Chapter 1: First Mission
It was a clear sunny day in the city of Vale. The streets and sidewalks were bustling with people carrying on their business for the day. The shop, From Dust 'Till Dawn, was getting good business that day. Out of the shop emerged Roland Rigorm and his twin sisters, Scarla and Ella Rigrom. A full year had passed since Roland completed his trial. He was now seventeen years old and his sisters were both fifteen. The two of them had the same build: they were just over five feet tall, coming to Roland's shoulder, were light-skinned, had skinny builds, and had rounded faces and light cheekbones and chins. The only difference was their hair and eyes: Scarla had red hair that went down to her shoulders and had maroon eyes while Ella had longer, electric-yellow, blonde hair that went to her hips in two pig tails and had violet eyes. Scarla had a short, white dress with red interlaced into it while Ella wore black dress with white and electric yellow interlaced into it. They both had royal blue bows in their hair as if in honor of their brother. "Thanks!" Roland called as he exited the shop with the things he needed.
"All right!" Ella exclaimed in her silvery, cheerful voice. "Where are we going next?"
"Well, we got everything we need, so we can go home now," Roland replied. "However, we have some extra time, so do you two want to go anywhere in particular?"
"W-Well," Scarla chimed in with her soft yet timid voice. "How about there?" She pointed to a store called Tuckson's Book Trade.
"Ah, a book store!" Roland said with enthusiasm. "Good choice Scarla!"
"I wonder what they have," Ella said. "Let's go!" The three of them entered the store.
"Welcome to Tuckson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun!" the owner, Tuckson, said as the three of them entered. "Can I help you find anything?"
"No thank you," Roland said. "We'll just look around."
"Alright, no problem," Tuckson replied. "Let me know if you need anything." He then took a box of books into the back to sort. Roland and his sisters then wandered around the stores looking at different books. As Roland looked around, a peculiar book caught his eye: it was titled The Tales of the Legendary Knights. As Roland opened it, he began to read tales very familiar to him, tales he grew up hearing. He turned a few pages until he came upon a tale titled Artheo, King of Crealot. Roland was in shock that the tale that was forgotten by history was here in the bookstore. "Scarla, Ella," he called to his sisters, "take a look at this."
"Whoa, no way!" Ella exclaimed.
"It can't be," Scarla said.
"Let me read this to make sure," Roland said. He then began to read the book: "Long ago, when Vale was first settled, whole families, called clans, settled in Vale. They all lived peacefully until conflicts arose that turned into a battle for control of the land. Clans fought with one another, only stopping when the creatures of Grimm arrived, drawn by the mass negativity. Mankind would surely have perished in that era had not a young boy named Artheo was born. He had hair as blue as the sky, was a prodigy in combat and intelligence, and was born with a mark on his right hand, the emblem of Artheo. Young Artheo saw the vicious cycle the clans were in and tried to discover a way to break that cycle and bring peace and unity. Those ideas were rejected, and Artheo fled from his home, not wanting to participate in the senseless battles of his people. He travelled all over the continent to find an answer but only spent years in futility. Artheo was about to give up but hope was renewed he heard of a valley deep within the mountains that held a lake of the purest water ever seen. There was also rumored that a maiden who resided in the lake lived there and was said to grant wishes. Determined, Artheo crossed an unforgiving canyon and over a mountain perpetually surrounded by storms and made it to the valley.
"Just like the bard said, the water was the clearest he'd ever seen and he boarded a boat on the shore, as if it was left there for him, and rowed to the middle of the lake. He then stopped as a shroud of mist engulfed him, and a maiden emerged from the water. The legends were true in that she was dressed in white, had hair as clear as the water itself, eyes colored like the purest of gold, skin fairer than any other maiden, and a voice that sounded as soothing as the flowing of water. Again, the legends proved true when she told Artheo that she could grant wishes. He then told her of the plight of his homeland, surprising her with his selfless wish. The maiden of the lake granted him his wish and gave him a sword that she pulled out of the lake. Its hilt was white but changed to the color of Artheo's hair once he grasped it in his hands. Artheo thanked the maiden and left to save his homeland."
"During his return home, Artheo met a young wizard by the name of Mirlen. The two quickly became friends and travelled to Artheo's homeland together. When Artheo arrived, the Grimm laid siege to his home once again. Artheo bravely entered the battle and drove away the Grimm almost singlehandedly. It was said that the Grimm cowered in fear of the legendary sword he now wielded. Mirlen was said to have commanded such magic that the Grimm were wiped out by a single word. The people saw the amazing power Artheo held and then listened to what he had to say. They listened to his words and stopped fighting with one another. Artheo then led his people back to the valley where the lake was and they all settled there. The land was rich and everyone was accommodated. The people unanimously named Artheo their leader, who in turn became the first king of Vale. The people then chose their best warriors, one from each clan, to directly serve and protect the king. In return, these warriors, later to become knights, would represent the clans before the king. There were 12 clans, so 12 knights served the king. Mirlen served as the king's advisor with his vast wisdom. The valley became the capital of the kingdom of Vale, known as Crealot. Mirlen also established a library where he kept all of his books, tomes, and scrolls to share with the people. Artheo also built a monument by the shore of the lake in the likeness of the maiden of the lake to honor her. Despite all the success, factions still opposed Artheo. The resisting factions all united in a final effort to oust Artheo. It was said that no matter what warrior fought Artheo, none could stand against him and it was as if their semblances had no effect against him. The kingdom was finally unified and it enjoyed prosperity for the next few decades.
"However, dissent rose within the kingdom by those who sought power for themselves. The allied themselves with other enemies of the king and waited for an opportunity to overthrow him. That opportunity came when the most trusted knight of the king had an affair with the queen. Artheo was heartbroken and outraged and sentenced both the queen and his most trusted knight to judgment. When the two were on trial, the king became surrounded by his enemies, a battle ensued, and the king was mortally wounded. Crealot fell to the king's enemies, who in turn fell to the Grimm. The king's knights were scattered from having to flee the capital. Only the king's sons, the queen, and his most trusted knight were left to tend to him. The king knew he was going to die, so he hid X-Calibur away and sealed it within a magical stone. It was said he even infused his own aura into the sword, so that no evil hand could use it. The king then died from his wounds. Mirlen also perished when he used all of his magic to erect a barrier around his library to prevent his knowledge from falling into the wrong hands. This is the tale of Artheo." Roland finished reading and looked at his sisters. "It's just like what's in the book at home," Ella said.
"Yes," Roland replied. "Excuse me, I must speak with the owner." Roland then walked over to the front desk and began to speak with Tuckson. Apparently, Tuckson found the book on his travels through the kingdoms in a ruined town. He had the book restored but no one would buy it since the legends depicted in them weren't well-known. Roland went ahead and bought the book, which Tuckson happily gave over. After a little more browsing and buying a few more books, the three Rigorm siblings left the store.
"Thanks Tuckson!" Roland called as he left.
"Come back anytime!" Tuckson replied. "Thanks for the business!"
The three then turned to leave the city to head home now that their errands were done. As they walked, Beacon Academy came into view. Roland looked over at Beacon Tower with longing, wishing he could go. "Hm? Roland?" Ella said.
"Is something wrong?" Scarla said.
"Oh!" Roland replied as he was snapped out of his daze. "It's just I can see Beacon from here." He then got a sad look on his face and his sisters knew exactly why. Despite being the top of his class at Watchtower Academy, his parents didn't have the money for the tuition. All available funds went into maintaining the town and restoring Artheo's Castle, where the first king of Vale dwelt. Roland knew he wouldn't be able to go, despite working to earn extra money the past year. He knew he'd be staying in Crealot for the rest of his life. He then thought of the tale of Artheo and took off his left armored glove and looked at the back of his left hand. He had the same mark Artheo had: a dragon's head with a divided circle in the background. He knew it had something to do with the legend but couldn't figure it out, further adding to his frustration. As Roland's sisters comforted him, the three of them saw a blonde-haired man struggling to keep the numerous packages he was carrying from falling. "W-Whoa…" the man said. The packages continued to totter until they began to fall. "Oh no!" he exclaimed.
Roland and his sisters sprinted to him and caught each of the packages that were falling. "You look like you could use some help," Roland said to the man.
"Whew! Thanks!" the man said. "Just take them over here…" The man led them to a pick-up truck and they all loaded the packages in the bed. "Again, thanks so much! I was in such a bind that you could say I was…boxed in! Get it?" The man then smiled smugly.
Roland and his sisters groaned at the bad pun. "Just a simple thank you would've done it!" Ella said.
"Ella!" Roland scolded. "That's very rude! Sorry about my sister."
"Alright, alright, it's no trouble," the man replied. "I never got your names by the way. Well, ALL of your names."
Ella grumbled at the jape. "I'm Roland Rigorm," Roland said, shaking the man's hand. "These are my sisters: Scarla and Ella."
"The name's Tai Yang Xiao Long," Tai replied. "You know, Roland, your sisters remind me of my two daughters: Yang and Ruby. I think all of you would get along great. How about I treat you guys to a meal to say thanks? My daughters are here in the city if you wanna meet them."
"Thanks for the offer, but we must be getting back," Roland replied. "Our home is a long way from here."
"Aw, that's a shame, but I get it," Tai said.
"Perhaps we'll run into each other again sometime and meet your daughters then."
"Alright, it's a deal! Thanks again for helping me and be safe on your way back!"
"Same to you!" They waved good-bye as they parted. Tai Yang started his truck and drove further into the city to pick up his daughters. Roland, Scarla, and Ella then left to take the bus to the airship port and then left the city.
The airship landed in a smaller city in the Vale countryside which had a train station to take them to the last town before walking back to Crealot on foot. The trip was uneventful until the train came to a stop as the town came into view. All the passengers were speculating as to why the train stopped. Roland and his sisters then got up and found a conductor and asked him why the train stopped.
"A pack of Grimm is attacking the town ahead of us," the conductor replied. "It's too dangerous to go there now, and we're going to have to turn back."
"Tell the engineers to wait here," Roland said. "My sisters and I will take care of the Grimm."
"What?! You're crazy! The three of you are only kids!"
"Don't underestimate us because of our young age. We've seen many battles already. Isn't that right?" Roland turned to his sisters.
"Yep!" Ella replied. "A few Grimm don't scare me!"
"I-I may not like to battle," Scarla said, "but I won't ignore people in need! I've been training for this!" Scarla's confidence soared at that moment. She only got this confident during times like this, clearly showing her conviction. After hearing their responses, the conductor reluctantly let them go. The three of them stepped off the train and advanced towards the town on foot.
As they got closer, they all readied their weapons: Roland got out his sword and shield, Ella got out a lance-like weapon that could turn into a healing staff and a rifle, and Scarla got out a bow with a dust-powered string that could also turn into a healing staff and twin energy daggers. Ready for battle, the three advanced into the town. A small pack of Beowolves saw them advancing and turned to attack. Several of them fell as they were either gunned down by Ella or shot by Scarla. Any that remained were quickly dealt with by Roland. "What's the plan big brother?" Ella asked.
"I saw a kind of militia force cornered by the Grimm near the town hall as we were advancing," Roland replied. "We go there first and rescue them unless we find any civilians in danger. Other than that, we stick together."
"You got it!" Ella cheerfully responded.
"Right," Scarla agreed. The three of them advanced through the town, cutting down Grimm as they went along. They then saw a small family being chased by more Beowolves: a mom and her two children. The family struggled to escape and the worst was about to happen when one of the kids tripped and fell. A Beowolf was ready to kill the helpless little girl until a clang was heard as Roland blocked the attack with his shield. Scarla and Ella helped the girl up and turned to help their brother deal with the Grimm. The family was amazed at the impressive fighting ability of Roland and his sisters. Ella plunged her lance into the ground and swung herself around, kicking a Beowolf before turning her lance into a rifle and shooting the Grimm. Scarla avoided attacks from another Grimm and leapt onto its back, impaling it with several quick strikes from her daggers. Roland took on the last two, avoiding and blocking attacks. He then avoided one strike and pivoted around the attacking Grimm and delivered a frontal kick, pushing it into the other Grimm. He then leapt and impaled both Grimm with a single stroke from his sword. As the family reunited, Roland commanded them, "Get to safety!" The family complied, and the three of them advanced to the town hall.
A small militia of the town was cornered by a pack of Beowolves and was trying to escape but to no avail. "Scarla, Ella," Roland commanded, "get onto the roof and take out the Grimm at a distance! I'll attack from the ground, and the two of you join me once we create an opening for everyone to escape!"
"Got it!" Roland's sisters replied. Once they reached the town hall, Roland used his shield to propel his sisters onto the roof. There, they attacked the Grimm from afar, taking them out one by one. Roland then advanced and attacked the Grimm on the ground, and despite being outnumbered, Roland held his own. Bullets, energy arrows, and sword strikes continued to take out Grimm after Grimm, and it wasn't long before an opening was created. "Go!" Roland commanded. "Fall back to a safer location!" The militia complied and retreated to the town shelter. Scarla and Ella jumped from the roof and retreated with their brother soon after. Once everyone made to the shelter Roland commanded, "Scarla and Ella, please erect a barrier and heal everyone who's injured."
"Leave it to us Roland!" Ella said as she and Scarla turned their weapons into their healing staves and got to work. A barrier was erected by Scarla and Ella that held off any advance from the Grimm. This was their semblance: the ability to heal wounds and erect a barrier. Scarla's barrier could temporarily block ranged attacks but other combatants could pass throught harmlessly. Ella's barrier could temporarily block physical attacks and prevent combatants from passing through it but it could not block ranged attacks. While under the protection of the barrier, Scarla and Ella began to heal the injured fighters with their staves. Roland turned to the rest of the militia and said, "While everyone is getting healed, we will hold the line here. Once everyone is recovered, we'll all push back and take out the rest of the Grimm. Understood?"
The militia complied and carried out Roland's orders. The Grimm couldn't advance through the tight defense Roland and the militia formed and it wasn't long until everyone was healed, and Scarla and Ella rejoined Roland. "Alright everyone, advance!" Roland commanded. Everyone pushed back and drove the Grimm to the outskirts of town. An Alpha Beowolf appeared to personally intervene and attacked Roland, Scarla, and Ella. The three fought back against the Alpha with great synergy: Roland distracted the Alpha while Scarla and Ella attacked from behind. It whirled around to attack them but turned its back on Roland who quickly moved to block the incoming attack against his sisters. As he blocked the strike with his shield, Ella stabbed its torso with her lance. Scarla then cut at its legs, bringing it to its knees, setting up Roland to decapitate it with his sword. The Alpha then began to fade into black mist and Grimm were routed.
Everyone cheered in victory and the train was signaled to move into the station. The militia and the townspeople thanked Roland, Scarla, and Ella for their help in saving their town. The mayor then personally thanked them for their heroic actions. "Truly, thank you very much for saving the town!" he said.
"Please, think nothing of it," Roland modestly replied. "We're just doing our job as future huntsmen and huntresses."
"Yep! You got that!" Ella cheerfully replied.
"I-I'm just glad to help…" Scarla shyly replied.
"Well, in any case you have the thanks of the entire town!" the mayor said. "Please, let us reward you with a meal and a night at our inn, free of charge! It's getting late now!"
Roland looked around and noticed that the sun was sinking below the horizon. Knowing the dangers of travelling at night, he looked at his sisters, who nodded in agreement. "Thank you," he said. "We'll take you up on that."
"Splendid!" the mayor said. "You'll be in for a treat!" The night was spent in festivities and delicious food as a thank-you to the three Rigorm children. Tired from the eventful day, Roland and his sisters retired to the room prepared for them at the inn and slumbered peacefully that night.
The following morning, they were treated to a hearty breakfast at the inn and soon bid farewell to the town, eager to go home to Crealot. As they walked, Ella squealed with excitement and said, "Oooh! I can't wait to tell mom and dad about what happened to yesterday!"
Scarla giggled in agreement, "I bet they'll be thrilled!"
"I agree," Roland chimed in. "The two of you fought well yesterday. Both of you are on your way to becoming top-notch huntresses!"
Ella then jumped on Roland as she hugged him. "Aww, thanks Roland! You're so sweet!"
Scarla then held onto Roland's arm and said, "Thank you big brother!"
Roland chuckled, "Well, you're welcome!"
"Hey, don't forget the great job you did!" Ella replied. "Leave it to you to come up with such a great plan!"
"And for being so calm and collected on the battlefield," Scarla added. "Honestly, it's like all of this is natural to you!"
Roland blushed from the praise and said, "Stop it, you're embarrassing me! But seriously, thanks." The three then continued until they approached a mountain range that was separated by a large forest: the Ivory Forest. It was so named due to the white, glowing leaves the trees had that gave off constant light regardless of the time of day. The light reinforced positivity, so no Grimm appeared there, and the forest was a favorite place for Rigorm siblings to go to. They passed through the forest without incident and continued down the path to Crealot. As the city came into view, the three of them looked in horror as they saw smoke rising from the plaza. The three of them raced down the path and approached the gate and saw that it was unguarded and also heard the city alarm for Grimm attack. Without a word, the three of them opened the gate and rushed into the city.