Chapter 1: The Invitation
" That wolf is mine!" a young man yelled, tearing after the animal, which was running away as it was terrified at meeting such an eager hunter, his sword drawn and brandishing it in the light of the morning sun. Its animal sense told him if he engaged this person, he would surely die, and so it took the other approach to save its live. But unfortunately, whatever it was going to do, it would wind up dead within the hunter's blades.
The man heard a soft twang of string and looking to the back slightly, he spotted his partner shooting an arrow from behind from some distance. Not wanting his partner to steal his kill, at the right moment, he swung his sword to the right, snapping his partner's arrow into two in a split second.
" Damn you, Azaroth!" his partner yelled loudly, angry he stopped her arrow.
" I'm getting this kill, not you, Serene," Azaroth replied, returning his attention to the running animal, now that Serene was just too far away to shoot an arrow at that distance. Increasing his pace, he slowly closed the gap between the wolf and himself. Sensing the on-coming danger and guessing it would be pointless running anyway, the wolf spun around and lashed out at the Azaroth.
Azaroth immediately raised his weapon, and the wolf bit hard upon his Tsurugi blade. Reaching back with his free hand to his second sword, a Haedonggum by his side, he drew it out and in one swift strike, slashed it deftly at its neck. A large gash appeared and blood spurted out, the wolf giving a gargling cry before falling to the ground, as good as dead.
" Perfect," Azaroth replied, bending down to the dead body of the wolf and drawing a small knife. As he started to slowly skin the wolf, Serene came up to him from behind. Azaroth didn't need to be told that she was slightly vexed with him, and he certainly knew why.
" Being very selfish, are we?" Serene asked, with some anger in her voice.
" Look, I said I got it, so there was no need for your arrow," Azaroth replied.
Serene turned her back towards Azaroth, folded her arms and grumbled. Azaroth chuckled at the sight. Serene was an elf, a race of proud people who usually lived in the deep dark areas of the forests around the country. Such a remark would mean swift death if heard by the regular elves, as they take human jokes and snides seriously, but Azaroth knew Serene well enough to know she would not cut off his head when he laughed at her.
Serene was what people in the kingdom if Midgard called a 'domesticated' elf, an elf that has embraced human culture and lived with humans for some time, sometimes settling down to have a family with a human. Azaroth could remember their first encounter, which was not a really a fond one.
Chasing down a rabbit one day, his senses were quick enough to sense an on-coming arrow. He cut the arrow in mid-air, stopping the advance of the arrow before it hit his prey. Before he knew it, there was this crazed, long blue haired elf that came cursing out of the nearby shrubs, full of intent to shoot down Azaroth for stealing 'her' prey.
Azaroth lives in the small farming village of Taykon, a quiet, small village where most of the inhabitants were regular farmers. But Azaroth was quite different. He was a hunter, not as in class, but what he does. Everyday, or whenever he feels like it, he goes out hunting wild animals of all sorts under his capabilities, and with his impressive sword skills, there is no surprise that he usually comes back with a kill or more. He has roughly maintained such a lifestyle for the last few years, selling animal's hides and meat to survive.
His friendship with Serene meant that they go on hunting trips often. This meant getting less money, since he needed, by his principle although Serene tried to persuade him from it when she knew him well enough, to share the spoils and hunting together at the outskirts of the city did not usually improve their number of hunts, but it provided him with some company, something he felt was lacking in his village.
" Hey, why don't you stop sulking and help me skin this wolf, so we can both go back and we can chat over a cup of juice?" Azaroth suggested.
Several villagers turned their head and looked at Azaroth and Serene returning from their hunt, dragging their spoils in a leather sled which was manned by both of them. They just passively took note of their presence before going back to their work on the fields, tending to their vegetables. Serene was aware of their attitude towards Azaroth, but she could still not give up on asking " Why do they act like that?" whenever they entered the place.
" Bah, something unrelated to me...don't mind them," Azaroth said, as usual, and Serene did not ask any further. Both of them made their way along the village to reach Azaroth's humble hut that stood by the west side of the village.
His home was comfortable enough for him and Azaroth has no complains. Along with his hut, he owns a small patch of land to do some farming, but not at a large scale to earn money but merely to supplement for his meals. Currently, there are cabbages growing all over his small plot of land.
Dumping their equipment along at the sides of the hut, both of them entered the small hut where Azaroth lived. It was a one roomed hut, where the living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom and even the toilet was melded into one. Azaroth even proudly announced that the hut was the work of his own hands.
As usual, Serene was greeted by the strange, rustic smell of wood in his hut. And like most male counterparts, the place was in an absolute mess. Livable, but Serene was always quick to note that it could use a 'woman's touch', which Azaroth loved to rebuke with the statement that he felt comfortable here.
" Ah, perfect...just in time for some tea," Azaroth said, spotting the kettle which he placed on his stove was boiling. Taking it up and pouring it into a small pot, he later added a few tea leaves into the pot, and soon there was a soothing aroma that could be smelt all over the hut.
" I assume you don't mind my own weird mix," Azaroth replied, pouring a cup of tea for her in one of his clay cups and handing it to Serene.
" Like I have any choice in that," Serene laughed.
As both of them sat of the floor and drank their tea, Serene asked " So, when are you going to sell your hides?"
" Merchants...they usually come by...not often though. Most of the time they come in the evening, so I have to make sure that I'm around during the time. Troublesome, really. Most of my animal hides and meat would sell better in Prontera or in a bigger city, but it's too much of a hassle and trouble to go all the way there and sell it. Besides, it would be a waste of time," Azaroth replied, blowing on his drink before taking a tentative sip.
Serene was about to reply when they heard a soft knock on the door. Azaroth felt a bit puzzled, almost used to having no visitors at all in the afternoon. Rather puzzled at who wanted to see him, he got up and opened the door of his hut.
Right outside stood a priestess, a servant of the church. Not just any priestess. This one had an air of authority, someone who had experience in the field and Azaroth guessed that she was somehow involved in the army from the way she looked, yet she retained the soft nature all priestesses have. She was of age, almost in her thirties, but Azaroth was rather transfixed by the beauty of her face. She had a soft brown tan on her face, and there was radiance in her white eyes, which was matched with her equally white hair. As Azaroth stood looking at her, she gave a pleasant smile.
" Um...I'm not too sure I ordered you here..." Azaroth said, not too sure what to say.
" Hmm, I wasn't informed of your sense of humour," the priestess said. " May I come in?"
" Yeah, please do," Azaroth said, stepping aside, allowing the priestess to enter. She entered slowly, taking a look around. Serene spotted her and raised her eyebrows.
" You did not tell me your girlfriend was coming," Serene scoffed.
" She is not, obviously," Azaroth replied. " We are having tea at the moment, and I frankly don't have anything else besides water as a beverage. Are you alright with that?"
The priestess shrugged her shoulders and replied " I'm fine with that."
" Right, now, you can place your bum anywhere on the floor while I get you your drink," Azaroth replied, pouring a cup of tea for the priestess. She merely glanced on the floor, looking at the mess that was Azaroth's home. When he handed her a cup of tea, she replied " I think I'd prefer to stand."
" Well, who are you and why are you here to see me? I assume you know my name is Azaroth, unless you are at the wrong place," Azaroth replied.
" Forgive my manners. My name is Selene Mayfly, I am a priestess, serving under the church and His name," Selene introduced herself.
" Well, being a priestess was obvious. Both your names are kind of similar, don't you think?" Azaroth replied, in which Serene scoffed while taking another sip of her tea. " What do you want with me?"
" To keep it simple, I'm here for business," Selene replied. Azaroth waited patiently for her to go on.
" Are you aware of the Kyrodin Guild?" Selene asked.
Serene turned to look at Azaroth's expression towards the question, which surprised her actually. He suddenly frowned at the word 'Kyrodin', and his usually cheerful expression became solemn all of a sudden. Serene was aware not to disturb the conversation, and she passively watched the both of them talk, believing that questions should be kept for a more suitable time later.
" Yes, of course I'm aware of them. I assume you know my case in the High Court," Azaroth replied.
" Indeed I do," Selene replied passively.
" That was years ago. Did the High Court judges decided that they were to lenient on me and decided that my life would be better spent in the Pronteran prison?" Azaroth scowled.
This was something new to Serene. Although it was true that she did not know him very well, never delving deep into each others past, Azaroth never struck Serene as a person who would get into trouble with the High Court, the place where criminals and criminal acts were seen to in the Court of Justice. It sounded like he was in a tussle with them before, and somehow he got scot-free, for whatever the reason.
" Please, it is rather unreasonable for you to get angry with me. Besides, I'm just the messenger here," Selene replied back calmly.
Azaroth's expression softened slightly, but his voice was still rather terse. " I know that. What do they want now?" he asked.
" I'm not here on an errand for the High Court, but I'm here under the Church's orders. Recently, we have an issue we need to solve, but unfortunately for the Cardinals they are unable to acquire a witness for their problem. Apparently it is in need of utmost secrecy, and I can't even tell you the details on what they want with you. However, all I do know is that they believe you have an answer to their questions," Selene replied, finishing her drink.
Azaroth merely nodded.
" The Church is willing to make a deal: If you come to Prontera to answer their questions, and if satisfactory, they will tell you information on a former guild member of the Kyrodin guild, which you may choose to seek as you see fit to your cause. They need an answer urgently, if not they will take other measures for the problem," Selene finished.
Azaroth started digesting her words, while pacing around the room. He started muttering to himself before asking " What if I go, but I refuse to answer the question upon being asked?"
" They said it was up to your discretion," Selene replied.
" Fine by me. When do we leave?" Azaroth asked.
" Anytime form now," Selene replied.
" Alright, give me a few minutes to pack my stuff, then we can leave," Azaroth said, leaving the hut. Serene eyed him for a while, before getting up and following him to the back of his hut, where he was collection his weapons and equipment.
" Care to tell me what was all that about?" Serene asked.
" Why do you want to know?" Azaroth asked. Surprisingly, his voice was neither harsh nor angry. Instead, he sounded amused by the question, a totally different expression Serene expected from him form her observations of his reaction towards the topic earlier.
The door of Azaroth's hut could be heard opening and closing, followed by soft footsteps of Selene walking out of the area. From the back of the hut, Azaroth could see Selene's shadow drift across his garden patch towards the middle of his small village. She was probably heading towards the villagers to have some short chat about religion and all that, typical of the people who serve under God's name, or either that she heard their voices and decided not to eavesdrop onto their conversation.
" Do you think I have a criminal record?" Azaroth asked, shifting through his small pile of equipment, ranging from ropes to spikes which he kept at the back.
" Not that I know of, but you did not tell me and I assumed a person of your character doesn't, unless random insults to the opposite sex is a crime among humans," Serene replied, her hands on her hips.
" And yes, you are right. I don't have a criminal record," Azaroth replied. " Well, not in a technical sense…"
" Why is that?"
Azaroth gave a sad sigh, his hands stopped searching for his equipment. " I'm quite sure you are not aware of what the Kyrodin Guild is, since you don't live in the Prontera or Geffen, but the Kyrodin guild was a notorious guild, mainly made up of swordsmen who would go around smaller villages and loot and plunder them, killing people as they go by. This mainly started about 5 years ago, but the guild had existed long before that, almost 20 years ago, if my guess is correct," Azaroth dropped himself on the ground as he explained his story.
" 20 years ago? Wait, aren't you 20 now?" Serene asked.
" Serene, my age has nothing to do about the founding of the guild, or whether it is a bloody coincidence," Azaroth replied.
" Not much is known about them, except that the members had existed long before 20 years ago. They grouped up together during that time and kept low, for whatever the reason. Then, after 15 years of silence, they emerged from the darkness. One by one, they desecrated village after village all around the country. After all the chaos they had wrecked, the army decided that enough was enough, and they sent in their best troops to halt their attacks. They killed most of the guild members and took the remaining ones to prison. After a trial…well, technically it was not a trial, since they were condemned to die anyway, they were executed by beheading," Azaroth answered.
" So, what does this group have to do with you?" Serene asked.
" Apparently, my father was the leader of the group," Azaroth replied in a deadpan manner.
" What?! What do you mean by apparently?" Serene exclaimed.
" I was born without a father. My mother told me that my father died, but that never really rang true. She was raped actually, a long time ago 20 years ago, but she did not want me to grow up with that shame. She always looked traumatized when she gazed long enough into my eyes. I was just a by-product of something traumatic that happened to her. Sure, she never blamed me, but I was just a cause for pain. She died before I was 12," Azaroth replied.
" So, this man, the leader of the Kyrodin group, was the man who raped your mother?" Serene asked quietly.
" Nope, that was never proven. My mother had been dead, and by the time the man was caught, there was no proof or witnesses to testify in court that he was my biological father. However, there was this funny thing," Azaroth replied, pausing as though he wanted to make his next statement sound dramatic. Serene waited patiently.
" He knew my name, Azaroth Crimson, even though he supposedly just raped my mother and left, and he knew that my mother would use her maiden name upon me. He even could give a exact description of me, from my hair length to the skin colour. So, imagine the surprise I had when a whole bunch of knights barged into my hut and swiftly escorted me to the capital to be executed for being that man's son," Azaroth replied.
" Well, obviously they did not execute me, since I am still here. But there was this huge argument on whether I should be executed along with the guild members I have caught. Since I was merely a kid, and that I was just the by-product, supposedly, of his lust, they had no grounds to charge me. But, of course, there are still people who think I should just hang myself for existing," Azaroth replied.
Serene kept quiet for a moment, before picking up the courage to ask " So, why are you interested in this group?"
" What drove them mad…"
" Excuse me?"
" Did you know what my father asked of me when I finally got to meet him? He asked me to take a blade and pass it to him so that he could kill me and allow his soul to rest in peace," Azaroth replied.
" Sounds like the words of a mad person…"
" Indeed, and all of them were. There was this look in their eyes that showed that they had gone insane, for whatever the reason. They were obsessed with killing, not for the likes of it, but 'to free their soul' as they kept repeating it. I did not understand what they meant, and nobody bothered to find out about it when they were all executed. I tried to look for sources around the city, but nobody really paid any attention to me…"
" So, you are going back again to look for this clue?"
" Depends, now that it has appeared, I should not let it go, should I?"
Selene turned around to see Azaroth and Serene emerging from the back of his hut, with Azaroth carrying a backpack on his back, slinging two swords in their sheath by his sides. The villagers she was talking to backed away slightly at the sight of him as if he was some vile disease. Selene felt it was weird, but taking account of his history, or what she heard about him, it came as no surprise.
" We are done here. I hope you won't mind me taking her along," Azaroth said, pointing a finger towards Serene.
" As long as you don't mind us taking a detour before heading to the city," Selene replied.
" Detour?" Azaroth asked, puzzled.
" I need to make a stop at a nearby village, Rayton. I'm sure you know it. I need to meet up with a small group of acolytes-in-training there to check on them, then I can warp all of us to the capital," Selene replied.
" I have no objections," Azaroth replied. Serene nodded in agreement.
Writer's Note: The villages I mentioned don't exist in the game, but I needed more places than the cities and places stated in the game. I mean, where would all the rest of the people lived. The whole world can't be limited to a few cities, and I'm not about to limit myself. Never owned or seen or even know how to obtain either the Tsurugi or the Haedonggum in the game, but I just fancied their names, so I gave them as 'default' weapons to Azaroth. And adding an 'elf' (Serene) was just made last minute. No idea why I even wanted to put elves into this Ragnarok story.
