Hi, it's me again. Pay attention, everyone. It gets bumpy from here on out.

Disclaimer: No, I still don't own EQ. All I have in my pocket is the main character, his family, the new rival, and the attacker. Draylin's on loan. :)

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Day 2, Year of the Asp, Month Firiona

"Hey, get back here!" I screamed, as the orc Pawn in front of me dropped his hatchet and ran away as fast as he could. The fight hadn't taken long. This was only my second day of helping to protect this forest from the Crushbone Clan of orcs, but I was already getting better in battle. Good weapons were always in short supply, so the newer recruits of my order had to scrounge around for whatever they could find. Swearing an oath to protect your home city, and the land it rested upon, was the easy part. Being a druid, I was forbidden to wield most types of weapons: Axes, swords, spears, even bows and arrows. My sister, the "perfect ranger", never let me forget that part. She was quickly becoming the best markswoman in Kelethin, and she knew it.

Tightening the grip on my wooden staff, I chased after the wounded orc. I was only a few feet away when the orc's hatchet suddenly reappeared, lodged deep in its back. The small orc tried to reach around and pull the weapon out, but it was too weak from fighting. A bloody gurgle escaped the Pawn's lips before its body finally fell to the ground, lifeless. I stared in disbelief for a moment, before turning around at the excited yelp of the orc's killer, Keeyon.

The young warrior smirked at me as he walked up to claim his prize. "What's the matter, Tain? Can't keep up with a wounded orc?" Keeyon quickly searched the orc's body, relieving it of the hatchet and a few silver coins. "Bah. Not worth killing, except for this," he said, holding up the hatchet. "Another orc weapon to add to my collection. Every set of four gives me the respect I deserve from the elders. Too bad a half-breed druid can't even handle a weapon as dull as this. Shouldn't you be hugging a tree, rather than playing with monsters?"

I inwardly winced at the mention of my mixed ancestry. Keeyon was a full-blooded wood elf, and a proud warrior, though he seemed to think I was more inferior to him as a druid than as a half-elf. I've endured ridicule before, and have found that it's best not to show my true reaction. "He was mine, Keeyon," I growled. "Don't you have anything better to do than fight someone else's battles?"

"Well, you sure weren't going to finish him off. I thought spell casters like you could take care of a beast like him with a single word," said Keeyon, as he kicked the orc's corpse. Most warriors chose the Warlord, Rallos Zek, as a deity, and Keeyon was no exception. Zek worshippers generally didn't give much respect to the dead, regardless of race. Most of them only respected power on the battlefield, and not much else. Keeyon's gaze fell to a black wolf that had wandered near us, which I was absentmindedly petting. "Ugly little thing," remarked Keeyon, nodding to the wolf. "One of yours?" The wolf let out a small growl in Keeyon's direction, as if it understood the warrior's philosophy toward life.

"No," I said. "But that doesn't mean he isn't welcome." The wolf briefly looked up at me, and I could swear I saw a smile on its face. It seemed to glare at Keeyon once more before trotting away.

"Seems as though that wolf didn't like me much. Just as well. I'd sooner make it into a new pair of boots than be friends with it."

"Touch that wolf, Keeyon, and the last thing you'll be thinking about is a new pair of boots. I'm charged with defending this forest and its natural inhabitants. Unlike you, I take some things seriously."

"Ah, in the mood for more fighting, Tain? Be careful. There is one thing I take seriously." He narrowed his eyes at me, letting his hands hover over the two sheathed short swords at his sides. "Lucky for you, I only like fighting challenging opponents. You wouldn't last a Freeport Minute against me." Keeyon looked up at the waning afternoon sun, then back at me. "You've wasted enough of my time, Tain. There's going to be an attack on Clan Crushbone's castle tomorrow, and I'm out here to train. I'll be first in line to take down that so-called Emperor Crush," he said, emphasizing his words by pounding a gloved fist into his open hand. "And anything else that gets in my way." Keeyon looked at me once more with disdain, then left me alone. I silently shook my head, and wondered if he would ever respect anything.

The start of night was beginning to creep into the sky, and I felt exhausted from training all day, with staff and spell. With a few spoken words, I rendered myself invisible to the naked eye and then sat beneath a nearby tree. I would need to meditate for a while to make a successful trip back to Kelethin. I closed my eyes and leaned against the tree for support. Only a few moments had passed before I felt something slice past my ear. I sprang to my feet and backed away from the tree in time to miss another blow. A voice dripping with menace screamed out at me.

"Prepare to die, elf!" My attacker was standing in the lengthening shadows of the forest. How long was I resting?, I wondered. The sky was pitch black, and no stars were in sight. I readied my staff.

"Show yourself, creature!" I yelled back at it, expecting to see an orc Centurion, or even an Oracle. What stepped out of the shadows was neither, but more sinister than anything I had encountered before. The creaking of bones is what gave it away, but it was unlike any skeleton I had ever seen. The Faydark was riddled with the odd decaying skeleton, most carrying with them the items that they died with. Some had torn armor, some had weapons. This skeleton wore nothing, but carried a strange book. The book alone isn't what gave me pause, it was the monster's eyes. Where empty sockets should have been, were two glowing green orbs of fire. They seemed to be staring straight through me.

"Was this what you wanted to see, boy?" it spat. "Look well, for it is the last thing you will ever see!" With that, the strange skeleton opened the book it was carrying and began to chant a spell. I raised my staff and charged. I'd only gone a few feet before my sight began to grow dim, and my throat felt like it was collapsing. The day's fighting had taken its toll, and the skeleton's spell was making short work of me. I knew it was over when I was on my knees, then on my back, gasping for breath. My second day as a druid, and this is how it ends, I thought. I couldn't fight anymore. I was ready to meet Tunare.

Suddenly, the fog covering my eyes, and the unseen force choking me, started to lift. In the periphery of my consciousness, I could barely make out another fight taking place. A monster with green eyes, fighting a flurry of white streaks. The skeleton was being punched and kicked from every direction, and couldn't recover fast enough to fire off any spells at its adversary. The skeleton's book was finally knocked away, landing a foot in front of me. It was the skeleton's turn to gasp for breath as it scrambled for the book. The skeleton grabbed the book as a metal disc in the shape of a star struck it, dead center. The green eyes penetrated me once more, as shadows surrounded the skeleton, then disintegrated. The skeleton's departing words echoed through the woods. "You will see me again, elf. Count on it."

My savior stepped into my field of view for the first time, and wasn't what I expected. She was a young human, dressed in what looked like a white robe. She had striking features, almost too beautiful for any normal human. Her long black hair was tied in a braid behind her head, which swayed back and forth as she examined me for any wounds she could mend. When she locked her azure eyes with my jade ones, I could only muster a few words.

"You...you're a--"

"Monk."

"Was that..."

"Necromancer."

She finished looking me over, and decided I would need help back to Kelethin. With minimal effort and maximum grace, she scooped me up and started walking. I pointed at myself.

"Tain."

She gave a slight smile, nodded, and replied.

"Draylin."

A few seconds later, the world went dark.