Episode 2: Enter The Venus Adept.

As Joe travelled towards the county of Bilibin, He noticed a lot of travelers crossing his path. Some were too scared to talk, others refused to travel alone. He knew that something must be going on, but no one stopped to say anything.

That night, He saw a campfire not too far away. Moving closer he realized that it was a group of merchants. They allowed him to rest there (for a few coins, of course) and he quickly joined the conversation.

"They say strange things are happening lately…" said one of them.

"Yes, there is talk of strange fellows on the road…" Joe noticed that some of them looked at him, but he didn't care. The rumors were far more interesting.

"Some say werewolves from the lands of Osenia have come to Angara" There were whispers in response and everybody got closer to the fire.

"They say that the werewolves come for food; others, for lands. Others say they want some sort of power that involves Psynergy…"

"The Wolf tribe has no connection with Psynergy. Their powers come from Alchemy too, but they use them in a different way" As Joe said this everybody turned to look at him.

"And what do you think they are looking in Angara?"

"They are looking for Djinn. I killed a small pack in the borders of Kolima Forest past week." Everybody looked at him in a completely different way when he said this, as if in some kind of shock. Kids embraced their fathers. Others backed away.

"We are heading for Kolima. I heard horrible howls in the fields surrounding Bilibin, and I quickly gathered my family and ran away". Said one of the merchants."Now you tell me that there's more of those beasts in Kolima? What am I supossed to do?". He looked as if there was no safe place in the world.

"They won't attack unless they feel a djinni. As long as you don't have one, you and your group will be fine" It was then that they heard the Howl. It was far more terrible out in the wild lands, and chilling most of them to the bone.

"What was that? It's them isn't it? They're following you, Stranger" As they said that some reached for their swords. Joe simply stood up and said:

"Don't worry. Even if there were a hundred of them they could not defeat me. I'll protect your campment tonight. Tomorrow morning, when I leave, they will simply follow me and ignore you."

The leader said then: "You seem to trust your power, stranger. Very well. Go sleep everyone, and whatever you do, don't look out your windows this night."

………………………..

Joe was not allowed into the camphouses, so he just rested near the fire. He was beginning to think the werewolves would not attack, when he saw a man come out from behind some bushes.

He was tall and had a strong body, with raven black hair and brown eyes. There was an axe in his hands but Joe thought that he didn't needed one ("He'd kill a normal man with punch in the face"). There was something strange about this man. Not actually dangerous, but Joe thought that he was not only another so-called warrior. A powerful aura could be felt around him when he approached the fire, looking at the red-haired man.

"You don't want to stay out tonight kid. Those were no ordinary wolves howling back there."

Then he stared at Joe, whose lifeless eyes seemed to reflect the light of the fire and glow back as in response. As always he looked for some kind of emotion, when they heard it again. A Howl like the calling of death, and filled with hatred for every living thing.

"Damn those creatures. Always following me around." Then he paused and turning around said "Do you by any chance have some food with you? I'm going to starve right here and drop dead if I don't eat something now"Joe reached into his bag, threw some fruit to the man, who caught it with a tear in his face.

"An apple! So fresh, so juicy, so…." But then the werewolves attacked.

Joe stood up and draw his sword, but the man said "You won't hurt them with that, kid. Stay back and I'll show you how to fight" But there were at least twenty wolves around them now. The man suddenly shouted "Here I come fellas! Feel my wrath!"

Suddenly, as if to answer the man's cry, there was an earthquake. Most werewolves fell down, but some of them jumped to attack, only to fall again, this time without a leg. Others were cut in half by the man's axe.

Joe thought that the man could take care of them all, but suddenly some of the werewolves ran straight toward him. Joe just scoffled and put up a fire barrier.

They hesitated for a moment, but a second later they attacked him from various directions. Joe jumped high in the air and casted some fireballs. With just an order they came falling down like meteors, exploding on impact. Some werewolves were dead after the attack, the burns having wounded them fatally. The rest ran away for their lives.

"I hope there's not anymore around here" He said, but more were coming. Then he realized that they were not coming after him, and that their forces must be attacking the tall man. Joe ran towards him (He was doing well, after all) but they attacked him again. It appeared that they were trying to stall for time. After burning two of them with a fireball. He saw the man completely surrounded by tenths of wolves.

But the man simply said "Hehe, well, there is no end to your numbers is it? Let's see how this turns out. You cannot defeat me! Grand Gaia!"

There was a sudden flow of venus energy coming from the ground and as it finished there was no wolf in sight, all of them just blasted into oblivion with the powerful psynergy.

"You fought well kid, what's your name?" said the man. He looked quite exhausted after his attack.

"I'm Joe, a Djinn hunter" The man looked surprised but soon he was smiling and then he laughed.

"Joe, eh? I've heard a lot about you, Djinn hunter. But you are not alone in this job. Look!"

And as he talked he took out his black gloves, and Joe saw that he had a bracelet on each arm and there was a topaz on each side of them.

"These are my djinn. I am Max, the Djinn Hunter, and I come from the Suhalla Range! Now tell me, you don't happen to have another apple do you? I'm starving."

Joe simply reached his bag and gave it to him.

…………………………….

"The two of you defeated all of those werewolves! But that's…. that's impossible!" said the elder merchant. But Max just laughed and said:

"Impossible is my last name. I propose a feast for this victory!"

After the feast (which turned out to be a fake, since they had to pay for it) The two of them headed towards Bilibin. There was always a shadow over the horizon. But Joe was used to it by now.

"We make one hell of a team, kid. We should travel together. I have a feeling that things will not be so simple from now on"

A team? Joe had no friends, no family, no place that he could call home. But he felt it too, a dark horizon around them, as a sign of things to come.

"Whatever".

There was a feeling of trust towards that man. Joe felt no trace of the power that he felt during the attack. Looking up the sky, towards the Golden Sun, he said to himself:

"I hope nothing's wrong in Bilibin. Some say that the mayor has large numbers of Djinni in his treasury, but I don't believe it".

But then He saw a black pillar of smoke rising from the city.Max saw it too, and he said:

"You should stop saying that. It always makes things go wrong."

They knew that the city was under attack. And suddenly several lights of different colors rose to the sky and towards the West. They were djinn.

"We'll take care of those later. The city is more important now" Joe said. Max nodded. He couldn't go Djinn-hunting now.

……………………

As they approached Bilibin, they saw the bodies of the town guards, their faces showing that fear so common in young people dragged into battle.Max looked at the burning homes and ruined walls of the now lifeless city:

"These 'warriors' were no match for the werewolves. But there is something strange in this place. An ominous presence, like nothing I've ever seen"

"This destruction was not caused by werewolves" Joe answered, "and there are strange footprints in this road"

He was looking at a footprint, but instead of the wolf-like paw of the werewolves, there was a huge footprint.

"Whatever left this footprint here had long fingers and huge claws. If I'm not mistaken this was left by a roc" Joe looked around. There were more in the walls.

"They are heading to the castle! Come on, they have been here for no more than two hours! We have to look for survivors! Plus that bird is probably still in there" But as Max said this, a powerful shriek came from the castle. Seconds later, a giant bird, twenty feet tall at least, appeared in one of the windows. It spread it's wings and flew towards the North. Something was riding it, but it didn't look like a werewolf, cloaked in a black hood, and wearing a black cape with matching armor.

"It's looking for the Djinn. We'll go see the Mayor and give him a proper burial, if necessary. They never expected this attack, And by the looks of it there was almost no struggle".

They entered the castle, not expecting to see any survivors. The royal guard's bodies had been devoured by the werewolves, and there were arms and legs scattered around. The body of aroc was lying in the main chamber, and Joe saw that it was not the only one. The walls were painted with the purple blood of the roc, but the floor was red with the blood of the people.

"This was a massacre" Max said, but then they heard a noise. It was the Mayor, left for death in the stairs to his throne.Max saw that his stomach had been pecked out and was now in his hands.

"This…. is only the beggining …. War is coming to Weyard… The Elder tribe wants to rule….. Please… give this message to the High Priest…. In Serland… Hurry… before it's too late…" and with this final plea, the Mayor died.

Joe burned his body, took the ashes and buried them in the outskirts.

"This has gone far beyond food or lands" Joe thought. The Elder tribe? Who (or rather what) were they? And what kind of war would they cause in Weyard?

The words of the Mayor echoing in their minds, they left north towards Serland. Leaving behind the peace and tranquility that had endured for almost an Age.