Vivli again I acknowledge what you've said and completely agree, my chapters are just a little- okay screw that, a whole bunch- too long. Though I am slowly widdling the number down, normally they go 15 - 17 pages, the last was 13, I'm working on it. XD
Thefrogkiller yes, it took a bit of plotting to find a feasible spot for you, but eureka I found one. :D And I tell you now, it's quite a nice one. Hee hee . . .
Sodo thanks for the words of encouragement! I feel myself getting all teary now . . . lol. Its reviewers like you that inspire me to write so . . . well . . . . (shifty glance of disbelief in writing skills.)
Author's notes: (dodges assortment of chucked objects) I honestly meant to get this update a while ago, I honestly did! I just uh . . . you know writer's block? Well it came with a two ton brick for good measure. T.T;
Secondly, in the first chapter I noted I said the fall of Tavnazian was 6 years ago, that is incorrect. You see, chapter 1 ended six years ago, thus confusing me and making me forget Tavnazian actually fell two years before that! Thus it has been properly changed to 8 years, meaning Tavnazian fell a grand total of 8 years ago.
And third, there are a lot of special words in here, you don't need to remember the meaning as I doubt I will use them again, or so often that you would need to.
Chapter 2
Rain.
It poured in heavy sleets over the rooftops, hitting the shaled oriental like over-tops with a soft 'ting'ing sound. Soft and worn leather padded shoes stepped lightly on the wet stones beneath the hangings, making a sound so soft it couldn't be heard by anyone at all, except for possibly animals or one listening very intently with a great deal of focus. The figure stopped and with hands clasped behind her back, she looked up at the gray sky, smiling as droplets of life rolled down her cheeks and onto the wet pavement.
"We met on a day like this, do you remember?" She asked softly, her silver hair matting against her skin as she sighed softly with pleasure. The question had been directed to a gangly form sitting underneath the overhangs. He sat one leg folded, another had it's soles firmly planted on the ground but was slightly bent, his left arm was dangled over the raised knee while the other used the tip of his sword to shift the gravel on the ground beneath the water.
"All too well." The Elvaan commented, a soft smile on his face. "Though it was definitely wetter. There was thunder as well." The female giggled gently. Her eyes were fond as she looked at the other Elvaan, a sisterly affection was obviously apparent.
"Noxes . . . tell me." She began, suddenly very somber. "Do you . . . ever regret saving my life?" She asked gently. The Elvaan Noxes turned to look at her with a neutral look, those his eyes were slightly wide with surprise.
"What would ever make you think that?" He asked gently. The Elvaan female blushed hesitantly and suddenly switched her gaze to the wet stones beneath her feet.
"Well . . . you had to endure so much ridicule for taking me in as your apprentice . . ." She mumbled. Noxes laughed.
"Myloko, that was only because you started your training at 13. The other students began theirs at 5. It is only natural that you should be less experienced then them." Noxes said gently. "But look at you now, you are just as good if not better then them. You worked hard to achieve your status, no one can insult you now." Myloko flushed at the praise and felt giddy with success.
"I only worked hard to gain your approval . . ." She whispered quietly, more to herself then Noxes, but the Elvaan heard it anyway. He smiled.
"Myloko, never doubt this." He began and the Elvaan looked up as she heard her name. "You are my student, more so you are my friend and partner. I will always trust you and respect you, because I know you will do what is right." He said calmly. Myloko blinked, then smiled.
"I hope to live up to your expectations of me Master."
Noxes clenched his fists, biting his lower lip. What was wrong with him? Standing upon the balcony in Port Sandoria he was leaning over the rail, his hands running through his hair as he let out a frustrated growl. He had disobeyed orders and allowed a 10 percent chance of target recovery, and that slim chance had pulled through. He should have poisoned the needle before he threw it, he knew it. He should have gone through multiple steps to ensure the girl would have died as per order . . .
Yet he had hesitated.
He had chosen not to take the safety measures, and the target had survived. Why had he followed his doubts?
"That is what I wish to know." A voice commented softly. Noxes turned with a start to his side and found Myloko there, her gaze was observant, scrutinizing and harsh.
"What are you talking about?" He asked softly, his voice emotionless. Myloko sighed in exasperation.
"The look was all over your face Noxes. You were wondering why you didn't poison the needle, to be quite honest I want to know as well." Noxes's face turned a bit dark, and anyone else would have never noticed, but Myloko had spent 5 years with her former master, and she knew him almost better then he knew himself.
"What's happening to you? You've been acting weird ever since the Daimyou gave you the orders to kill the Adventurer Ginryu." She said sternly, her eyes suspicious. Noxes sighed heavily and conceded his defeat to the young Elvaan who knew him so well.
". . . I have doubts about this target." He said softly. Myloko's eyes went wide. Noxes sighed again, knowing the heavy weight of admitting that sentence. He had just admitted doubts of his absolute loyalty to the Daimyou, the lord. It was the equivalent of treason and as such, any person among the guild who thought this way was immediately disposed of. They were a threat, it had made sense to Noxes when he had heard the rule at first, but now . . . .
Now he understood why a member of the guild might feel such a way.
"Noxes no! You don't know what you are saying! You had a long trip!" Myloko began feverishly. "Y-you are just . . . tired! You are exhausted from your trip and forgot to put the poison on the needle and use the possibility of doubts as an excuse for your foolishness!" She said haphazardly, though deep down she knew the words that flew from her mouth were lies. Noxes was never careless. Never. If he didn't put the poison on, it was by choice, not from lack of memory.
"Myloko . . . I'm afraid I do have doubts about killing this girl. She is a child, innocent. I . . . I cannot kill something pure . . ." He whispered. Myloko gripped his arm like a lost child and stared up at him with terror and fear in her eyes.
"Noxes . . . . please don't . . . . it will be your life if you continue these thoughts . . . you are making me choose between my duty and my friendship for you." She whispered. Noxes smiled gently at her.
"Please remember what I said to you. We are members of the assassin's guild Myloko." He said forlorn as he glanced back at the port with soft eyes. "Our jobs are to follow orders, and kill without fear, sympathy or any emotion. We are killing machines, it is not our job to think. You will do what you believe is best, remember what I said to you 2 years ago. I will always trust you and respect you, because I know you will do what is right." He said calmly. Then he smiled at her. Wrapping his hand around the back of her head, he pulled her a bit closer and placed a gentle kiss onto her forehead.
"Noxes . . ." Myloko said feebly. The Elvaan smiled.
"You will do what is right. I know you will." He whispered.
Then he vanished.
Myloko was left to stare at the empty space in front of her, her gaze was lost and despaired.
'. . . . what defines the word right?'
"I'm telling you Kiary . . ." Chster began sourly. "If you called your friends over from Elshimo for a party I'm going to hurt you and horribly." He muttered. Kiary squawked her anger and glared at him indignantly.
"What makes you think this is my fault!" She demanded.
"Well there were those hippies in Bastok . . ." Laiata began thoughtfully.
"And then that train of 'harmless' Yagudo in Windurst." Angel continued calmly.
"That was one hell of a party." Byuu grumbled dully.
"What! I thought they deserved to be invited since they seemed so docile!" Kiary defended herself.
"And then those drunkards in Jeuno."
"Don't forget the time she invited that serial killer over to dinner who was hiding out in Mhaura."
"Or how about-?"
"OKAY! I GET IT! I ATTRACT WEIRDOS!" Kiary yelled angrily.
". . . . I seriously hope those guys aren't Adventurers." Bagel said with a sweatdrop. Hal chuckled.
"Unorthodox and undisciplined guys like that? No way."
You know how irony has a bad habit of telling you to look that way and then kicking you in the ass? Yeah.
"Hey guys, if you're done with your unrequited love argument over there, I'd love a bit of backup." Zig said dully glancing back at them, he was already halfway to the ship.
"Eep! Coming sir!" Chster yelped running over.
"What did he mean unrequited love argument?" Byuu muttered dully as he grabbed his spear from it's clasps that attached it to the back of his armor.
"Beats me." Mumbled Kiary as she too drew her weapon.
General Satyr. The name didn't seem to fit him, or that's what the Elvaan paladin thought dimly.
'General . . . a replacement for one of those lost at Tavnazian. 8 years have gone by, and I still don't know if I have what it takes.' He thought softly, his chin propped up by his hand as he gazed out over the rocky, mountainous terrain from the airship. He was currently headed towards Sandoria for the Official Ceremony, and was slightly anxious to arrive there quickly. He had accidentally miscalculated the time it would take to finish up his business in Kazham and was now later then he had expected.
'I hope Eashie will be able to take care of business while I'm gone . . . though knowing her she'll probably die by a train of gobs.' He thought a bit ruefully with a slightly bemused smile on his face. Noticeably, the airship was rather empty, most likely because all the Adventurers had decided to show up early for the Ceremony, like good sensible people. However the ship wasn't completely empty, across the deck from Satyr sat three female Adventurers, freelancers judging by their armor, and all of them sat happily away, gossiping. Satyr was also certain there were at least two or three more below deck, but that was irrelevant. As he glanced back out at the now gone rocky terrain into the rolling hills of rubble, he let himself be lulled into a dull security by the rocking of the ship. And slowly, as his eyes drifted from half mast to shut, sleep claimed him with gentle, but clawed hands.
Rain.
He had always loved rain, his mother had always told him it was a giver a life, a blessing from the Goddess Altana. He used to spend hours splashing in the puddles on the streets of Sandoria with his two brothers. Always getting wet and making their clothes so waterlogged they weighed almost as heavy as his father's armor.
It had been raining that day.
That day, that . . . man had walked up to the door and knocked, mercilessly and even ruthlessly.
"I'm sorry. But you're husband, is dead."
It had been said so coldly, without a tinge of remorse. Satyr had hated that man for it, he vaguely recalled thinking that the man who had delivered the message had been at fault for his father's death. At the time, he couldn't be blamed Satyr feebly reasoned.
He was only a child.
It was raining the day of the funeral too. When they burned his father's body so that the ashes could be returned to the mother of the lands, Altana. Satyr remembered that day very well, it was the day he stopped believing in the goddess. There he had stood, at the edge of his father's pyre, how they had gotten it burning in this weather was a meaningless curiosity.
'How could a Goddess do something like this?' He had wondered. 'What Goddess would be so cruel as to kill innocent and good people?' He had asked in his thoughts. Then the answer became so obvious to him. There was no such goddess.
She didn't exist, not the one of kindness and prosperity he had been told about.
She wasn't real.
Rain hit his cheeks, and rolled off the already sharp features that were forming from the chubby flesh of childhood, he was 12 years old, and on the verge of becoming a man. He vaguely remembered that day, as he stood there, two strong hands on his shoulders, giving a small comforting squeeze, looking up, his eyes teared as he saw the vision overhead, his elder brother was crying too. Glancing over to his left, he noticed his mother, sobbing into the arms of his eldest brother who held her gently, his own eyes streaming, yet hidden with some sort of emotion he hadn't been able to place. Satyr reasoned, this must have been the day that it all started, when those feelings of betrayal and deceit planted themselves, where the beginnings of a fury so great had begun. With his father, a general in the Adventurers Army dead, it was up to his eldest brother to take the place his father had left open, his eldest brother was 17. To Satyr, things were alright, or they would be, his eldest brother was going to be fine and keep supporting the family, his second elder brother would continue to watch over his sickly mother, who had never recovered from the loss of her love, and keep things in order while his eldest brother was off on adventures, and Satyr would grow up and help his eldest brother in his journeys. He had never suspected a single, thing. Not one single thing.
1 year later, after being promoted from a freelancer to a member of a battalion, his eldest brother ran away. The loss of her eldest son and husband was too much for Satyr's mother. She died two months after from a weak and loss stricken heart. He had never forgiven his eldest brother for that, nor could he ever.
Satyr grew into a paladin of great renown, his second eldest brother became a second in command. Avadon would never betray him like his eldest brother.
It was all Rominace's fault.
All of it.
Sudden shrieking awoke him from his sleep, and the nightmare that had come with it. Snapping his head up he glanced to his left at where the three girls were as his hand went for his sword and he blinked sleep from his eyes rapidly, struggling to digest the scene before him, it had to be something horrible, disgusting, terrifying and-
"NO. WAY! Are you serious?" One of the Humes shrieked giggling. Satyr blinked again as he realized the source of the shrieking was not fear. It was laughter.
"Goddamn gossipy females . . ." Satyr muttered putting his sword back into his sheath as he leaned on his elbow again to look out over the terrain. Cursing chatty girls under his breath and swearing a little too vividly he rechecked the straps of his armor to make sure they were all tight to give himself something to do, when off to the side, something caught his eyes. He blinked and slowly rotated his head at the dark shape that seemed to weave in and out of the mass of clouds that surrounded the ships on all sides.
'Is that . . . a ship? Can't be . . . no ship would fly this close to another, it would be suicide for both!' Satyr reasoned as he walked up closer to the railing, and placing his hands on the wooden beams he bent forward a little for a better look. Flipping the visor up on his helm did little to help either, he still couldn't see what that dark shape was, although he was almost positive it was a ship . . .
"Uhm . . . excuse me . . ." Satyr flinched in surprise as he glanced to his side. Those three Adventurers stood by his side, all looking cheerful, and a bit too coy for his tastes.
" . . . yes?" He asked calmly looking back out at the side again, the black form had started to fade a bit. The female Hume of the group smiled at him and took a step closer.
"My name is Rin, I'm a level 30 blackmage freelancer hailing from Mhaura, my friend," she gestured to the Mithra standing behind her who gave him a cheerful nod. "is Kida the thief, of Windurst and my the other friend," she gestured to another Hume standing behind her. "is Aya the whitemage of Bastok. We were wondering if you'd like to . . . hang out. You're going to Sandoria for the Official Ceremony right?" Satyr spared her another side glance, before focusing back on the clouds. He gave a calm nod, all the while his mind was still churning from what he had seen in the clouds, there was a strangely dark feeling in his gut, and he had learned to trust that feeling when it came to warning him about danger.
"Great!" Rin continued gleefully. "Well listen, I know you must be a high level Paladin to be wearing such high level gear . . ." She said fingering his gold armor that had been brushed with gold streaks. It was then he finally focused a bit more attention to her, and blinked at her stupidly.
'What the hell is she doing?' He wondered dimly.
"We were wondering . . . if you would us around Sandoria!" Rin finished a tad slyly. "I mean, none of us are too experienced with navigation there, and it would be such a help to have a big, strong and friendly Elvaan guiding us, Kida also has a lot of trouble with perverts." She said motioning to the Mithra who flushed a bit. Satyr raised an eyebrow and answered automatically before thinking.
"I'm afraid you must find another escort, I will be far too occupied attending the meetings during the ceremony and scouting to be showing you around." He said calmly.
"Attending meetings and scouting?" Aya asked confused. "What are you? Like, a general or something?" She asked a tad bit stupidly. Satyr sighed and finally reached up to remove his helm, once it was off, he flicked some hair out of his eyes and ran a hand through his silver short locks to rid himself of the uncomfortable feeling of matted hair he had received from wearing his head gear and enjoyed the light breeze that toyed around his hair. He didn't know why, but Rin, Kida and Aya all suddenly looked a bit awed.
"Yes. General Satyr of the HighWind battalion stationed in the Jeuno area, charged with protecting Batallia Downs." He said in complete monotone as he glanced off to the side again while tucking his helm beneath his shield arm. That blurred dark form was still bothering him.
" . . . you're . . . a general?" Rin asked a little quietly, her eyes wide.
"In charge of the HighWind battalion?" Aya asked shocked.
"Stationed in Jeuno? The Jeuno? As in home, of the greatest generals of the Adventurers Army?" Kida squeaked. Satyr blinked in confusion as he turned his head to stare back at them.
". . . you know of another Jeuno?" He asked a bit sarcastically. Rin continued to gape at him, before she finally closed her gaping mouth and practically squealed delight.
"OH MY GOD! HE'S GENERAL SATYR! THE GENERAL SATYR!" She yelled jumping up and down. Satyr, startled by her outburst barely had enough sense to grab her by the hips as she nearly toppled over the railing and saved her from plummeting into the abyss below.
"I KNOW! The one who took down an entire encampment of Orcs with only himself and his second in command Eashie!" Aya shrieked in girlish praise. Satyr gaped as he still held Rin from jumping off the ship.
"I-it was only 163 Orcs . . ." He said a little stunned.
"And wasn't he the one who saved a complete alliance of level 15s from an ambush of goblins?" Kida asked gleefully.
"Yeah he was!" Rin cheered.
"But that was-" Satyr tried feebly, suddenly he stopped mid sentence and whipped his head to the side, over their yelling he had heard something vaguely familiar, something of a large boom. Kida, with her ears had heard it as well and glanced in the same direction perplexed.
It took Satyr two precious seconds to place where he had heard it before, and when it hit him his eyes widened with shock and fear.
"DOWN!" He yelled grabbing the three Adventurers by their collars and yanking them down onto the deck's surface as something large, black and destructive flew right over their heads, it clipped some of Rin's hair as she fell and her eyes widened in terror. As soon as the object had passed overhead, Satyr got to his feet while replacing his helm.
"Goddess curse it, fucking pirates." He snarled grabbing his helm which had fallen and pulled it over his head again, snapping the visor shut. "Stay down, crawl to the center of the ship." He said calmly to the three girls who all nodded shocked. That accomplished he crouched low and started to run across the deck towards the navigator.
"Get out of there! Get out now!" He yelled running as fast as he could without making a clear target. The Hume who had been on the deck heard his yell and had seen the cannonball, he was already running with all his might to the entrance below deck.
"HEAD DOWN YOU MORON!" Satyr yelled as another loud boom sounded in the distance, with a yell he dove at the navigator's legs and toppled him over as a cannonball went zooming past, missing his head by mere inches. The two of them slapped the ground with large thuds and with a groan, Satyr vaguely swore never to wear full platemail on a ship again, sitting up, he glanced around quickly, and when he realized everyone on the deck was around him, he quickly fumbled for his linkshell. Grabbing it he quickly activated it and held it close to his mouth.
"General Satyr active, requesting officer Eashie, officer Eashie respond, respond immediately. Repeat, this is General Satyr active, requesting-"
"Copy message received General, go ahead." A voice came back.
"Thank god, Eashie where are you?"
"In Kazham with Kage, why?" The Mithra replied a little bewildered. She was currently sitting on the docks watching the airships come in with a fishing pole off to her side as ComradeKage stood over her, his arms folded. He was looking at her a little stupefied. Satyr wracked his memories, Kage, short for ComradeKage . . . who did that blasted Elvaan support? Suddenly the answer hit home.
Tammyxx, a general located in Sandoria at the current moment.
Altana must have been praying for him.
"Give him a message to send to Tammy. I am currently on an airship in vector I-5, flight number 20458, it is being bombarded by pirates, I need them to send any sort of backup possible." He relayed as quickly as possible as another cannonball whizzed overhead. In Kazham Eashie gaped at the pearl.
"Pirates sir? Are you certain?" She asked shocked. It was here that Kage glanced directly at her with a frown on his face.
'Pirates. . . ?' He thought a bit confused. 'Why would they . . . ? They only attack sea ships normally, why an air route? Wait- that boy they got almost a decade back . . . is it possible? Of course, that must be it.' Unfortunately for Eashie, while Kage could have answered quite a few questions, he had decided to keep his little revelations to himself. On the other end Satyr stared incredulously at his pearl.
"Am I certain?" He repeated. Then he glared at it, thinking if he glared hard enough maybe Eashie would feel it. "Of course I'm bloody certain you dimwit!" He suddenly bellowed, causing Kida and Rin to squeak in surprise. "Or should I just ignore those cannonballs that are zipping over my head and- DOWN!" He yelled again wrapping his arms around the other 4 around him and yanking them all down as another cannonball whipped over their heads, so low this time that it actually clipped a bit of the wooden railing. Eashie yelped as she jumped back, nearly dropping the pearl into the salty waters below as she winced.
"Okay, okay, god you don't need to yell! Kage I'm sure you heard all that, can you-?" Eashie began when the Elvaan cut into her sentence calmly and nonchalantly.
"Relayed to Tammy already. She's trying to find Commander Ziggeraut to inform him." His voice was monotonous and he was currently examining his nails. Eashie sweatdropped before relaying his message to Satyr. Back on the airship, Satyr gritted his teeth and glanced around.
"Tell Kage to tell Tammy to hurry." He finally said and let his pearl drop back under his tunic, dangling on a loose silver chain. A few rare moments of silence passed, as Satyr stayed hunched on his knees, his shield arm held tightly against his body while his sword arm gripped the hilt of his blade firmly, his eyes roving the air space wearily.
"Hey . . . they stopped firing." Kida finally commented softly. Satyr blinked, she was right. The sounds of cannon-fire had all but stopped and now there was nothing but silence and the low whirring hum of the ship's engine.
"Did . . . they give up?" Aya asked tearfully and it took all of Satyr's willpower to not snort at that comment.
"Doubtful." He stated simply.
"I think you're being a bit paranoid." Rin commented as she started to get to her feet. "They probably just wanted to give us a scare and leave, boys are like that you know." She said starting forward, Satyr stared at her like she had just grown a third arm.
"Are you insane?" He demanded as he still crouched low and started to run towards her. That was when another sound met his ears, Kida heard it was well.
"R-Rin! GET DOWN!" She yelled in fear as Satyr swore and started running full out towards her. The Hume turned to look at them a little stupidly.
"What?"
Her back had turned on the cannonball that was coming straight at her head.
'I can't tackle her, she'll go head first into that thing!' The thought entered Satyr's head as soon as he saw her turn, and that left one option.
"MOVE!" He snarled at her as he shoved her out of the way with his shoulder just as the cannonball passed over the railing, Rin sprawled out onto the deck as her eyes widened in surprise at the dark object that had seemed to appear from nowhere.
"S-Satyr!" She got out as the Elvaan raised his shield and yelled out one word.
"INVINCIBLE!" Golden light flared around him as the object struck his shield, and shattered into pieces on contact. Rin, Aya, Kida and the navigator all stared at him in awe as Satyr lowered his shield, his mouth sucking in air into his lungs. His arm stung like hell as he knew it was badly sprained.
'God . . . I'm so fucking lucky that ability decided to obey me this time.' He thought as his legs shook, that one act had taken a lot out of him. Suddenly he fell to his knee and he got out a sort of strangled sound as his uninjured arm hurried to place itself on the deck's surface to balance himself.
"S-Satyr?" Rin asked crawling over to him. "Are you okay?" She murmured worriedly, looking slightly tearful.
"F-fine. Get below deck, most likely they quit firing so much because they're about to-"
"Board?" A voice suddenly interrupted. Satyr froze, and instinctively his hand closed around the hilt of his blade, before suddenly whipping himself around, his sword flying in a silver blur, it clanged with another blade, a katana he realized vaguely and he glared up at the Elvaan who held it. The samurai grinned viciously and Satyr noticed the number of pirates behind him, swearing in his head he wondered how the hell they had gotten onto the ship without him noticing, and they had even fired another cannonball while these guys must have been boarding! How the hell-?
It dawned on him suddenly and he swore out loud this time. The Elvaan smirked.
"Worked it all out eh? Smart, that's right General, two ships, of course you were all focused on the one making all the racket, you never even bothered to look over at the other side." He said chuckling. Satyr gave him a forced smile.
"One ship is a distraction, the other carries you guys and you board while we're all worrying about it, nice tactic, but so old I think you've made your great grandmothers flattered." He said, knowing he was poking a tender spot. It worked, the samurai scowled at him and suddenly swung his blade up, forcing Satyr to fall back a few steps as the paladin vaguely tried to get to his wobbly feet.
"You will not insult my ancestors, nor the ancestors of my comrades bastard!" He snarled. Satyr sneered.
"I think I hit a sore spot." He said in that special voice of his that just made people want to hit him smack dab in the nose. Curling his hands into fists, the samurai glared at him, his eyes seething with fury, when suddenly there was a noise behind him.
"Cool it Zed. He's pissing you off on purpose." Another Elvaan commented dully. The samurai clenched his hands even tighter, before letting them relax.
"Cool, I'm cool." He whispered before letting his tense shoulders. "Nicely done, it appears we aren't the only one with tricks. Tell you what, you step aside, let us pillage and plunder and all that crap, we leave, you live, deal?" Satyr released a sharp bark of laughter.
"Don't bullshit me. You're samurai and ninjas. I can see the difference between the crapload of you. Okay you pillage and shit, can you speak for the rest of those guys that we'll live? All of them?" He said jerking his head at the group behind the samurai. "Yea you ninjas and samurai from Elshimo are big on honor and wouldn't dare break a word or oath, but I know you've got pirates in your group, men who don't have any job of the sort. Quit trying to feed me your damned lies." He snarled. Again the Elvaan hesitated, before he started laughing.
"A paladin who can think, a Sandorian Elvaan paladin at that. Remarkable." He commented with an amused grin. "Alright, do what you want if you think you can stop us. But an introduction first perhaps? I am Zedriasage, a member of the Yuushi guild." Zed said with a sweeping bow. "And you?" Satyr paused, before he slowly got to his feet, ignoring the throbs of pain that came from his shield arm, and gripping his sword tightly, he flipped up his visor and finally answered.
"General Satyr, leader of the HighWinds and protector of Batallia Downs." Zed smirked.
"Indeed. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Stop wasting time Zed." A voice interrupted. Turning to face the speaker, Satyr discovered it was the same Elvaan who had spoken before, another samurai by the looks of it, and his face was twisted into disgust as he boredly used his thumb to pull his katana in and out of his sheath.
"Shove it Elnroth, I want my fun." Zed snarled at the Elvaan who rolled his eyes.
"I want this over with as soon as possible, I hate raiding, it is dishonorable and in no way a definable act to a samurai." Zed smirked and simply shrugged.
"Whatever." Turning back to Satyr, the Elvaan suddenly hefted his katana and smiled grimly at him. Satyr swore and glanced over at the three girls and the navigator.
"Get below deck, now." He ordered firmly, in such a voice that none of them argued and fled immediately. Turning his attention back to Zedriasage, he snapped his visor shut and set himself into guard position.
'I have to buy time until backup arrives, I won't stand a chance against all of them in this condition.' He thought feverishly. Zed smirked as the pirates formed a ring around them, all chanting and cheering for bloodshed. Elnroth by that time had wandered over to the railing of the ship, his eyes clearly narrowed with disgust.
"We begin."
The battle had begun the minute Zig had gotten within ten meters of the ship. With a glorified yell, pirates had suddenly started to stream out of the side doors of the airship, and Zig had barely enough time to get a feasible guard up before three of them had decided to gang up on him. Chster had come to his aid almost immediately as it had happened, his sword blazing with red heat from his enhancing spell enfire. The generals had pretty much blocked off the pirates from advancing for now, the mages were in the back spellcasting while the front-line fighters were fending off the warriors. Lazarus looked around for his unit, they were Temple Knights after all and he was supposed to guard Sandoria, but he only found Adventurers and his gaze became disgusted, he was practically fed up with the cowardice and disgusting antics of the Temple Knights of Sandoria.
"Hey! T.K!" A voice yelled and Lazarus glanced over at the Elvaan Mabs who waved to him. "Since your companions seem to have all run off, mind joining our side for a bit?" He invited. Lazarus hesitated, before sighing.
"Why not." He muttered and started towards them. Mabs nodded his approval before standing, Gin straightened herself and glanced around, a bit confused, but adapting to the situation.
"Alright, we obviously have to help those guys, mages want to join the back ranks while the fighters head up and join in the fray?" He asked calmly. Hal, Bagel, Gin and Lilli all nodded.
"I'll join you in fighting." Gin said calmly as she started forward, that was before Mabs grabbed her uninjured arm and yanked her back.
"How about not?" He asked looking at her sternly. "You're already injured, as a matter of fact why don't you both stay back and defend the mages since you're both injured?" Mabs directed to her and Lazarus who both scowled in disgust. Mabs nodded confidently.
"Yes, I think that's a good idea. An ideal situation would be to come out of this battle with minimal casualties."
"Terrific, may we have a realistic situation instead?" Lazarus asked dully. Mabs however ignored him and plowed right on with his speech.
"Yes, in order to achieve such an idealistic situation, we must keep injured warriors and fighters who are incapable of defending themselves in the back to ensure their survival while the healthy fighters go up front in order to protect those who are injured! As goes the traditional sayings of a veteran Adventurer by the name of Lucille Graywing; You must step forward and offer yourself to the sacrificial halter in order to save the lives of your comrades, like the great hero Josen did in the Battle of Elshimo. Or so the legends say. Ah yes, Lucille Graywing, a warrior of great renown who ultimately ended up-"
"Uh . . . Mabs?" Lilli interrupted. Mabs suddenly stopped and blinked at her.
"Yes?"
"They're gone." Bagel commented mildly. Mabs stared in confusion.
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" When all he got in response was Lilli pointing in the direction of the battle, he glanced that way and immediately noticed both Gin and Lazarus had already drawn both their weapons and were practically doing a kamikaze dive into the battle. He squawked indignantly.
"HEY! I WASN'T FINISHED YOU- AIEEP!" He suddenly yelped as a boomerang whizzed over his head clipping a few strands of his hair.
"EEK!" Lilli shrieked diving down as it zoomed past, barely missing Hal's face by mere inches. Hal glared at the thief who had thrown it.
"Watch where you're aiming ya lunkhead!"
His response was a pebble chucked at his head.
"OW!"
Over in the battle, Gin and Lazarus has somehow managed to get separated in the mindless blur of bodies, it appeared the Adventurers from the tavern had all heard the noise and were eager in joining the battle of defending Sandoria, despite the almost unanimous hate of the Temple Knights, there were still citizens to protect. Lazarus made a dark face as his scythe slew his enemies without mercy, weaving a dark strike down the ranks of the thieves, ninjas and pirates, though it wasn't long into the battle before his blood suddenly started to rush, circulating his body in exhilaration, and almost as if it were a drum beating in some wildly melodious cantation his heart began to pound drastically, a nagging began in the back of his head, and before he could even think about it, he had started moving forward, the battle seemed to separate just for him as he strode forth with no clear destination. Dimly, Lazarus wondered what on Earth he was doing, why he wasn't cutting down his enemies and why they weren't attacking him, but he was being called evidently, on some unknown level he was being drawn forward by some primal unheard call, and his body was answering it without question. Finally he came face to face with an Elvaan ninja, garbed in strange oriental like armor, the Elvaan spared him a single nod as the battle seemed to part for them. Their eyes were locked as he wordlessly drew his kunai and set himself into a battle position. Lazarus twirled his scythe once, knowing this was the one who had called him, and started forward, the pole of his weapon held firmly in his grasp. When they were about an arm's length away, Lazarus came to a halt, and finally he nodded to the ninja.
"Zanu of the Yuushi guild." The Elvaan said quietly.
"Lazarus of the Temple Knights." Lazarus replied calmly.
"Our meeting was clearly a hitzusen." Zanu continued.
"I don't speak your language." Lazarus said calmly, clearly showing he did not understand the word.
"Then you do not speak your own for it is the root of all languages. Hitzusen is a preordained event, in which all other outcomes are void." Zanu replied calmly, his face emotionless. Lazarus showed no emotion on his face as he set himself into guard position.
"Whatever you babble on about is your own choice Zanu of the Yuushi guild." Zanu smirked.
"Indeed, no interference, no allies, no bystanders, a duel oblivious to the outside agreed?" What Lazarus did next however, surprised both himself and Zanu, as soon as he opened his mouth, the T.K suddenly felt a great weight descend upon him as if he were suddenly bearing the world, and a power of sorts began to flood through his body, like water making its way down a hill, this feeling threaded its way through his veins, scorching his soul and leaving a burning mark upon his mind, when it left, the word that escaped his lips was something he did and did not understand at the same time.
"Hai."
Lazarus's eyes widened as the word escaped his lips, and Zanu stared at him for a moment, before smiling.
"So you don't speak the language hm?"
"Enough." He hissed, feeling a bit scared by what had just occurred, but Zanu said nothing more.
"Very well. We begin!" He yelled and suddenly flew forward in a great outburst of speed, Lazarus, shocked by the startling movement had barely enough time to throw up his guard as a blade flew out of seemingly nowhere to strike at his chest, the tip of the kunai bounced off the metal pole and was deflected as Lazarus leapt back, his gaze startled, but his demeanor calm. Zanu observed him, his gaze scrutinizing and reserved, yet slightly amused. He nodded.
"Good. Now this." Shifting from foot to foot, he suddenly threw up his arms in the signature position of a ninja, and yelled; "Utesumi!" His image blurred for a moment, before shifting back into focus and the figure lowered its arms. Lazarus stared, wondering what on Earth the ninja had done before there was a whistle of speed to his left flank and he suddenly threw up the pole of his scythe to block the blow of a kunai, though his eyes were wide and it was done with pure instinct, no thought. As a result, the blow was not a fatal one, but the blade had been deflected once again, this time skimming his arm rather than hitting it dead on.
"H-HOW-?" Lazarus got out in open shock, he had been watching the Elvaan, there had been no movement, was Zanu really that fast!
"Keep calm Lazarus of the Temple Knights." Zanu said calmly, he stood a few feet away. "Use your head, think on your feet. Know the tricks of the Yuushi and it will come to you." He said calmly, almost as if he were teaching Lazarus, but that was ridiculous wasn't it?
'What did he say before this happened?' He thought vaguely as Zanu dashed forward, his blades twirling so quickly, that as they caught the light of the sun, they seemed to be on fire. Lazarus growled and threw up his scythe to guard himself, and as the kunais clanged off of his metal pole, he suddenly drove his blade into the allusion.
Only to have the image vanish in a haze of light. The Elvaan gaped openly in surprise.
"What the- KHAK!" He got out as a blade slammed into the pit of his gut. Glancing to his side in surprise and pain, Lazarus gritted his teeth as he saw Zanu standing there, the hilt of his kunai placed against the pit of his stomach.
"H-how . . .?"
"I told you. Know the tricks of the Yuushi and it will come to you." Zanu said coldly, it seemed he was disappointed in some way. Swinging his scythe in the Elvaan's direction, Zanu quickly vanished in a burst of speed to appear a few feet away from Lazarus's fallen form. Shaking his head, Lazarus gazed up at the ninja as he tried to focus, beads of sweat forming on his forehead and glistening in the sun.
'He yelled Utesumi before this began . . . and he said it would come to me if I knew the tricks of the Yuushi . . .' He thought frustrated as he slowly stood, ignoring the pain in his lower gut, he didn't even bother to question why he was suddenly believing the words of a ninja, instead he gave his head another shake before it clicked.
'Is this some sort of ability they have? Illusions perhaps? Illusions can't hurt you . . . what if he's just using that one to . . .' He suddenly raised his head up again and stared at Zanu with a hidden gleam of triumph, and Zanu suddenly smiled.
"Figured it out have you?" He asked and the form suddenly blurred again.
'. . . distract me.' Lazarus chose this time to close his eyes to half mast, listening for movement, and suddenly he let out a strangled sort of sound as he threw up his scythe to block a blow to his left flank. And this time, in an abrupt offensive move, he whipped out the end of his scythe, with the blade on it, and hooked it around the greaves of Zanu's feet before yanking forward, tripping the ninja. With a startled gasp the Elvaan pitched back, and in his temporary moment of weakness, Lazarus dove in for the kill.
From Tavnazian, from a place that had held over 10 000 people, only 147 had survived. Two of them were officers Rhaina and Bale. A third was a young Hume named Aldo.
After the horrible defeat of the renowned city, Aldo had simply wandered into the forests of Ronfaure, no one knew how or why he had made it without being attacked, and frankly, at the time no one had cared. He had been a survivor, and that had been enough for them. After that time, with no living relatives or friends he could live with, he had been taken into an Adventurers academy, in hopes of becoming a strong warrior, and really because he desired the strength to prevent such a disaster like Tavnazian from ever happening again. Everything he had held dear, had been lost in the fires of Tavnazian, like so many others. But what had haunted him the most, was the loss of his sister.
Emelan.
Her life had been forfeited for his, she had saved him and sacrificed herself, and things like that can make a person wonder about their meaning in life.
In the dorms of the Adventurers Academy, often called the place of no return, a personal joke really, Aldo lay in his bunk on the lower level, he had held an issue with heights for some time now, and hoped to grow out of it soon. Tossing from side to side, he finally let out an irritated growl and flipped the sheets off from his sweat covered form. Garbed in only trousers in a loose shirt, he pulled on his boots quietly, so as not to disturb the others, and slipped out the door. Now quietly he wandered the streets of Sandoria, 8 years ago he had wandered into this entered this city, purely out of luck he supposed that a group of passing Adventurers had saw him and had saved him. It had been amazing not a single creature had attacked him, well, save for a rabid bunny, but he had sort of accidentally stepped on its tail . . .
In any case, the citizens of the city had been happy to simply find him alive, as if it were some miracle, now looking back Aldo agreed.
It had been a miracle he had survived, and the miracle had been called Emelan.
With a sigh he knew he was self angsting again, then again he couldn't really help it, it was so darned easy.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" A voice asked mildly.
"GAH!" Aldo yelped as he spun around to face the form who lurked in the shadows.
"SHH! Easy, easy!" A Hume whispered quickly, his face a tad urgent. "You're gonna wake the others if you keep making that racket!" He hissed. Aldo held a hand to his beating chest and panted as he stared forlorn at the newcomer.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack Prophets! I'm only 14 years old, I don't wanna die that quickly!" He said worriedly. Prophets winked.
"Well you know what they say, live long, live wrong, die fast, you'll last." Aldo smirked at his friend and shook his head.
"Right, that goes along with 'forget old, die bold', right?" He asked quietly chuckling. Prophets chuckled.
"I suppose, but what're you doing out so late?"
"I . . . couldn't sleep." Aldo finished hesitantly. Prophets's gaze immediately switched from amused to understanding.
"Yeah, neither." He said calmly. Although the two had three years of difference in age, Prophets, like Aldo, was a survivor of the Tavnazian incident, and since there were so few around, it wasn't unreasonable that they would have sought each other out to comfort each other from the horrors of their memories of that night. There was an awkward silence, before Aldo and Prophets finally looked at each other.
"Thinking about Yuna?" Aldo said at the same time as Prophets began;
"Thinking about Emelan?" Silence again.
"I'll take that as a yes." They commented at the same time. Suddenly they stared at each other freakishly.
"Gah, creepy."
"Okay dude stop that."
"You're freaking me out. Okay I'm freaking myself out. STOP SAYING WHAT I'M SAYING!" Aldo and Prophets gaped at each other, before Prophets finally closed his mouth.
'Gotta say something Aldo would never say in a million years.' Prophets thought calmly, Aldo, seeing the look on his friend's face, suddenly felt nervous, Prophets only got that look when he was about to do something stupid, and while the Hume could protest all he wanted that the look meant nothing and that he was harmless, the last time he had gotten that look, they had accidentally set loose a horde of tainted hounds that had been in the middle of transportation to the mages at Jeuno for research.
They had been standing in corners for weeks for that incident. Suddenly his musings were interrupted as Prophets sucked in a deep breath of air.
"Aldo I love you!"
Silence.
Aldo stared at Prophets in deep shock as his Hume friend blushed and laughed sheepishly.
"It worked didn't it? You'd never say something like that."
"Wow . . . didn't think you guys would go out and get a little XXX goin' on." A sly voice suddenly commented from behind Aldo. "I mean seriously, no problems if you bend that way, but I need to know this stuff, I am bunking with him." The voice continued. Aldo spun around to come face to face with his long time pest and annoyance, Raemiel. An Elvaan whose parents had been killed in the Tavnazian attack, but Raemiel himself had been with his brother at the time in Jeuno, so he hadn't learned of the horrors that had occurred first hand.
"EW! RAE! JUST- NO! JUST- GODDAMIT RAE!" Aldo stammered out kicking his friend in the shin.
"Ow! Cripes! I was kidding you over-reactive PMSing female!" Rae yelled grabbing his shin and hopping around in pain while howling. In the dorm rooms a Taru looked at the position of the moon and vaguely realized it wasn't even past three.
"Every night. Every single freaken night." He grumbled glaring at the door as he blearily sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. Suddenly he held his hands together and began chanting a spell, when it was finished he held up one arm and yelled;
"Water!"
SPLOOSH!
"ACK! HEY- WHAT THE?"
"WHAT THE HELL?"
"WHERE THE HECK DID THIS WATER COME FROM!"
"Aero." A voice from beneath the Taru murmured sleepily and suddenly Rae was blown out the door by a force of wind and landed face first onto the stone floor as the door slammed shut behind him.
"OW! DAMMIT MIDYR! I KNOW YOU WERE BEHIND THIS!" Rae yelled angrily.
"Actually I think the wind was probably Nihilus . . ." Aldo said mildly.
"Probably both." Prophets got out as he was pointing and laughing at Rae. In the room, the Taru was stretching his arms and yawning when a voice called over to the Taru from the other side of the room.
"Thanks Midyr, thanks Nihilus." Midyr the Taru yawned and flopped down on his bed again and began snoring away while Nihilus, the Elvaan blackmage down below simply made a grunt like sound and fell back asleep.
Gin yelped as a blade whizzed over her head, missing her by inches.
"That!" Gin suddenly yelled as she brought up her blade. "Wasn't nice!" She yelled slamming her hilt into the thief's gut, eyes widened, the pirate fell with a groan. Straightening the Elvaan redmage raised her blade again when a voice suddenly cut in through all the noise.
"Neither was that you know." Gin froze, the voice seemed to be located right outside her ear, whispering so low, just for her to hear. Suddenly her senses seemed amplified, her body froze still as all around her, all the auras of every single thing in the Port suddenly became open to her. She had never felt so complete in . . . the last 6 years. Since she had left Sandoria.
She was whole.
Mabs swore vividly in his mind as he bore the assault of an attacker by blocking it with his great sword, but gravity was not weighing in his favor. His knees were bent as the face of the pirate loomed over his, grinning viciously.
"You people . . . need to learn . . ." Mabs grunted as he stealthily hooked his foot around the pirate's foot. "To get a hobby!" He snarled and suddenly yanked, causing the thief to yelp and topple back. Landing on his backside, Mabs delivered a stunning blow to his opponent's neck and stepped over his fallen form.
"Seriously, did your parents ever give you chalk, or chess to play with? Some of these guys are totally whacked!" The Elvaan muttered as he glanced around. Dimly he realized the pirates must have been pushing them back because they were now almost to the storehouses.
"This could be bad." He muttered.
"What are you talking about? This is bad!" A feminine voice suddenly interrupted. Mabs blinked and turned to his side to find a very riled up Mithra.
"Oh you bloody perverts! I'll teach you to touch a girl like that against her will!" She snarled with a bit of hiss added into it as she spin kicked a man and sent him flying. Mabs smirked as he suddenly notched an arrow in her direction, hearing the wood being stretched the Mithra turned, her eyes widening, before the arrow flew, smacking straight into the chest of a pirate behind her.
"Oops . . . I was aiming for his arm . . ." Mabs mumbled sheepishly. "Hope he's okay." He muttered haphazardly. The Mithra blinked, then laughed.
"It's a nice shot for an Elvaan, actually a nice shot regardless for an Elvaan, I mean, you hit him." She said as she herself let a smile grace her lips. Mabs smiled back.
"Thank you." He said with a polite bow. The Mithra smiled behind a raised hand as her free hand, which held her staff, suddenly stuck the wooden pole out causing a running thief to trip flat onto his face into the cobbled stones.
"Good to see your generation has some manners. I am General Angelsheart, call me Angel." Mabs blinked in surprise at her.
"You're a general?" He asked surprise as he almost mindlessly swung his sword up to block a blow and overpowered the pirate, before bringing his sword hilt crashing down on his opponent's head. Angel smiled.
"I am indeed." She commented as she picked up a pebble and drew back her arm, before snapping it forward, sending the small chunk of rock flying so fast it knocked a man unconscious.
"Amazing! I knew the generals were skilled but not so greatly, forgive me but it's awing!" Mabs said with a sheepish laugh as he pegged an invader in the leg with his arrow.
"Oh not a problem at all, and where is it you come from?" She asked spinning her stick around and practically clothes-lining a pirate with her staff.
"I hail from Bastok, an amazing city isn't it?" Mabs asked as his sword knocked the wind out of a thief by slamming its flat side into his stomach.
"No kidding? I come from Bastok too!" Angel said happily now beating a pirate to death by hitting him over the head with her staff.
"Cripes . . . are those guys for real?" Hal asked scratching his head with a raised eyebrow at Angel and Mabs.
They weren't even paying attention to the battle.
Zig however was have a few more difficulties, he had been separated from Chster a little while ago, and it now seemed they were intent on driving him back against the ship, most likely in hopes of cornering him and finishing him off. To hell with that!
THUNK!
Zig flinched completely as suddenly a number of numerous thuds sounded next to his ears, and he gaped in open shock as bolts continued to litter the area around him, but none came close to hitting him. The pirates all yelped and backed off as the deadly rain of bolts continued, each one either completing the circle around him or landing an injuring, but not fatal wound on a corsair. When the bolts suddenly stopped, Zig looked up, his eyes completely wide, before they landed on a Taru who held the crossbow. Grinning innocently, Bagel waved wildly back with a cute expression on his face.
"Are you okay Mr. Tally-wally man? The nasty pirateys didn't hurtaru you did they?" Bagel asked reverting to his old form of speech in the excitement of the fight. Zig sweatdropped.
"N-no . . . I'm quite alright."
"That's goody-woody then!"
'I'm grateful . . . yet freaked out at the same time . . .' Zig thought still staring.
Examp was a dragoon. Not just any dragoon, a fully fledged and certified rank 10 dragoon, at the top of his game there were extremely few who could challenge him, although a few foolish people dared to try. Cutting down a pirate where he stood, his destination was the ship where he noticed a dark ominous figure, cause you know you've gotta have one of those, had been kneeling on the deck, watching the battle from above, Examp had concluded this must have been the leader and that when he killed him, this attack would stop and the pirates would flee. Of course, there were obstacles.
"Oi! You! Tall, skinny and with the spear, rotate your beanpole body this way stick!" A crude voice called, Examp mentally groaned while sharing a glance with his wyvern, Raiden.
'Oh god . . . not this.' Turning to meet the Hume pirate, he snarled.
"Don't even start. I mean it." Examp growled homicidally. The Hume smirked.
"C'mon dragoon, that's a nice- OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?" He asked pointing at Examp who sweatdropped. Laughing hysterically the pirate simply slapped his knee at his own retarded joke.
'Every single time . . .'
"So, how's the weather up there freak?" The Hume continued.
"Shut up." Examp muttered rolling his eyes.
"Must be a pain to find turtle-necks that fit."
"Fuck you."
"You could fly a flag from that thing!"
"You know what? I'm gonna kill you now."
"Hey, up for some volleyball? We need you, we're short a net pole!"
"Yeah, you're definitely dying a painful, agonizingly slow death while I stand by and watch.
"Sure thing stretch!"
"Raiden, sic 'em."
"AUGH!"
"Go for the eyeballs okay? I want him to suffer."
"AIIEEE! HELP ME! OH MY GOD THIS THING IS- KYAAAAAAAAAA!"
Examp felt very satisfied.
'That is possibly the most frightening thing I have ever had to witness, and that alone is saying something.' The figure upon the deck thought somberly as he observed the battle, it seemed to be going well for the pirates, until his eyes landed upon a cleared section of the battlefield. An unknown Elvaan was dueling with Zanu . . .
"Zanu . . . ?" The figure whispered blinking, that was before he suddenly saw his fatherly figure suddenly pitch back, his eyes wide as the Elvaan dove in for the kill with his scythe. Immediately the figure's eyes narrowed hatefully and his arm raised before anyone could even guess what he was doing.
"BANISHGA!" His target was the Elvaan Temple Knight, Lazarus.
Lazarus froze when he saw the light in the corner of his eyes, and as Zanu stumbled to regain his balance, he too glanced in that direction, and before he could even stop his lips, they released one word.
"Antigen . . ." That was before the light flared blasting Lazarus, Mabs who was two feet away, and Hal who was an inch away from him all off their feet. Landing with a skid and a growl, Lazarus quickly rolled to his feet, and glared at the form that stood atop the ship's point. Slowly the form raised another hand, and this time he yelled;
"BANISH 2!" Light flared and suddenly shot towards Zig who gaped at it, a thief was practically defenseless against magic.
"ZIG!" Laiata yelled struggling through the crown in hopes to get to him in time.
"DIE!" A new voice yelled as Examp hurled his spear like a javelin at the form. Immediately the mage held up another hand and his lips moved in another cantation, before a pearled blue light flared to his side, the spear struck it and shattered into fragments of metal and wood, raining down into the waters below.
"How the-!" The Elvaan gasped as the light flew straight for his commander, and regardless of what the his generals did, Zig was helpless. Then the spell struck a barrier. The mage's hands faltered a bit as his eyes widened in surprise. His eyes weren't the only one, Zanu was gaping in open shock at this turn of events. The mage scowled.
"Who the hell blocked my spell?" He muttered softly, his frustration evident.
"Another mage obviously, one of great power to deflect your spell." A voice commented softly behind him, turning the mage smirked.
"Finally come out of your hiding place Bamanoske?" The Hume samurai chuckled.
"I would never hide, besides, it's all because of you we're doing this." He said sneering at the Hume who shook his head and turned back to the port. Suddenly he walked to the tip of the wooden pole and stood straight, his hand gripped the wire as his ice cold eyes surveyed the crowd, Lazarus's hand tightened on his weapon, the gaze of this mage made him feel odd, almost nostalgic, and frightened.
"I call upon he who cast that protection spell, reveal yourself now or I will seek you out personally!" The mage called, looking like some god forsaken warrior. When there was no movement, the Hume scowled, before Bam moved up behind him.
"Calm yourself Antigen, there." He said pointing. The Hume followed his gaze, and it landed on a female Elvaan.
She was glowing pearly white, and had raven black hair.
". . . . Ginryu?" Mabs asked incredulously. Gin glanced up, her eyes glazed over as she gave a sleepy smirk and started forward, her stance graceful and flowing. The mage scowled.
"Are you the one who cast the spell that stopped mine?"
". . . . if I am?" She replied calmly.
"Answer the question." The Hume said calmly, his eyes piercing.
"When you answer mine." She replied just as coolly, her gaze dreamy and half lidded.
"I will kill you if you are." The mage replied without hesitation to her question, this raised a few growls among the ranks of the Adventurers. Ginryu smiled at him.
"Then I answer your question. I am. If you are to kill me, I wish to know your name first." She said calmly as she held her sword up, pointing its tip at a diagonal position away from her body. The mage hesitated for a fraction of a second, before he suddenly leapt off of the point of the wooden mast, with a graceful backflip, he landed on the ground on his shoes easily, his eyes still holding their cold and emotionless expression.
"I am called Antigen." He said calmly. Ginryu smiled.
"Very well, I am Ginryu. But I am fully aware that in the Eastern lands, the citizens address people by their last names, thus you would be calling me Nadasvia. However you are in Sandoria now, and we address another by their first name, care to share it?" She asked calmly. The mage paused, before smirking.
"Intelligent, a Sandorian Elvaan no less. Rather shocking." He commented snidely, before allowing a mirthless smile to grace his lips.
"Stereotyping is rather unpleasant mage." Gin muttered dully.
"Ginryu Nadasvia? A pleasure to know you, this must be a hitzusen."
"This is no meeting of fate, but a simple inconvenience of timing." Ginryu replied calmly without missing a beat. Both Lazarus and Zanu started, how did she know of that word? The mage did not seem surprised.
"Your name, I believe I requested it." Ginryu said calmly as her eyes flickered into a deeper golden amber, and white light began to radiate from her body, almost like a white mist. The Hume smirked.
'Interesting woman . . .'
"Very well. As you are Elvaan to Ginryu Nadasvia, I am Hume to Opeth Antigen."
Disclaimer: I own OCs, unrecognizable characters and plot. Everything else belongs to whomever made them. I gain no profit from writing this, I am merely writing to entertain.
Author's notes: AHHH DON'T KILL ME VIVLI! T.T
I tried, I honestly did.
But I can't help it, filling up 10 pages with useless events and detail are just what I do so well! XD
Please don't hurt me lol. :D;;
Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to Bamanoske! A level 63 samurai on TITAN who helped me with rank 4! I love you man, I am in your debt. :D Delkfutt was murder, but anyway, yes, I am now rank 4. (glee)
Anyway, time for . . . .
Japanese Translations! (Cheesy? Oh, just wait. It gets better.)
Well you may have noticed some interesting words you have never heard of before, to clear that up I've presented the translations here, the only words you'll only need to remember are Daimyou and Yuushi. I doubt I'll ever use the other words again, and even then you don't need to remember the exact definition, really just what they stand for.
These are all Japanese words, I swear to god I'm not making them up!
". . . You've been acting weird ever since the Daimyou gave you the orders to kill the Adventurer Ginryu."
Daimyou: A Japanese Feudal lord.
Story definition: Leader of the Assassins guild, the one who gave the order to Noxes and Myloko to dispose of Ginryu.
". . . I am Zedriasage, a member of the Yuushi guild."
Yuushi: Brave warrior.
Story definition: A guild in which a number of samurai, ninja and thieves belong to. Both Zedriasage and Zanu are a part of it.
"Our meeting was clearly a hitzusen."
Hitzusen: A preordained event in which all other outcomes are impossible.
Story definition: Refer to previous definition.
"Hai."
Hai: Yes.
Story definition: Refer to previous definition.