Hearts and Arrows
Prologue
It has been about one year since the end of Luc's quest of death. The 12th defense force was in Calaria resting and enjoying there vacation time, everyone but Jacques. You see after the final battle Aila and the other Karaya members headed out into grassland to find a place to build a new home. Not being able to share his true feelings with Aila during there quest Jacques asked her to meet him by the lake of the Northern Caverns, there he would tell her how much he adored her and wished to be with her.
When that dreadful day came Jacques stood there in the rain for a day.Finally Geddoe found him and without a word handed him a note from Aila.
"Dear Jacques,
By the time you get this note I have gone into grassland with everyone. I wish I could have met you and got to hear what it was you wished to say to me. I don't now where it is that we will go so the chances of meeting you are very low. I hope that you can forgive me for not being able to hear your voice.
Aila"
Shortly after reading this letter Jacques tossed it into the lake. " I'm sorry" Geddoe said softly. Jacques just remained silent with his back turned towards him
Chapter one
"Wow, what has Jacques so down?" Ace said with a slight chuckle in his voice.
"You heartless lecher of a man, how can you be so blind!" Queen yelled
Fully aware that he was the center of the argument Jacques stood up and walked out of the bar leaving his full glass of soda that he only looked at for about three hours on the table. Unburdened by their questions Jacques went to the nearest tree out side the gate. Before climbing, he instantly remembered the time he was teaching Aila to shoot arrows without loosing her balance.
"So I put my back against the trunk of the tree and sit with my legs swaying in the opposite direction of were I'm firing," Aila ask to reassure her guess.
"... Yes," Jacques answered.
"It's not that hard to do. Gee, I thought there was some super technique to do that," she added.
"... No," he answered.
"Thanks Jacques, now the defenders of justice just go stronger," she giggled.
Jacques just worn his traditional expression and said, " I guess.."
Jacques would have drifted deeper into his memories but they were interrupted when a man burdened with extensive wounds approached him.
"... Just as he said. You there, are you the man known as Jacques?" the man asked as he tried to fight off the pain that still plagued him.
"... I am," he answered.
" May the...earth spirit...be praised." The man then fell limp in Jacques' arms as the plague of death has finally struck the man down.
Jacques laid the man down. Finally, realizing that the man wore the clothes of the Karaya clan, Jacques desperately tried to reawaken the corpse, but to no avail. After examining the body, Jacques noticed a hunk of leather in the man's right hand. He quickly grabbed it and began to study it. It did not take long before Jacques' heart nearly stopped beating and his blood ran thin. The symbol on the leather was that of the True Pale Gate Rune with the True Blinking rune in the center of it. Jacques knew this symbol all to well and fear of the fate of the Karaya clan began to become anger, and without saying a thing to the rest of the group, he left.