dreary, mold infested forest. The damp, spongy grass underfoot squelched when the charred corpse fell to the ground with a dull thump, and a handful of battered copper pieces rolled towards the heavy leather boots that stood nearby. A figure sheathed the gleaming purple weapon as well as a small wooden shield and stooped down to pick up the coins. They clattered together in his pinched fingers and he sighed in contentment as he stashed them away in a thick leather bag, and a vaguely handsome smile of greed curled his lips up.

Kirienne was a cleric, a priest to be exact, and he was fresh out of the snowy wonderland that is Mana Ridge. It was not much of a wonderland to Kirienne, however, and he was glad to get away from there. There were too many memories, all of which painful in one way or another, and he wished to leave all of them buried under the mounds of frozen snow. The one thing that had kept his spirits up throughout his days training and struggling in Mana Ridge was the knowledge of the person he was working to help. As a priest, Kirienne exceeded in holy and light magic, as well as healing. As a healer, Kirienne was a welcome member in any party of hardy adventurers. No team went anywhere challenging without their dedicated healer, and Kirienne was training to be that healer. But not for random, savage explorers, of course. No, he was destined to run on the front lines of battle with the powerful Tempest Artemis. Artemis was a powerful archer, born for battle and ready to face the hordes of monsters, if not for the fact that she ran solo, and with so little health that a few hits could knock her out cold. Artemis needed a healer, and from the moment that the to-be cleric Kirienne had met Artemis, he had made a promise. He promised to be that healer. He promised to be the one Artemis could run with, and depend on. Artemis could trust him with her life, and he wouldn't let her down.

Kirienne swept stray strands of his pale hair out of his eyes. His hair was so pale it gleamed a luminous near white, making his pale white skin appear even paler. He glanced once more at the stiff, charred mound of flesh beneath him but his gaze soon drifted away and he strode out of the shadows of the looming trees. His job was done, and he needed to hand in the commission for the reward. The gold was a welcome reward to Kirienne, who, though he carried a leather bag filled with coins, never seemed to be able to afford much more than a meager few meals every week and repairs for his mismatched equipment. But he never minded, because each piece of copper he was painstakingly forced to spend got him one step closer to joining Artemis.

Carderock Pass was a mere stroll through the Ashen Ruins away, but the short trek was never pleasant. The ruins left Kirienne with an eerie, ominous feeling. There was a reason the ruins were emptied and left to crumble, but he never knew why. In any case, he always found his footsteps sped up ever so slightly as he made his way past the cracked, ancient fountain and towards the safety of Carderock. Soon, the rugged dirt path under his feet gave way to a cobbled road of stone, and Kirienne spotted the rising walls of the familiar buildings.

The first thing that caught Kirienne's attention was a large wooden mailbox. A pink flag stuck out of the top of the box, signaling the presence of mail. Kirienne hurried over and opened up the wooden box with a hushed creak of splintered wood. A simple letter of white parchment was rolled up inside. Kirienne grabbed it excitedly and unrolled it to be greeted by familiar thin, loopy handwriting. His eyes skimmed over the words faster than his mind could process them, and he had to re-read the note several times before any meaning sank into his brain.

Dear Kiri,

I hope you get this letter soon! I've been working on clearing out the monsters from Lotus Marsh, but it's getting too difficult... I could use my healer… I hope things are going well with you, and that I can see you soon!

Love, Artemis

Kiri folded the letter up and tucked it into his pocket. He sighed heavily and felt the lump of paper press against him as if a small weight had just been attached to his skin. Every ticking second he spent in Carderock was one moment more that was wasted being away from Artemis. His promise was yet to be fulfilled, and Artemis was still waiting for him. But at the moment, he could only hunt down vagabond monsters for meager gold and experience.

Kiri shook himself out of his thoughts and strolled away from the mailbox. He dropped by the wooden commission board with its torn, yellowing pages that covered nearly every square inch of the surface. He posted a note stating his completion of a commission and collected his reward. A couple bags filled with random, useless rocks and minerals and a handful of silver coins. It was almost more worthwhile to sell the cheap leather bags that held the minerals than to actually sell the minerals, so Kiri stashed away the reward into his own bag, where it joined a messy conglomerate of random loot, including what looked like a pile of cracked bones and a leafy mandragora.

"Kiri!"

Kiri jumped slightly when he heard the shrill voice call out his name. It was hauntingly familiar, in a way that made Kiri want to turn in the other direction and run before the vulture could swoop down and take him. But it was too late. The vulture was already circling, and running would probably just make it hungrier. So, Kiri steeled himself and turned to face the ugly beast with whatever shred of courage he could muster.

"Kiri," The venomously sweet voice purred, "Won't you come and look at the new merchandise?"

"Hello May," Kiri tried to attempt a smile as he strode the final dreaded steps up to the young woman with dark hair and sparkling eyes narrowed in intent. Her wide red and blue dress swept around as she moved to smile widely at Kiri.

"So," She prompted him impatiently, "Are you here to buy something?"

"I came to sell some stuff actually," Kiri almost wished he did not have to sell anything, but May was the only merchant in town, so he had no choice but to deal with her.

"Oh," May folded her arms and frowned, "Sure."

Kiri sifted through his magical bag that was filled to the brim with useless junk and loot. He considered selling some plates he had stumbled across, but maybe he would need them later… Maybe the mandragora? But it could be used in cooking… Which he didn't even know how to do… Maybe he would learn later?

May sighed in exasperation as Kiri stared at his precious items. A pained look flashed across his face whenever he handed something over to her, but that look would soon be replaced by glee as the shiny coins fell into his outstretched hand.

"Thanks Kiri," May grumbled after he painfully departed with his last goblin loincloth, signaling the end of his inventory clearing.

Kiri nodded absentmindedly as May hurriedly dropped the items into a disorganized pile. May slyly wiped the palm of her hand on the outside of the skirt of her dress before she turned to face Kiri again with a wide smile plastered on her face. Kiri gulped.

"Kiri, would you mind doing me a favor?" May cooed with wide, puppy dog eyes.

"Uh, what's the favor?" Kiri sighed in resignation. It was no use trying to resist May's constant need for a person to do favors for her.

A malicious twinkle appeared in May's eyes, "I need you to go to the Marauder's Lair for me. Hobspid has a new bag of mine and still hasn't paid me back. Someone needs to go over there, collect the money, and teach him a lesson. I would go myself but…"

"I'll go for you, May," Kiri offered blatantly.

"You will?" May lifted her head in disgusting hopefulness.

"Yes…"

"Perfect! Now go, teach that stupid monster a lesson!"

May huffed and stomped her foot on the ground in a silent war cry. She remained firmly rooted to the spot as Kiri made his way to the bridge that crossed over the stream that cut through the middle of Carderock. Kiri hurried past Bailey the crest scholar, who seemed to be trying to catch his eye with a sinister smile twisted on his lips, and towards the Crystal Stream. The soft, luscious green grass beneath Kiri's feet swayed in the soft breeze as the steady drum of water pounding against the side of the rocks reached Kiri's ears. The familiar figure of Fergus, the infamous and not-so-sneaky scout for Carderock stood sentinel by the bridge that crossed over the stream. Fergus shot Kiri a glance and put a finger over his lips, to which Kiri only nodded obediently even though he was pretty sure he had not been making much sound in the first place, unless Fergus thought footsteps were too loud, in which case Kiri couldn't do much because standing still all day was not an option.

Kiri grabbed a quick commission to clear out the Marauder's Lair before he made his way into the dungeon. His hand trembled ever so slightly at the thought of the many corpses he set out to create. Maybe he would find something to eat afterwards…

A rotund bundle of matted, short brown fur streaked towards Kiri with a loud snarl. The bizarre creature barred its teeth from a comically disproportioned mouth that made up nearly its entire head. The size of its head in comparison to its only two back feet would make it seem like such a creature would be completely incapable of moving at all without falling face forward, but the animal was able to run and jump around like a maddened dog with ADHD. This creature, named the poochum for the reason that it somehow resembled some form of a mutated dog and rat combination, was abnormally violent in the wild dungeons and was certainly not afraid to face its certain death at the hands of Kiri's lightning. Kiri learned very quickly that poochums were not very smart.

After the last poochum was sent flying backwards by a smack of Kiri's wooden shield, Kiri hastily bent down and picked up the stray copper coins that were sent flying. He glanced up dully to face the hastily constructed wooden barriers that blocked his path before tearing them down with a couple well placed kicks. The kobolt archers hiding behind the barrier snarled in surprise and attempted to fire a volley of arrows. Unfortunately, they were rudely interrupted by a zap of electricity before they could do anything useful. Kiri readjusted the grip on his wand and broke down another poorly built barrier, only to face a large gathering of kobolt archers and bombers. The bombers immediately hissed and chucked their little bombs at Kiri's feet. He slid out of the way and launched another lightning attack, which dispatched the majority of the kobolts. Small orc reinforcements charged in to aid in the battle, but they met the same fate as the kobolts, leaving behind piles of random loot such as Honey or Mist Flowers, which Kiri picked up immediately. The rest of the monsters met almost the exact same fate as all the others, in varying degrees of violence and speed.

Kiri chuckled as he saw the patched up tents and little campfires the monsters used. Little green lizards skewered on sticks hung over the fire like a spit roast, and the faded brown and maroon cloth that composed the fabric of the tents fluttered in the breeze. The tents looked like they could be knocked down at any second. Kiri's foot kindly aided the tents in the process, until only cloth mounds remained and the previously inhabited tree stumps around the campfires were all vacated. It didn't take long for Kiri to wipe out the hordes of kobolt archers, bombers, orcs, and the single sickly blue skinned troll, who accidentally rolled straight into Kiri's lightning relic and met a tragic end.

Kiri reached the top of the steady incline and found the old wooden plank bridge that led to an isolated little island of dirt. There was a strange stone structure standing in the middle of this island, and a mysterious dark purple glow emanated from the top of what looked like a kind of vat filled with whatever substance it was that gave off the purple light. Kiri was forced to look down at the unstable wooden logs that made the planks of the rickety rope bridge as he traversed across the long plunge below him. When he did make it across, he noticed a small green goblin squirming around on a stone platform underneath the large vat, which was now leaking traces of a bizarre purple liquid that seemed to be the source of the purple glow. Kiri noticed that the little goblin was tied down, but the most disturbing part was that a large stone shaped like a tooth was grinding against the rest of the structure as it spun its way slowly downwards, the point aimed directly at the goblin's forehead. Kiri felt that nothing good could come from letting the goblin get stabbed in the forehead, but the stone tooth seemed to have no qualms about continuing and Kiri had no idea how to stop it. Instead, he watched uncomfortably as the stone tooth descended. When it hovered right above the goblin's skin, Kiri stopped watching and looked away, while he heard loud hissing and screeching. An unsettling dark aura pressed against Kiri's back and he shivered, still not quite willing to look back. But an even louder, angrier howl and the sound of rocks crumbling to the floor made him turn his head. What he saw made his breath catch in his chest.

A massive creature with a pointed head, a huge mouth filled with rows of pointed teeth, long arms and legs with pointed black claws, and pale, sickly blue flesh stared at him. Its ears pointed straight out to the sides and it had a head of lengthy, raven black hair. An angry red hole burrowed into the middle of the creature's forehead, presumably where the goblin had been stabbed before. The creature reared and started to charge towards Kiri on all fours. Kiri paused in shock for a moment. The creature lunged forward with its black, sharp claws, aiming for Kiri's throat, but Kiri didn't move, except for his eyes, which darted around rapidly. The claws extended and the creature's pupils dilated in the thrill of the kill, the need to feel the surge of flowing blood from its prey.

"Look out!"

An arrow engulfed in a green glow shot past Kiri's face and staggered the monstrous creature. It was forced to take a few steps backwards to keep its balance, but a volley of two arrows knocked it completely to the ground, where it hissed in frustration. Kiri blinked in surprise and shook himself out of his trance. He grabbed his wand and lifted up his shield, casting a series of buffs to increase his offense and defense, and prepared to attack with his lightning. However, the creature was only on its feet for a few moments before an arrow enchanted with a purple light hit it straight in the chest, followed by a shower of arrows from above, which forced the creature back onto the ground. Kiri didn't dare to take his attention away from the creature, but he was extremely curious to see who the mysterious archer who had saved his life was. Instead, he summoned a lightning relic, and it smashed into the earth right where the creature was standing, sending it flying backwards. The unknown archer launched another series of shots, and the creature collapsed to its knees. It landed face down in the earth and remained still. Kiri sighed in relief and put away his wand. The lightning relic pulsed a couple more times before it faded away into nonexistence.

"Thanks for the help," Kiri said to the person he assumed was with him.

"No problem!"

Kiri froze momentarily and stood up straighter. He turned around as casually as possible to face the person who owned the energetic, friendly voice that had spoken.

A female elven archer stood with her glowing purple and red longbow still grasped in one hand. Her pale blonde hair cascaded straight down her back and accented her grey eyes and pale pinkish skin. She wore a short, sky blue dress with a white collar, and matching green short gloves and boots. She smiled widely when Kiri's eyes met hers, and Kiri felt another pulse of adrenaline run through his veins.

"Are you ok?" The archer asked Kiri with concern. She put her bow over her shoulder and ran forward to inspect him.

Kiri nodded blankly and looked down at his own body as if it was a fleeting thought. The archer giggled and put a hand over her heart.

"That's good, I thought you were going to be skewered before I could help!"

Kiri chuckled sheepishly, which caused the archer to burst into another fit of giggles.

"What's your name?" Kiri asked after the archer had recovered somewhat.

"Art," She replied with a mischievous grin.

"Nice to meet you, Art, I'm Kiri," Kiri smiled faintly at her, "And thanks again for the help."

"Of course!" Art nodded enthusiastically as her hair bounced around.

Kiri turned to inspect the promising loot, and his eyes sparkled when he saw the mounds of silver coins. He bent over to pick them up, but had only grabbed a few before he noticed the rest had vanished. His thoughts quickened and he stiffened in horror at the thought of all that money disappearing, but a pale figure knelt on the ground next to him caught his attention. It was Art, and she held the rest of the coins in her pale hands. Kiri eyed her suspiciously, but pretended to look away when Art raised her head. Instead, he glanced over casually as if he had totally known she had been there the whole time. To Kiri's surprise, she extended her hands full of coins out to him with a wide smile.

"Thanks," Kiri mumbled as she tipped the coins into his outstretched hands.

Art hummed in acknowledgement and pushed herself up with her hands. Kiri bent his head to put away the coins and was surprised to see Art still standing there, watching him patiently with that same smile on her face, when he was done. He had half expected her to leave like some sort of spectral entity, there one moment and gone the next, as if she had never been there in the first place.

"Are you heading back to Carderock?" Art asked Kiri curiously.

Kiri replied somewhat hesitantly, "Yeah."

"Great," Art clapped her hands together like a child would when given a new toy for their birthday, "I'll go with you then!"

Kiri did not expect that. He stared at Art for a stunned moment of silence.

Art seemed to feel uncomfortable, because she said suddenly, "Is that ok?"

Kiri felt guilty for making Art seem unwelcome and scolded himself mentally. Art watched him nervously, shouldering her longbow as if it had suddenly gained one hundred pounds.

"Sure," Kiri chuckled softly.

He waved to the rickety old bridge he had crossed earlier and remarked, "Ladies first."

Art blinked. Then, she skipped forward with a gleeful laugh and winked to Kiri. She didn't notice his smile fall for a brief moment, or the faint red tinge that had developed on his cheeks.