Chapter 1: Suit of Armor

The trees seemed like they would never end. Too many. If only they had never taken that old woman's directions. If only the idiotic redhead hadn't decided to head to the last possible place where she could be. If only they had figured out what troubled her so much to the point where her departure could only solve matters…

Too many ifs, should haves, could haves. It has been a total of two years and still; we have not found any sight of her. All we have to go by are sightings from villages where she has stayed. But no more than that. Does she want to keep herself hidden from us? Why did she leave in the first place…? The assassin looked to his other comrades and saw they were in deep thought like him. The cleric had not been as bubbly as she used to be before she left; she still had the attitude but kept it down to a minimum. And the rune-knight always kept thinking and would divulge himself in rigorous spars with the assassin. He, himself, started talking less and less, almost as if he had forgotten how to speak.

But thinking about it more. They had all grown physically along with mentally and emotionally. He and Chaos were both at the ripe age of twenty-one and had shaped up well. Both had filled out and their faces were more defined. Loki was as skilled as ever in his fighting and had further trained his acute senses. But it was rare to ever see him show any other expression besides his cold mask and the usual bored look as well as hear him say anything close to comical. (Not that that had happened as much before she left. But he would at least smirk or insult the knight and cleric.)

The knight, like said before, had taken to training even more. Now he was excelling in his swordsmanship. And whenever he sparred with the assassin, he would be able to land a few more hits than the last time they fought. (But only about one or two more, Loki's skill still surpassed his own) And he had sprouted like a weed and was a full head taller than Loki; two heads taller than Iris. As always, he and the girl would have a fight with each other. It ended most of the time with one of them having a cut or a bruise; nothing too permanent.

"Do you guys think we'll find her here?"

The assassin and rune knight turned to the little cleric. She wasn't exactly 'little' anymore. Iris was already twenty years old and had grown up quite well. All her curves were in the right places and some were still pending. She could still be a little immature, but made up for it with her growing skill in the rune cards. And she had finally taken her hair out of her ever-present pigtails and had turned them into a long braid. Chaos shrugged his shoulders. "That old peddler said she had passed through on a couple of occasions during the week of the winter solstice last year. She always went back to this city when she finished…" Iris looked down at the ground for a second and then raised her gaze to treetops. "I guess it would make sense as to why she would go there…its magic is only second to that of Geffen's…and it's the hardest to locate!" Iris sidestepped a loose branch at the last second…only to have it hit Chaos right in the face.

-Smack-

Turning around she saw that Chaos had a mouthful of pine needles.

-Sweat drop-

"Oops?"

"OOPS MY ARSE! YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE YOU LITTLE TWERP!"

"Umm, Loki, a little help here?"

Looking over to the stoic man, he gave her a bored expression as if to say, "And miss the chance to see Chaos finally kill you? I think not." Turning back to the fuming knight, Iris laughed nervously and took off in a sprint. Loki watched silently as Chaos soon ran after her yelling rude profanities. One good thing came out of this fight; they created a better path…

Somewhere else

A lone figure rose up from her bed when she heard the light creaking of the floorboards and felt something or someone tug at her shirt. Looking around, she saw no one in her quarters. But looking down she gave a small smile. Lifting her covers and down blankets, she swung her legs out from beneath and placed them firmly on the ground. Bending down, she opened her arms and engulfed a little figure into her embrace. She felt him squirm a bit until he was more comfortable. Then the woman laid him down on her bed with the rest of her blankets and pillows. She gave him a small kiss on the top of his head. Raising a hand, she reached out and pulled back the curtains. She observed the goings on of the city streets as people began to head for their jobs. After a few minutes, she let the curtains fall back into place.

Stepping out of bed she stood to her full height and reached up towards a shelf. Pulling down a wig she placed it firmly atop of her head and hid away any loose strands of her real hair. Reaching up again, she pulled down a black piece of cloth that she had only taken off five hours prior and now she would don it once more… Shaking out the dark thoughts she then headed for her closet, and pulled out her clothes for the day. Looking towards the bed, she saw that the little boy had fallen asleep. She smiled and decided to let him sleep longer; she would see him in a couple of hours. Heading for her bathroom, she grabbed the rest of her accessories and apparel. Stepping into the bathroom, she locked the door as she began getting ready for the long day ahead.

Back with the 3 travelers

"Wow…big…shiny…"

The two red heads stared at the gates to the city of Anestef. The gates stood at least one hundred feet high made of different metals and had intricate carvings upon it. Not only that, but he recognized various symbols of the Assassin's Guild and Cross carved in it as well as old incantations and talismans (most likely used for protection). Loki sighed mentally as he watched the two of them stare at the gates in awe. Apparently, the knight had chased the cleric all the way to the end of the forest as he yelled at her. He then crashed into her while she was standing there staring at the gates. When Loki arrived Chaos barely took notice to the entrance.

"Are you two done gawking yet?"

"But Loki," yelled Iris, "they're so big! There must be over a million people living in this city! How are we supposed to find her in a place like this the doorway itself is the size of a giant? " She turned to the assassin expecting a good answer. The said man cocked his head to the side and looked at her with a bored expression. "By knocking on it so they could let us in." Chaos broke into a fit of laughter as the cleric looked at the man deadpanned. But then she smiled at the little joke the assassin made and took a step back. "Okay then your assassin-ship! Lead the way and get them to open up the doors," insisted Iris. Chaos made it to a sitting position and backed up the girl. "You heard the little lady, Loki. Get them to open the doors!"

Loki glared at the two of them and stepped up to the gates. Ironically there was a rope placed conveniently in front of him that attached itself to a huge bell. Holding out one hand, Loki grabbed onto the object and gave it two strong tugs.

Nothing

When nothing seemingly happened, Iris was about to comment about the assassin's so called knowledge. As she opened her mouth an earsplitting sound reverberated around them.

-B-O-N-G B-O-O-O-O-N-G-

Iris collapsed to the ground clutching her ears trying to block out the sound. Chaos was on the ground still and was doing the same as he started to yell about it being too loud. Loki just stared at the two not at all fazed by the sound of the bell or the continuous vibrations it ensued. When the echoes of the bell ended, the three of them heard someone stomping down what seemed to be steps that magically appeared in replacement of the rope.

Looking up to the middle of the spiral steps, they saw a suit of armor clamber down the long flight of stairs. The person's shoulders were hunched over and had a fist clenched while the other held onto the hilt of a sheathed sword. The armor itself was made out of what seemed to be a custom made metal. And of course the metallic ringlets that made up the chain mail shirt were seen under the heavy armor. A silver and blue sash was slung over his shoulder and across his chest and was tied to the end of his belt.

Chaos barely made out a long stream of vulgar sentences being said when Loki heard every single word. What a poor mouth this person has. It makes me wonder how someone could be made such an esteemed member of the Royal Guard… When the guard made his way to the foot of the steps, he suddenly stopped and stared at Loki. "Please state your identity and reason for coming to the city of Anestef," came the soft voice of a twenty year old. Loki and Chaos were surprised at how young he sounded, but Iris seemed used to it. (Actually, she kind of smirked at the guard.)

"I am Loki of the Assassin's Guild. I have come here with my two comrades on a retrieval mission we are expected to complete."

The young guard nodded slowly at his answer. He looked him up and down as if sizing him up. Then his concealed eyes landed on the insignia of the Assassin's Cross. Iris and Chaos were surprised when the guard bowed toward their friend and then stood straight again. Loki just kept a steady gaze on him studying the man's gesture.

"You are of the Assassin's Cross. We, too, have had one of your seven members board with us within these gates. I am Aaron Eland of the Royal Guard. Your business seems to be in order. But you and your comrades" he said in a sly manner as he looked over at Iris (much to Chaos' disdain), "will have to fill out some paperwork as to how long you intend to stay here and then we'll find you a place to stay for the duration of your mission." Aaron said this all in a business like manner that contradicted his soft child like voice. He then turned to the stair case and clapped his hands and then slapped both of them onto the steps. Suddenly, the steps melted in to the ground and in front of them, a ten foot doorway appeared.

Chaos, Iris and Loki stared at the opening in front of them and then looked towards their guide. He shrugged his shoulders and raised both hands in the air as he walked through the entryway. "Alchemy, so useful in so many ways…" They quietly followed him through and stopped to find themselves in headquarters for the Royal Guard and Knights. Looking up and down the halls, you could see various knights, guards, novices, were walking around receiving their orders from the higher ups or catching up to their mentors to train for the day. Behind them, they saw Aaron seal the door as to not let in anyone or anything else. When he turned back to face the group, his gaze immediately fell on the red headed girl. Chaos saw this and then stepped up to introduce himself.

"Hey, I'm Chaos! Nice to meet you, and dude, that alchemy of yours looks so cool."

Aaron turned to face him and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why thank-you dude…but you seemed to have mistaken something about me like so many others before you." Chaos stared at Aaron in confusion. Iris beamed at the guard as she watched him remove his helmet to reveal two forest green eyes, a face that ended in a smirk, and long red and black hair that fell to mid waist. The royal guard held the helmet firmly against her hip.

"COUSIN AARON!"

"IRIS!"

The assassin and rune knight stood off to the side as the two girls hugged each other in a tight bear hug. They both looked almost identical if it weren't for the black streaks and green eyes. When he realized the connection between the two women Chaos' eyes bugged out of his head. "Cousin! She's your COUSIN!" The two girls stopped hugging and smiled at him. "Yeah! She's my mother's brother's second oldest daughter! I haven't seen her since I was sixteen."

"Nice to meet you two. I already know you," she said while giving a pointed stare to the assassin, "as Loki."

Aaron stepped forward and placed a hand on her hip and then extended her other hand to shake Chaos'. "As for you Chaos, I'm guessing you're the 'super strong mega hottie' my cuz' wrote to me about in most of her letters…"

"AARON!"

"'Super strong mega hottie' Iris," Chaos said slyly as he smirked at her.

-Blush-

"I only wrote that in one letter over four years ago Aaron!"

Her cousin looked over at her and smirked. Aaron leaned into Iris and whispered in her ear, "Oh, and he still isn't strong or hot? He looks in pretty good shape to me. And by my standards, he's as hot as they get." Iris flushed to the roots of her hair when her cousin told her this. Turning to Aaron, she animatedly yelled back at her. "We'll talk about this later! Right now we need to find a place to stay for the next two weeks!"

Aaron gave Iris a bored expression as she rubbed her ear to get it to stop ringing. "Geeze, when I told you and your friends that we would 'find you a place to stay' I meant that you would be staying with me and the rest of the family over at our place-oof!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank YOU!"

Iris engulfed Aaron in a bone crushing hug as soon as she heard where they were staying. When she saw her cousin turn blue, she let go of her and ran over to Chaos and Loki. While her cousin donned her helmet once more, Iris told them of their accommodations and Chaos whooped when he heard they didn't have to pay for rooms at the local inn. Loki just said that they had better hurry so that they could get settled and then go on their search. Aaron just nodded and told one of the other guards where she could be found if needed. She then led the three through a door that led them to another set of hallways. Aaron took the hallway to their left and led them through.

As the group made their way through the halls they came upon a group of masked individuals. Loki observed each of them carefully noting how many there were. Ten in all. Their uniform consisted of a pitch black mask that was made of a fabric that made them stick to their faces like a second skin. It covered half their face only showing their eyes and the bridge of their nose and up. The rest of their clothing was a tight pitch black long-sleeved shirt that ended in gloves that had the fingers cut off and black baggy cargo pants. Each of them had silver wrist guards along with shin guards that made it all the way to their knees. Attached to their thighs were pouches that seemingly held weapons or food rations.

They were all spread out in the halls. Some were leaning against the wall watching the others. Three of them were talking amongst each other while the rest of them sat on the ground against the wall trying to catch some extra sleep. When the four people passed by them, all of the masked people (save for the ones that were sleeping) watched them silently and discreetly. But even though they were inconspicuous, Loki knew that they were watching them. He could tell that at least one of the ones 'sleeping' was watching only him as he walked by. After the four of them exited through a door, they found themselves on a small patio that had four staircases attached to it. Before Aaron could walk in the direction of the correct stairs, Chaos asked a question.

"Who were those people Aaron?"

Aaron stopped in mid-step and looked over her shoulder. Setting down her foot again, she turned the rest of her body to fully face him. She saw that Iris was giving her a questioning look while Loki looked like he could care less (but in truth, he was listening to the question and was waiting for the answer). Aaron then scratched the back of her neck trying to think of a good explanation as to who the people in the hallway were.

"Umm…well those would be our underground people. Their jobs deal with all the stuff that happens in the darker side of the city. They keep track of all the dealings and shady businesses and sometimes work for months on missions that could prove to be lethal. Each member has to be able to memorize everything that they are told and all that they have observed during their missions and each of their mission reports because they are only to be looked at once until the end of the mission. And they all have to possess a magical talent whether it is incantations, spells, charms, rune card, or (my personal favorite) alchemy. Lastly, they have to show some impressive skills in armaments of some sort."

When she looked over at Chaos and Iris she noticed that they were impressed by all the things the masked people had to do. Loki, of course, would be used to this seeing as he was a member of the Assassin's Guild. "For people here, that's a lot to do. Not to mention they have to undergo the same kind of training those oriental people up north do, you know, the ninjas. They need the stealth on all their missions. There's only ten because not many are willing to do that job and they only recruit the best of the best. I tried at one point, but I didn't do too well at memorizing all the books they gave me, and didn't have much experience in stealth. Too clumsy. Come to think of it…they recently received a new member three months ago when one of them retired…the new recruit is a friend of my sister's actually…"

She trailed off for a while as she thought through the events and tried to remember the small inaugural ceremony that took place those three months before. Snapping out of her thoughts, she led them down a flight of stairs as she continued her clarification on the subject. "Each are given hidden quarters that are only known to the other members and the viceroy of the city and some noted officials. This is the first time I've seen all of them in one place like that since I became part of the Royal Guard, actually. You guys are really lucky to see them together on your first visit here. Sometimes you only see one or two at a time. But I'm guessing some of them came back from a mission so they're going to have a meeting. If this was a long term mission, then all of them should be getting a small retreat soon after…"

Once again, she trailed off and led them through another door that took them to the outside of a lookout tower. They took the steps on the outer part of the tower heading down to the base. As the door behind them was about to close, someone's hand darted out and held the door open a little longer. A pair of crystal blue eyes observed the three other people who followed the Royal Guard. The eyes lingered a while longer on the stoic assassin before the figure retreated back inside the confines of the building when hearing someone call out saying the meeting was to start. The figure clad in black and silver started running back up the flight of steps with one thought in mind. Two years…

End Chapter 1