A Maple Story

After much discussion, Jun thumbed his chin and spoke after a moment's silence.

"Taylor, I do agree with your plans. And I will be on the front lines with you as you take on what seems to be the hardest challenge anyone shall ever be faced with. You will make a great leader. Good luck to you. I suggest you begin in Perion and seek the help of Martin. He is a high ranked Dark Knight in Dances with Balrog's army. He will help you from there." Jun said as he left in a cloud of smoke.

This is where Taylor's quest was to begin. This was how she would be remembered; by creating a small army strong enough to defeat the world's greatest threat. And she had less than one year to do so. As she approached the gates to Perion, she found a young, yet powerful Paladin sparring with a friend nearby. She noticed that the Paladin wasn't trying to block any of the swings from the Dragon Knight; he was just blocking them as if it were muscle memory. His blade swings seemed flawless as if he had memorized all possible fighting patterns and was simply toying with his opponent. She watched as they finished their skirmish and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Too bad you're so slow, Brendan. You almost had me there!" said the Paladin. "I think we're done for today. Keep practicing, maybe you'll be able to keep up one day."

"Come on, Ty! You can't just end training there. There's still a lot I need to know." The Dragon Knight said, lowering his spear. By the looks of it, he seemed very young and inexperienced; and Taylor could practically call the Paladin's next move. As the Dragon Knight dropped the last word, the Paladin was on top of him, sword inches from his throat, shield pinning the hand that held the spear.

"Lesson one: Never drop your guard," He said with a look of intensity. "The moment you drop your guard in battle is the moment you can consider it a lost cause. Remember that."

Without a word, he rose, sheathed his sword and shield, and bowed to his student; shortly after they were deeply engaged in a meaningless conversation. It was clear to Taylor that the two were relatively the same age and were clearly best friends.

"You there," she called out. "I need to find a Dark Knight. Do you know of Martin?"

The Paladin turned around and said, "You mean Marty? Yeah, I know of him. But you won't find him here. Come into town with me and we'll talk to Dances with Balrogs about Marty's situation."

Before Taylor had time to reply, he had turned once more, locked eyes with her and said, "By the way, my name is Tyler."

"Pleasure to meet you, Tyler, my name is,"

"Taylor," He interrupted. "I know. And I know why you're here. Everyone does. Jun wouldn't have passed the message to Old 'Rogs if he didn't want the whole town knowing. You know how the old man gets. This isn't Kerning. We have a way of doing things here. We don't exactly keep news like that to ourselves."

"I see." She stated monotonously.

The rest of the way to the Warrior's Sanctuary was a quiet trip. No one spoke; no one felt the need to. The words that would be said in the Sanctuary would be enough to last anyone a lifetime.

As they entered the sanctuary, all was dark. With one swift wave of his sword, the Paladin lit the room's candles using a spell that covered his blade in flames. From a room tucked away in a corner, an old man approached the group. Dances with Balrogs was a warrior who had survived many battles, judging by the scars ridden across his body. He had withstood the test of time, both physically and mentally. He is the last descendant of a long bloodline that stretches far beyond the foundation of the colony of Perion. Devoting his life to training new warriors and preparing them for the numerous battles they would face, he did not have time or concern to find a suitable woman to continue his bloodline, so he chose, instead, to choose his best warrior to replace him when he felt the time to step down as leader had come.

"Hello Tyler; Brendan. I trust your training went well?" spoke the old man.

"Yes, it did Master," Tyler responded as he and Brendan bowed. "Brendan is becoming very strong, but he has much to learn when it comes to strategy in battle."

"Ah, very good, this is why I trusted you to train him Tyler. You will make a very good Chief one day."

"Thank you, Master. I will never be as great as you are, but I certainly strive to come close."

The old man chuckled at this remark and said, "You flatter me, Tyler. Now, I suppose we should get down to business. Tyler, take Brendan to the arena and continue your teachings if you need to. Or you may rest until tomorrow," The two warriors bowed and left the sanctuary continuing their conversation from earlier. He turned to Taylor and she could see that his look of relaxed joy had turned into a worried stare. "Taylor, I have heard the news of the Black Mage's return; which means the prophecy is completing itself."

"What prophecy?" Taylor asked.

Dances with Balrogs walked around the room, touching the walls in one straight line until he reached a bookshelf and removed a thick text. "There is a story of a very powerful mage who wishes to see the world do nothing but burn. The Prophecy states that one day, and according to my dreams, very soon, such a mage will rise from the ashes of nothing and be the destroyer of our world. However, he will not do this flawlessly. In my dreams, I have seen a troupe of heroes rise up to fight the mage. The Prophecy only tells of a battle that will tear the seams of our world apart, not how it will end. That is Fate's decision. Although my visions were vague, they did specify one thing in particular, something I found very interesting. It seems as though you have been chosen, Taylor."