The blade in the Shade's hands flashed towards Drayl, who could only close his eyes. Suddenly, the clash of a blade hitting steel rang in the air, and Drayl heard someone yelling at him.
"Hey! Drayl, was it?! Get back to your shop, kid!"
Drayl looked up to see Thran holding an elegant rapier, blocking the supposed Hero-King's blade. "Thran? How did you-?!"
"I said run, kid!" Thran seemed to be struggling, the strength of the shade too much for the thin sword, "Unless you want this thing to chop you in half, that is." The blade slips a bit.
Drayl, worried, ran back to his shop. "Okay, he was right... I hope he can defeat that thing." A sound from the back of his shop suddenly made him alert. "Who's there," he asked, grabbing a short sword off the wall. He had practiced with every blade he forged to make sure it was strong enough, which made him quite skilled. "Who's in my shop?"
A small kid ran out of hiding, brandishing a naginata that had been leaning against the wall. The kid seemed no older than ten, but something seemed off: he was not talking and had a completely blank expression on his face. Drayl tried to reason with the kid.
"Hey, you don't seem familiar. Who are you?"
The kid's response was to swing the spear towards Drayl, who caught it with the swords guard and knocked it out of their hands.
Drayl, realizing this must be one of those creatures, picks the kid up by his collar and brings him outside. "Alright, what is with... that..." He stares at shock at his surroundings. The whole village is burning, the fire just reaching his shop. Drayl also noticed his sign had fallen, and the blade missing. "oh no..." Then everything went black.
