"The time of ancient legends and myths have long passed through this age. Man now rules the world that we created. In his image, he moulds civilization and bends the will of other men to do his bidding. Our teachings are set aside for the words woven by rabble who have as much wisdom in their heads as do the wild animals of the forests. Yet, despite these changes, our legends still live on in the world of men. We, the Gods of Asgard, are forced to reckon with the fact that we do not rule this world anymore. However, our trust in men still lives on and we fear for their safety. Betrayal of the trust is tantamount to the end of all creation. This we must prevent, but what can we, who have no power in this world, do to help our own creations?"
- The words of Lord Odin as noted in the Journals Of Ghenravin, The Wanderer
The assassin continued to slash through the air as he tried to pierce sword master Hijo Ramurao's defenses. The enhanced faculties of the assassin, sent by the Herald Of Flames, was taxing Hijo Ramurao to a great extent. The sword master was using as much of his strength as he could afford to spare and the effect was quite obvious. Sweat poured down the sword master's face and drenched his clothes as he dodged and parried every single blow. His speed and the Tet'suname technique were more than a match for the assassin's attacks, but Hijo was finding it extremely difficult to land his own blows. Dodging was taking a lot of his time and energy and the assassin would eventually succeed in wearing him down. Two more slashes came his way and Hijo successfully parried one while the second cut off a bit of his sleeve. Luckily, it missed his flesh and Hijo sighed as another attacked came home, only to be deflected by his katana blade.
"This is going nowhere.", he thought as the assassin continued his onslaught.
The Herald minion seemed to have an almost unlimited amount of energy and he relentlessly kept up his attacks. They had been fighting for almost an hour and the assassin was still as fresh as he had been in the beginning.
"They have altered his physiology significantly! Such drastic changes will result in unforeseeable dangers to the kingdom. The Herald must be stopped!", Hijo muttered under his breath as he barely managed to avoid a crushing blow.
The Herald was looking for something and Hijo wondered what it was. Obviously it was valuable enough to warrant sending their people to corrupt the Glast Heim Churches and convert the priests to their side. That move itself would have presented a great deal of danger and difficulty to the Herald. If any of the Crusaders of God or the Prontera Church officials had managed to spot their men, then the Crusaders would have been dispatched again. The Pope did not tolerate followers of the Herald and that policy had been followed for generations. Those who meddled with the Arts of Life had no place in the world of men for, to practice those Arts brought about the destruction of the one who practiced it as well as those around him! Such terror could not be permitted to exist and the Herald would have known the dangers they faced from the very beginning of their plan. Yet, they had sent out their minions to sabotage the rule of the Pope and gain entry into the city of Glast Heim.
"Yes! I am sure of it. Something in the sewers has attracted their attention and made them come all this way and create such a ruckus. I must investigate. But first, this fool of an assassin must be dealt with!", Hijo grit his teeth and stepped up his attack.
The assassin saw his opportunity and tried to plunge his katar into Hijo's heart, but the sword master dodged the attack and slashed away at his opponent. The well timed blow sliced deeply into the assassin's back, but the silent killer simply staggered and turned to face Hijo again! Blood poured out freely from his wound, but the assassin stood as firm as a rock, brandishing his katars and preparing for the next onslaught.
"You have amazing endurance. I commend your fighting power and skill. This has been a good fight indeed!", Hijo said, lowering his katana and adopting a loose stance with feet spread wide.
It was not a traditional sword fighting stance and the assassin was puzzled for a moment. Hijo, however, had learnt to read the emotions and movements of his opponents a long time ago and he used his skills to the best of his abilities. The assassin was hesitating. The Herald had provided him with ample information on the Tet'suname technique and Hijo's sword tricks. Indeed, they had been thorough in that regard and the assassin new every one of Hijo's moves. Yet, he had been caught off guard by that sword slash and now…this new stance! The assassin had never seen it before. From that wide spread stance, Hijo Ramurao could never defend an incoming blow…that much was obvious…it had to be, even to the sword master himself!
"Why are you not attacking, Hijo?", the assassin asked, attempting to get some hint of the sword master's moves.
Hijo remained silent, regarding his opponent very carefully. The Herald minion might be confused now, but his training would overcome that confusion. Indeed, the attack would come any moment and Hijo was preparing for it. The counter blow would require precision. Oh yes, a great deal of precision indeed! The stance he had adopted was not a Tet'suname stance. Oh no! This was a different stance altogether…a very different technique too! He had to hit the nail on the head in one blow for, he would not get another chance.
The assassin stared at Hijo, completely puzzled. The sword master was doing nothing. Absolutely nothing! There was no single muscle movement and his stance was completely different.
"What are you doing, Hijo? Are you scared of attacking me? Come, I shall give you a quick death.", the assassin taunted Hijo Ramurao and yet, the sword master remained still.
Hijo recalled the words of a wise man who had once said, "The still water of an ocean can be a perfect example of peace and tranquility. A single stone shall disturb that peace, but for only a moment. The water shall become calm once more. Yet, as time passes, the water becomes angry and when it rages, not a soul in its path shall survive to tell the tale! Such is the glory of water. It shows us the two sides of nature. Man must learn from this example and know that he must be calm in the face of the adversity and let loose his rage at the most opportune moment. Thus he shall overwhelm his enemy just as the tidal wave overwhelms anything that stands in its way."
"So too shall I be calm! I shall wait for my opponent to come. I shall wait for his wrath to descend upon my tranquility. He shall but cause a slight ripple in the ocean and then I shall rise up like the tidal wave and sweep him away from my path. I shall wait…his time shall come…all in due course…", Hijo told himself repeatedly as he waited and waited…and waited…
"NOW YOU SHALL DIE!", the assassin roared as he sped towards the waiting sword master.
His katars flashed as the sun shone upon the blades and he thrust them at the sword master's chest. The katana was still lowered as the katars closed and assassin found himself hesitating.
"Why? Why is he just standing there? Why doesn't he fight?", he wondered and that proved to be his last mistake.
The katars came within an inch of Hijo's chest and at that moment, the sword master moved. A slight movement to the left sent the katars plunging through air and the assassin was caught completely off guard. He had allowed his mind to wander and his concentration had faltered. Hijo Ramurao thrust his hand at the assassin's chest and the Herald minion recoiled ferociously as the palm of the sword master hammered at his heart.
"HOLY CROSS!"
That single cry summoned a blast of holy light from Hijo's palm, which incidentally was still clinging to the assassin's chest! The Herald minion found himself engulfed in a blaze of holy light and he cringed in horror as it blasted through his chest. His cries of agony echoed through the air. The holy cross burned through his heart and burst forth from his back, right through the wound that the katana had slashed open! The assassin arched his back and fell to his knees as Hijo removed his hand from his chest. The sword master watched as the Herald minion uttered dreadful cries of agony, gaping at the hole that had once contained his heart! Bits and pieces of his ribs and vertebrae were scattered behind him and the assassin remained alive simply due to the shock and the alterations made by the Herald Of Flames. Hijo Ramurao's eyes swelled with tears and he raised his katana high into the air.
"You have fought well. Now, die in honor. May God keep your soul!", the former crusader said as he brought his katana down in a flashing arc that swept off the assassin's head.
Hijo gazed at the lifeless corpse on the ground before him and he could not stop the flow of tears, "How the Herald has interfered with life itself! He was but a mere pawn in their hands and they made him suffer so much. Even in his death, their Arcane Arts of Life kept him alive, prolonging his agony and suffering. Their gifts of strength and power came at too costly a price! They damned his soul to the abyss. God forgive him!"
The sword master sheathed his sword and turned his attention to the sewer entrance ahead. This whole plot was centered around something that lay hidden in the sewers. The Herald Of Flames wanted it and they would go to any extent to have it! They had made that much clear with their abominations. There was no time to loose. There would be more such assassins, and probably wizards as well, trailing him. Hijo glanced at the assassin's headless body once more and made his way towards the sewer entrance. He drew in a deep breath of fresh air and sighed.
"Damn bloody adventures! Just once, I would like to know a few years of peace and happiness. No dark priests, no herald assassins, no crusaders and certainly no plots to take over churches and cities! Damn bloody adventures, I hate them all!"
Hijo sighed once more and opened the entrance to the Glast Heim Sewers. It was nothing grand…the entrance that is. A simple, circular metal grating covered it and had been further reinforced by wooden planks, hammered in place rather poorly. Hijo had no problems uprooting those planks and casting them aside. The stink of sludge and slime pervaded the air and Hijo was tempted to turn back more than once. But he simply touched the hilt of his sword, sighed and said,
"Once more unto the breach, my dear friends. Once more, unto the breach…."
