She led him into the weaponry room. Inside were all the weapons a warrior could hope to have. Swords, longbows, axes, tridents, stink bombs...you name it. All of them had been neatly polished and shined in the morning light. Lass couldn't help but stare in amazement.
"We have a large assortment of weapons here. You are free to use any of them; do you have anything particular in mind?"
Lass didn't want to appear ungrateful by telling her he already had his own weapons, his set of daggers. But then his eyes spotted it: a rack, containing the most beautiful set of kunai. The tips gleamed black in the sunlight, giving off a deadly glow. They were sharp, and long, but small enough to put in his pocket, perfect when stuck in tight corners. He pointed at them. "Can I use those?"
"Of course."
He strode over and gripped the blade. It fit well into his hand, like it had been made for him. But then he noticed another detail: the hoop end of each kunai each had a distinct colour. The one he held was a faded purple. He looked to the Knight Master for an explanation.
"Each of those weapons has their own effect." She said. "The one you have right now will create a mini shockwave when thrown. The others, well, you'll see when you use them." She winked.
"You mean…I can have all of these?" He asked in disbelief. "All of them?" He thought she'd give him only one, but to have the entire set…
"Not much people here have the competency to wield such weapons, but I think you will manage." She went over and swept the entire row of kunai off the rack, giving it to Lass.
"T-thank you."
"Don't thank me till you've truly earned them. The other Chasers and I will watch you from within to evaluate, but we won't interfere. Will it be a problem?"
"No." He almost forgot to add, "Knight Master."
"Excellent. The first test is in Trial Forest…but you don't know the way." She frowned.
As luck would have it, Ronan just happened to pass by them.
"Ah, Ronan!" The Knight Master called. "Will you be so kind as to lead Lass to Trial Forest?"
"Yes? Lass?" he asked. "Who's Lass– oh!" Recognition dawned upon his face. "Yes. Come on, Lass." He beckoned for him to follow.
"I will call the rest of the Chasers. Good luck to you, Lass." The Knight Master nodded to him and disappeared, leaving the thief with Ronan.
"Lire? Are you really okay?" Arme asked worriedly as she supported the elf.
"Yes, really, I'm fine." She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, to burden you like this…"
"Of course it's not a burden!" The mage squeaked indignantly.
"So Knight Master was serious about recruiting him?" Amy said.
"Tell me about a time when she wasn't serious."
"He looked so broken…and sad." Arme said with sympathy.
"How long has he been possessed?"
"Where's Ronan?"
"Haven't seen him. Should I get him?"
"Nah, he'll come. He always listens to Knight Master anyway."
They were walking towards the Control Room, a new room that had been designed by Bermesiah's most skilled engineers and mechanics to evaluate new recruits, showing their progress through Trila Forest and Trial Tower. It had been newly built, and the Knight Master was itching to try it out. They were to observe the silver-haired boy as he went through all the trials to become a member of Grand Chase. Some of them grumbled a bit as it messed up their schedules, but on the most part, most were curious about the his skills.
"So…why was he so attached to Lire?" Amy looked around, a knowing smile creeping into her face.
They groaned; everyone knew where this was going. "He was probably upset with how he hurt me more than you guys. If it weren't for Arme, I'd have probably died." she quickly interjected.
Amy shrugged. "Maybe, but still, I wonder…"
"Amy?" Elesis asked with a fake smile.
"Hm?"
"Shut up, Amy."
"What if I say no?"
"I'll beat you into a pulp."
"Just try it." She readied her violin, smirking.
"Yeah?"
"No. Both of you shut up." Arme interrupted.
Lire made the necessary interruption. "We're here, now behave yourselves."
For a few minutes, they walked in silence, with Lass walking slowly behind. But it was not an uncomfortable one. Lass felt no pressure to make idle talk. Time to time Ronan would turn around to make sure he was still following and give him a cheering smile, trying to put him at ease. Lass nervously smiled back. Ronan looked like a decent fellow, with his polite diplomacy and courtesy. Lass figured that out of them, he'd be one of the easier ones to talk to. He took a deep breath.
"Hey…"
"Hm?"
"Um…who are the members of the Chase?" He asked quietly.
"Right, we haven't introduced ourselves properly." He smiled guiltily. "There's only seven of us…eight if you join. Elesis is the unofficial leader, the one in Red." Lass cringed inwardly; that must have been the one he ran into prior to his meeting with Knight Master. Great. "Her weapon's the sword, and she was also the leader of the Ruby Knights."
"Lire's the elf, she's pretty handy with a bow…" Lass said nothing, but one could swear that he twitched for a second there. Ronan made sure to keep her description brief; the last thing the boy needed was another guilty episode.
"Arme is a mage, she really likes the colour purple…" That's an understatement, thought Lass. But she did heal him after Lire, so perhaps she wasn't all that bad. A bit overly cheerful, and rather short, but still okay.
"Ryan is also an elf, and I should warn you: NEVER break a tree around him, you'll regret it." Lass made a mental note to not be too close to him; when he fought, he wasn't the type to give damn about mutilating a couple of trees here and there.
"Amy's the Dancer. She's really optimistic and gets excited at times, but she's nice." Translation: an overly hyperactive girl that I should stay away from at all times if I don't want to go insane.
"But don't be mean to her, or else Jin might kill you…not in the literal sense." He added hastily, seeing how Lass had stiffened at the word 'kill.' "He has a crush on Amy. Everyone knows about it…except for her. But he's a good at fighting and meditating." Lass shrugged; they'd get along fine, as long as Amy didn't annoy him too much.
"And then there's me: Ronan Erudon, former Guard Master of Kanavan." He grinned. "Now tell me a bit about yourself."
"I'm Lass. I–" What was he to say? The 'Former Puppet of Kaze'Aze'? He was no one, no one at all. Kaze'Aze…even thinking about her filled him with fiery hate and, though he refused to admit it, fear. Yes, Lass was afraid. He had broken free from her control, but he still felt that she was inexplicably close to him, taunting him, threatening to yank him into the shadows.
"You will never escape from me, my little Lass." She mocked him after his first attempt at escape. "You are such a fool…"
"Lemme go! I don't want to do this!" he yelled, forcing his eyes to remain dry; he learned the hard way that showing his tears would only amuse her, which would result in a new round of torture. He fought against his bindings like a cornered lion, knowing it was useless. He could still see their faces, screaming for mercy. He had laughed as they writhed in agony, as they pleaded for death. No! His conscience struggled, it wasn't him who laughed at their pain, it was the witch. It wasn't him…it was her…wasn't him…
"Ah, but it was you." she stepped closer. "And you enjoyed it, didn't you…?" Without warning, she grabbed his hand and held it out for him to see. "This was the hand that slit throats, drew blood, and ripped through the flesh of those human scum. And, oh my…it's stained in blood. It did a thorough job of it as well." she laughed, releasing his hand.
Then she picked up the daggers. "What are these? Why, they're the tools of destruction, tools that you used to commit the massacres, the weapons of an assassin." She smiled as she casually licked the blood off one of the blades. "Mmm...they have served their master quite well." She let them clatter to the ground.
She then tilted his chin up, and looked at him squarely in the eye. "Such handsome features…" she mused, caressing her puppet's face with her other hand. "This face laughed as it destroyed its enemies, didn't it? You wanted to do this, boy. Your face proved it. They deserved it all…the blood, the slaughter."
"No!" He stopped struggling, his face contorted in horror. Then it came, sliding down his face. Drip, drip. Those treacherous tears leaked and fell, no matter how he tried to staunch it. She was right. He had burned their villages and sent hordes of demons to slay the innocents. His hands were full of their blood. He had done this. He had killed them all.
The Dark Queen sneered. "Lass…such a befitting name for you, boy. I have so much great plans for you, yet you continue to snivel like a pathetic girl. Perhaps we need another 'exercise'…" His body went limp as the feeling, the feeling that his body wasn't his to control anymore tinged through him again…
Yes, he thought as he clenched his teeth, he would make the witch that made his life a living Hell pay. He may be a murderer, a killer, and he would probably suffer in real Hell for the crimes he committed, but he wouldn't go there alone. He'd drag her with him if it was the last thing he'd do! He'd join the Chase, and destroy her...before she destroyed him.
"It's okay if you don't want to say anything. I understand." Ronan said quietly.
Lass jerked; he had forgotten the Knight's presence. Suddenly, he remembered what the Knight Master had said: "Ronan, surely you remember your time with the Queen of Darkness?"
"You were possessed by her too." it was a statement, not a question.
Ronan stopped, the colour draining from his face as he turned to face the thief.
"Yes, I was." he whispered, his voice almost inaudible.
"How...?"
"Another time, perhaps." The Knight turned, his face unreadable. "It's a memory I'm not fond of."
Lass hesitated, but let the matter drop. He too wanted to forget. But how could he, when that was all he could remember of his past? Beyond his killing sprees and the sufferings he endured within her Castle, he could remember virtually nothing. He had no memories of a happier place, a loving family, a normal life.
"We're here." They stopped. They were standing in front of a huge, brown and flat cylinder-shaped tile with a pentagram engraved onto it, along with magical incantations surrounding the circle, which looked like a bunch of nonsense to the thief.
"The first test is to defeat the monsters and get Treant's apple." He instructed. "Step right onto the middle of the pentagram, and you'll be transported to your destination. It's 100% safe, so no worries."
"Ok." Not bothering to question what a Treant was, he made to go on the tile.
"Wait!"
He fumbled with a leather pouch clasped to his hip that Lass didn't notice before. He took out a vial filled with clear red liquid and held it out. "Keep it, just in case."
"What is it?"
"A health potion, in case you get hurt. Use it when you need to."
Lass took it without another word. These people were so kind to him, and gave him so many presents: new weapons, a potion. He'd never been cared for like this before. "Thanks." he mumbled, a lump forming in his throat. He stepped onto the portal.
As the portal began to glow, he started to feel a tiny bit nervous. What if he didn't make it? If he failed…? Out of impulse, he looked back at Ronan. They weren't technically friends, but…
"You'll do well." The Spell Knight said, seeing the fear hidden in his eyes.
"How do you know?" Lass responded.
"Because we believe in you. All of us."
With that, the portal flashed a brilliant white light and Lass disappeared completely.
And there it is, Chapter 3. Thanks to DarkAznVampZard (...that's your name, right?) for the tips. I really appreciated it :) More advice/reviews/tips welcome!