Ryo paced impatiently in his room, waiting for word from the demons he sent after the girl. They should have returned a long time ago with both the ruby and proof of the young thief's death. Just as he was about to lose patience all together, the clouds on the magic mirror began to roil and move. One of his minions stepped through, kneeling in front of Ryo, still disguised as a guardsman.

"Well, it's about time," Ryo said. "Do you have the ruby?"

"I do not," the shadow spawn reported. "The girl who carries it has escaped us. The others pursue."

"What?" Ryo raged. "You failed to kill one little brat?"

"She had help," the demon replied. "A fox which turned into a woman. She injured us and fled with the girl."

"So…" Ryo sneers, "That's how it is… That woman would show up now…"

"Your orders?"

"Yes," Ryo smiled. "Continue to pursue but do not attack. There is only one place she would go… It's there that we'll attack."

"I understand." The demon stepped backwards and passed through the mirror once again.

"So, Renea, our paths cross once more…"

All through the night Renea and Rika ran, avoiding the main road as much as possible, pausing only long enough for Rika to catch her breath now and then. Renea hardly seemed to tire at all, Rika noticed, and there was rarely more than a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead. Rika would have asked the woman about it, but there was rarely time for words with the pace they were setting.

As the first rays of the rising sun became visible on the horizon, Rika realized just how long they had been running and how long it had been since she had gotten any serious rest. Her body, armed with this new information, decided that it had gone long enough, and Rika stumbled, barely managing to catch a nearby tree. She leaned against it for support, breathing heavily. "I don't know," she gasped, "how much longer I can keep going."

Renea nodded and looked towards the rising sun, judging the time by its position. "All right," she said, "we camp here for the day. We leave as soon as the sun starts to set."

Rika gratefully slumped to her knees at the base of the tree. "Think I could get that full story now?"

"Of course," Renea nodded. "It all began many years ago, a little before you were born, maybe. There was a powerful sorcerer named Ryo, a great and kind man. He was devoted to the study of magic, trying to better himself. It was then that he began to study methods of protecting against and fighting demons, powerful evil beings from another plane, another level of existence. He devised several powerful protection spells and wanted a chance to try them out. To that end, he began the lengthy process to summon a minor demon, one that he could defeat if the protections did not work. Unfortunately for him and the rest of us, there was a flaw in his summoning. It was a minor flaw, but when you are working with demons, even a minor flaw can be disastrous.

"In stead of calling forth a minor demon, a demon lord took notice of the spell and came for Ryo. The protections were enough to keep it from entering our world physically, but its essence reached through and took hold of Ryo. The powerful and evil mind exerted control over Ryo's, twisting him to the side of darkness. The demon lord now had an arm in our world, a tool he could use to complete his resurrection in this place."

"Resurrection?" Rika repeated. "Then he's been here before?"

"Yes," Renea nodded. "Very rarely, the planets come into perfect alignment, and at that time a ritual can be performed using the ruby that will allow the door from his world to ours to be opened. The last time it occurred, the demon was eventually banished back to his world before he could take his full form and power here. Since then, he has waited for the chance to come back to our world. He has been a long time waiting, as the required alignment happens merely once a millennium. The next time it will happen is only about seven days away. For Ryo and the demon, time is of the essence. That is why they will stop at nothing to get their hands on the ruby."

"So, what's your story?" Rika asked. "What was with the whole fox thing, and how did you stop those guys back there?"

"I," Renea replied, "am a monk. My clan has, for thousands of years, protected the ruby you now hold. To that end, we have entered into a communion with nature. This communion allows us to call upon the power of life and the natural world, and use it to defeat evil. This cloak I wear is one such gift. It allows me to assume the form of a fox, granting the power of stealth and disguise. What you saw me do back there was another of the abilities we can use. It allows us to take any normal pebble or stone and turn it into a razor sharp projectile, harder than even the strongest diamond. It is my duty to recover and safeguard the ruby, preventing it from being used to further the cause of evil."

"I suppose I made that mission harder," Rika frowned.

"Not exactly," Renea responded. "Another facet of my mission is to gather companions for the fight. Even if the ruby is not used, the proximity of the demon to our world will allow him to exert great influence. He will fully infect Ryo with his evil, granting him power far beyond any he has ever known, making him nearly impossible to defeat. We must either free Ryo from the demon's clutches… or kill him… before that can happen."

For a second, Rika saw a look of sadness pass across Renea's face as she mentioned killing Ryo, and she began to wonder if there was not more to the story. A yawn interrupted her thought process and she found herself unable to keep her eyes open.

"Rest now," Renea told her. "The demons that hunt us are creatures of darkness. Their powers wane as the sun rises, so they will not risk being out during the day."

Nodding, Rika rested her head, curling up on the shady grass and getting what sleep she could between restless dreams of pursuit and visions of the now dead thieves, shadow spawn hanging over them, swords bloody.

When Rika woke up, the sun was already low in the after noon sky. Rika got to her feet quickly, looking around for Renea. The monk was out of sight, but her fox cloak was still folded up on the other side of what appeared to be a burnt out fire. Stuck on a spit in the ground were the cooked remains of about half a rabbit. Rika's stomach growled, reminding her that the last thing she had eaten was an apple the other day. To this end, she pulled the rabbit from the spit, and peeled the meat off its bones. She began to eat in silence, reflecting on recent events.

It was then that the full reality of her situation came to her. Nearly everyone she had ever known and cared about was dead and she was forced to flee from the only home she had ever known. All of that was simply for the ruby that she had stolen from the man she thought was a merchant. If only she had not stolen it, none of it would have ever happened. All of her fellow members of the thieves' guild would still be alive. It was all her fault…

Mentally, Rika kicked herself for thinking like that. What was done was done, and no amount of regret would bring them back. The only thing that she could do was move on and put the past behind her. She licked some juice from the rabbit off her fingers, checking one last time that none of the meat would go to waste. It was then that Renea stepped into the clearing, carrying a pair of skins.

"I see you're awake," Renea said, tossing one of the skins to Rika. She opened it, drinking deeply of the cool spring water inside. Noting what remained of the rabbit, Renea added, "And I see you've eaten. Well, then, it's time we get going."

"Right," Rika nodded, getting to her feet. "If you'll excuse me for a second…"

"Of course."

While Renea packed up the remainder of the supplies, Rika walked a distance away. When she returned, the two of them once again set off towards wherever they were going. The only things that marked their former campsite was a black patch on the ground from the fire and a small mound of dirt with two sticks lashed into a cross emerging from it. It was a memorial to both Rika's fallen comrades, and the old life she had now given up.

Rika and Renea continued on their journey, but the girl was surprised to note that they were not going at the same pace as they had the previous day. Instead of a ground-eating run, their pace had slowed to a brisk jog. They continued at this clip for the better part of an hour before Rika asked a question.

"You're not slowing down on my account, are you?"

"I am not," Renea replied. "First, we covered quite a bit of ground last night. Second, there is still too much light for the shadow spawn chasing us to be active. And, lastly, we're getting closer to our destination."

"And what would that be?"

"We're going to see an old friend of mine. His estate is not far from here, and he should be of great assistance on our quest."

Several hours later, the sun was waning in sky and, as the two of them crested a ridge, Rika was able to see a large house in the countryside. It was as large as some of the taller buildings where she had lived, made of stone with a wide thatched roof. As they got closer, Rika could see more details, such as that there was not a light coming from the house, and that the front door was slightly ajar. Rika pointed these out to Renea, and the monk nodded, replying in a hushed voice.

"Something's not right. Stay quiet."

Instinctively, Rika dropped into a low crouch, hand reaching to her boot, but not finding the knife she usually had there. As silently as she could Rika cursed, remembering that she had last seen her best dagger in the throat of one of the false guards. Cautiously, the two of them crept closer to the house, neither detecting anybody nearby. "Here," Renea said softly, pressing something into Rika's palm. The girl recognized it as a dagger and, out of habit, tested its weight. It was balanced to be thrown, although it would be a serviceable melee weapon as well.

"Thanks…"

As they crossed onto the grounds of the estate, Renea stopped, crouching even lower to inspect the ground, lightly brushing her fingertips across the dirt. "There's been a battle here," she reported in a low hiss. "A large one too. Many died."

"But there's no blood."

"Their kind doesn't bleed…"

Rika gulped, tightening her grip on the dagger. Demon spawn. She did not know what use the weapon would be, considering that her own had been ineffective. Still, the familiar weight of a dagger was a comforting presence in her hand as they crept up to the front door. Carefully, Renea opened the door… and immediately was forced to duck quickly backwards as the gleam of a sword thrust from the darkness. Rika brought her dagger up to strike or throw, but she froze as she saw what came from the doorway next.

Much to her surprise it was a young man, roughly the same age as her, she estimated. He was rather tall for his age, with a head of unruly brown hair and eyes to match. His eyes were slightly bloodshot as if he had not gotten any sleep in days. His face twisted into a fierce scowl as he continued to swing a gleaming long sword. Unsure what to do, Rika could only watch as Renea dodged the boy's wild attacks.

"I… I'll kill you!" the boy howled, launching another swing. Renea managed to dodge that strike as well, although Rika noticed that the blade had come quite close to actually connecting.

"Why?" Renea asked calmly, as the errant stroke caused the boy's sword to lodge slightly in the ground. "Why will you kill us?"

"W… why? Because you're my enemy!" Wrenching the sword from the ground, the boy charged forward bringing the sword down in a gleaming arc at Renea's head.

With a startled grunt, Renea ducked backwards. "If… I was you enemy, would I be able to…" As the sword came down, Renea caught and held it between her hands, "Do this?"

"O-of could you would!" the boy snarled, trying to wrench the sword out of Renea's hands. Rika noticed that Renea was oddly surprised by this as the monk forced the sword down, trapping it between her hand and thigh.

Renea placed her palm on the blade of the sword, grimaced slightly and jerked her hand away revealing a thin smear of blood. "How about this?"

It was only then that the boy relaxed his stance slightly. "You… you're not one of them?"

"We are not," Renea nodded, indicating Rika as well. "Now, will you put down that sword before you hurt us?" The boy nodded, slumping noticeably and sheathed his sword in the leather scabbard at his hip. Rika breathed a sigh of relief, sliding the dagger that Renea had given her into her boot. "Good. Now let us head inside."

Inside, the house was in a state of disarray as if everything had been suddenly interrupted. Food was still on the dining table, although the flies had since claimed it as their own. The three of them sat, the boy cautiously laying his sword in front of him, at rest yet still at easy reach.

"I am Renea," the monk introduced herself. "And this is Rika, my traveling companion. Master Gerant was an old friend of mine and I came here to meet up with him. What… has transpired here?"

"I am Takato. Master Gerant… He… he's dead," the boy answered, hanging his head sadly. A matching wave of sadness briefly passed across Renea's face, but her face was once again a calm mask. "Killed by… those things. There must have been a dozen of them… He gave me that weapon and told me to escape at all costs. When I came back out several hours later, I found only his corpse…" Takato trembled as he spoke, due more to anger than fear.

"I… see," Renea said finally, seeming equally sad at the news. "I'm sorry for your loss… How exactly did you know Master Gerant?"

"I was his squire," Takato, replied. "Three or four seasons ago, he came to our village, looking for a young man for that reason. It was my honor to be chosen by him. I've lived here with him since then, receiving his training."

"You showed some noticeable skill with the sword when you fought me. Now I see where you came by it." Despite his disheveled appearance, a hit of pride came to Takato's weary face. "And that is the sword he gave to you?" Renea continued, indicating the weapon on the table. "May I see it?"

Takato nodded, handing the sword, sheath and all, to Renea. The monk drew the sword a hand's width, examining the base of the blade. Takato pounded the table angrily, causing the few remaining dishes to jump. "Damn it!" Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes as he spoke. "I should have fought! If I had…"

"You would only have died!" Renea replied sharply, snapping the sword all the way into the sheath. "Against that number, two would have been no better off than just one! Those things were demon spawn, creatures of pure hatred and evil. Even the most skilled swordsman in the world wouldn't have been enough of an advantage."

Takato opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly shut it again, resigned to silence and nodding glumly. His mouth opened again, but it turned into a large yawn that he tried unsuccessfully to stifle.

"You should rest," Renea told him, noticing the yawn. "We will stay here for now, so sleep well." Her tone brooked no arguments, so Takato only grumbled as he headed towards the rooms in the back of the house.

"So, what do you think?" Rika asked after Takato had left.

"He tells nothing but truth," Renea told her, drawing the sword. She cast an appraising eye over the sword that Takato had wielded only a short time ago. Rika could see nothing special about it other than it would have fetched a fair price to the right buyer. "This means that this place is not safe. Ryo knows that I would seek the assistance of Master Gerant so he surely expects me to be here. When night falls, we will come under attack. Maybe half of the force that slew Gerant survives, and they will be augmented by the three that chase us."

Rika counted it off on her fingers quickly. Six or seven from before plus the three… "Nine or ten? How are we supposed to fight that many. If this Gerant couldn't defeat that many, what makes you think that you can?" Realizing that her comment had come off as rude, Rika faltered. "I… I mean…"

"It is all right," Renea smiled softly. "I will be counting on your and Takato's help. Together, the three of us should prove able. I had not the chance to tell you this yet, but the dagger you now hold is enchanted."

"It is?" Rika asked, incredulously. She pulled it out again and examined it but it still looked like an ordinary dagger.

"Yes. Not only does it possess the power to destroy the demon spawn, but it will also magically return to hand once it is thrown."

Rika looked at the dagger with a newfound respect for the weapon, and the realization that, with it, she could get some measure of revenge against those who had slaughtered her comrades. She tightened her grip on the dagger briefly, but quickly returned it to her boot.

"As for the sword that young Takato wields," Renea continued, "I will not say much of it yet, but it too holds the power to destroy the demon spawn. Now, let us use what time we have available to us to prepare for the coming battle."