AUTHOR'S HOWLS

Wow, before anything else, I first want to thank Tela and Halcyon for continually reading this story. I hope I see more of your inspiring words in the future. Anyway, just a little note, this is one of my favorite chapters. A lot of the broken threads were connected on this Chapter and gives more light to those who will eventually be the main characters all throughout the story. Just a note to Tela, Shinbo, really WAS a lucky thief. He was the only person I know who just for the heck of it, created a thief with every stat 1 save for luck which he wanted to go 99 points, hehe. His point was that he would make an assassin that was a monster at Crit and Lucky dodge. Ah, good old beta days when we were all noobs. Anyway, hope you enjoy this next installment and by the way, the character guide has been updated. If there are any times you got lost and wondered who that character was again? well, you have the guide to look to now. Pls tell me if it helps a bit. Chapter 3 on now!

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

(Since Chapter 1)

Main Chars:

Damienus - Master Priest and High Counciler of the Pronteran Church High Council. The only living Grand Master who has perfected the Magnus Exorcisimus spell.

Rahne - Softspoken but aspiring swordsmaiden whose father was allegedly killed by a Wanderer. (See Prologue)

Roxanne/Roseanne - Feisty, conceited but fiercely loyal, this lady acolyte always seems to be getting in trouble.

Lilly Loran - Demure, Intelligent and strong, Lilly is one of the brightest students in Geffen's Academy of the arcane arts. She is also Roxanne's bestfriend.

Canaan - A lonely and pitiful figure. This blacksmith lives by his lonesome in the woods of Geffen.

Supporting Cast:

Yukan - A Wizard Lord from Geffen's Supreme Council of Wizards. He has mastery over Fire-based spells (Introduced in this chapter!)

Origon - Belongs to one of the ruling nobilities of the land of Morroc, this Assassin is known throughout the land for helping bring peace between Prontera and Morroc during the Morrocan war (Introduced in this chapter!)

Shinbo - The self-proclaimed "Lucky thief" captured by Lilly and Roxy while he was stealing an apple

Staple Wire - A thief with a unique tool of weapons

Kiko - A Thief with quick hands and a short temper. He is the leader of a trio of poor bandits that continually steals the Blacksmith Canaan's wares every morning

G-sas - A swordsman in Kiko's party

Iya - A gentle acolyte forced to steal with Kiko and G-sas because of poverty

Grand Councilor Wepz: The youngest priest in history to recieve the title of Grand Councilor, which means the leader of the Pronteran Church

Dragonz - Supreme General of the Pronteran Knight Academy

Minos - Dragonz's XO

Kram-Z - Another high-ranking knight in the Pronteran Academy and a friend of Minos and Dragonz

Other characters:

Sister Matilda: One of the helpers in the Pronteran Church and appears to be a love interest of Damienus

Governor Xen-Lou - Governor of Payon City and close friend of Damienus

Ferdomear - Retired colonel of the Pronteran Army and an instructor from the Pronteran Knight Academy. Ferdomear lost his life protecting his daughter, Rahne, during the events that happened during the Prologue.

Prince Tam - Young King of Prontera forced to sit on the throne when his father, King Tristam the 1st, died.

CHAPTER 3: DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH

Geffen Castle, Geffen

Duty can never truly exist without faith. Those that say they were doing their work solely by duty alone were not always destined to do their work completely. In most cases, they fail miserably and with regret. Because when one has faith in what he does and who he serves, the duty that the person does may seem much easier or at least the assurance of his own feelings that said it was worth the effort was there.

Yukan was a man who had faith. Faith in his abilities, faith in his beliefs and most of all faith in his city, the Land of Magic, Geffen. For him, duty was a responsibility that everybody carried and it was natural to obey its whims. In fact to him, duty wasn't exactly "duty" at all but merely necessities and at the worst case, challenges that required the removal of obstacles. Never was there a time that Yukan doubted victory at the end of a battle or in the creation of battle strategies. He was a Wizard Lord of Geffen, a high rank that gave him prestige and honor in the city where the strongest wizards are born. It also meant that he was a master spell caster and his forte were spells of fire and flames. It suited him well for when he was in a battle, his passion and determination to come on top raged inside him hotter than even his most powerful spells. When people see him, they see someone that had an air of knowledge and dedication. Yukan was tall, slim and always carried himself in a dignified manner but those close to him knows that he also had a funny side that gave him many friends. His brown hair was brushed upward revealing a tan-skinned face with green eyes and an easy smile.

But tonight he was heavily troubled. He had just gotten out from a meeting with the Defense Ministers of Geffen and one of the Ministers, his close friend Eva-Duo, had just given some very disturbing news. News that might well mean a future of conflict and strife. Yukan's footsteps echoed as he walked in a long hallway, with wizards and mages bowing when he passed by. He turned into an open doorway and found himself on a very spacious balcony overlooking the city of Geffen. It was no mere sight. Geffen Town's houses and Inns were always lighted at night giving a spectacular show to those that looked from 80 feet above. Beyond the city walls, young mages practiced their spells at the simple monsters situated outside, giving an ever-constant fireworks display that always bathed Geffen in a luminous glow of activity not to be seen from any other city. He had barely rested his arms on the ledge when a gruff voice startled him.

"Funny how different our two cities are, yet still so much the same."

The voice came from the shadows and startled Yukan so much that his hands were already moving in the arcane incantations of a spell. But before he could react, the owner of the voice walked in the moonlight and the Wizard was thankful that he had not been in haste to cast an offensive spell targeted at one of the most respected personas in Midgard.

"Lord Origon... you startled me a bit there. But why have you come by this way? Come, let me show you to our guest room and I'll inform the Tower's criers of your visit." Yukan said politely, choosing his words carefully and with poise. The assassin standing in front of him was Lord Origon, one of the Great Princes of Morroc. This meant that he was arguably one of the most powerful men in Midgard and truly one of the deadliest assassins of all time. He had come from a long line of assassin warriors and was second to none in the arts of Rinken Bakyu, the specific style used only by the assassin nobility. His katars were hanging by his side and his two large forearms were crossed on his chest as he stared at the lights of Geffen Town below. His blonde hair partly covered the right side of his face and his slightly darkened skin was illuminated by the random lights that were given off by the spells of the young mages in the distance. His mask covered his mouth but his voice came out clearly and the inflections in his voice had the mark of aristocracy in it.

"You do not have to. I'm not staying very long and I hate being treated differently." Origon answered in a gruff voice, his eyes still focused on the lights of the town. Yukan also sensed that he wasn't the only one who was feeling uneasy tonight. He nodded as Origon continued.

"I'll go straight to the point, Yukan. We have a little dilemma down at Morroc and we may need some help from your Wizards."

Yukan rubbed his chin and frowned. Origon's request had come at the most inopportune of times. He thought of his answer carefully. If he refused so abruptly, the Morrocan prince may be insulted and THAT wasn't very good to strengthen diplomatic ties between Geffen and Morroc. Still, he figured that the truth was the best option; in fact the assassin may already know their problems too. They were the best at obtaining information though some may disagree of their methods.

"Lord Origon... I regret that we may not be able to be at power to give aid at this time. We too are having some internal problems of our own. In fact, maybe you could be of some help to us as well. The sooner we can solve our problems, the sooner we can help Morroc out." Yukan said, sweating a bit. The assassin gave him a curious look.

"Oh? Very well then. What can Morroc do for Geffen?"

Yukan walked to the ledge and rested his arms on the cold stone. He wondered if he could trust this information with a Morrocan prince. A long time ago, Morroc had created trouble for Midgard when they decided to invade Prontera, a close ally of Geffen. The bloody war lasted for a while with numerous casualties on both sides. When the irking for peace was at the loudest, Morroc and Prontera signed a peace agreement and settled to work together to support each other. As a sign of faith, Morroc had opened to the public their Assassin Academy where Novices, who chose their 1st job as thieves, could go and train to be stealthy and deadly fighters. To be Assassins. Prontera fulfilled their end of the bargain when they opened their doors to Morrocan citizens and gave caravans of merchants that induced more trade between the two cities. But still, tension was very high and a lot of Midgard's citizens did not trust the word of the Assassins and fear that another invasion may take place in the future. A lot of people have assumed in fact that Geffen was the next target. Yukan swallowed first and his hand went to his forehead. The hesitation did not go unnoticed. Origon placed his cold eyes on the Wizard.

"No trust in our newfound alliance, Yukan? Perhaps I was wrong to come here for help? And even more that I offered my aid?" The voice was becoming frigid. So was the look. Yukan searched for a way to explain his reluctance.

"My apologies, Lord Origon. It's just the news I've heard was particularly disturbing that I could not help but feel uneasy. Different types and species of monsters have been appearing throughout Geffen. Some look like mutated forms of the old monsters. Still some are all entirely new and have been known to use skills and strategies that our sources consider as almost human." Yukan explained, wiping a few beads of sweat from his forehead. Origon did not look surprised.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before Geffen's monsters have been affected. Morroc is also under alert. A lot of our spies have observed massive movements of monsters acting as if they have been organized or even ordered to hold strategic places. Some of our thieves could not train in these areas and I've been getting a lot of complaints." Origon joined Yukan at the ledge. "What does Prontera say?"

"General Dragonz is aware of the monster movements but since no unusual activity has been detected near their territory, they've decided to gather more information first before coming to a decision. Payon however have had a few reports but they have problems of their own as you may well know." Yukan turned and rested his back against the ledge to cross his arms over his chest. "And this had come at such a bad time. Prince Shigeru ran away just last night and the Ministers have used up all our manpower to search for the rascal. And to make things worse, Princess Yuriko left on her own to search for her brother. Both had not been seen or heard from since last night. Lord Origon, if you could help in our search, we'd be glad to help out with the monsters camped in your territory."

"Ah, but you're mistaken, Yukan. I did not come here to ask help to deal with the monsters but because of a disturbingly similar situation." Origon answered as he saw Yukan's questioning stare. "One of our own from the nobility has been reported missing and it appears that we have trained her too well. She had managed to evade all our spies and covered her tracks pretty well. Too well for my own liking, in fact. She is Princess Dukesa."

"Princess Dukesa???" Yukan could hardly believe his ears. Two cities with reports of disturbing activity from monsters in their territories and their respective heirs were missing. "That is very shocking news, Lord Origon. I'm beginning to think of a solution though."

"Yes, I can read your mind. Pool our sources together and try to search for our lost heirs?" Origon suggested and Yukan nodded in agreement. The assassin sighed and walked slowly to a shadowy part of the balcony. "I will instruct Lord Krizalid to include the finding of Prince Shigeru and Princess Yuriko in his objectives. Hopefully, we can find our heirs and solve this monster problem once and for both of our cities' sakes. Thank you for your time, Lord Yukan. I'll be seeing you around." And with that, the assassin Lord melded in the shadows and Yukan found himself alone again with his thoughts and Geffen's lights.

"I have a feeling I'll be seeing you much sooner than that..." Yukan said to nobody at all. With a wave of his cloak, he disappeared back inside the tower to talk to the ministers about his conversation with the Assassin Lord.

Shinbo was a thief whose imagination never soars to the skies. Once in a while he would look up and see the birds gliding in the wind but he would never wonder how it felt or what kind of freedom it entailed for someone to be sailing in the four winds. Being a thief, he liked to jump and yes, heights never gave him any discomfort but there was always the warm prospect of landing back on ground that he looked forward to. He felt safe, grounded and in control when his two feet were on solid soil.

To put it blatantly, Shinbo never really liked flying.

He opened his eyes and he saw things flying past him at great speed. To fly, to spread your wings and marvel at the freedom of being alone in mid-air and feel the wind whistle past your ears... was this it? Was this how it felt? If it was then... It was great! He could stay like this forever, he thought as he smiled and welcomed the feeling. Then reality came back at him in a hurry. And it had the form of... a door.

"What in???" But it was too late to even try to react. Shinbo crashed painfully on the door that led outside from the warden's office, smashing it well beyond repair. It turned out that he was flying, yes, but the cause was from a well-placed kick that slammed at his chest when he tried to jump a cloaked figure that had appeared just as he and Staple Wire was trying to escape. He groaned and tried to breathe. It came in short gasps and spots were dancing a pretty ballet in front of his eyes. A few meters in front of him, Staple Wire was trying to gauge the skills of the intruder, but he wasn't having much luck. The cloaked figure was able to parry attacks with ease and used the slightest of movements to hit back. She even looked like she's toying with them.

"Shinbo?! Are you alright?? You! You didn't have to do that! We meant you no harm!" Staple Wire said to the lady assassin, gritting his teeth and holding his two daggers in front of him. His hands shivered. This was no mere adventurer. He knew he was dealing with a pro. And a lady assassin at that.

"Your friend attacked me. I only defended myself. That was pretty rude of him, considering I did you both a favor when I killed all the dungeon guards." The lady assassin answered, the hood of her cloth still covering the upper part of her face. Staple could only see her mouth and it had a feminine smile on it. Both her katars were out in the open now, and the blood from the guards gave it an eerie glow. Staple Wire marveled at the design. Like all katars, the blade ended in sharp tips that could cut easily into flesh and even through armor but that was where the similarity ends. The two edges of the triangular blade ended into graceful arcs that represented what looked like wings. The handles were of intricate design, its length was carved in spirals and even through the blood, it gleamed in the light. He squinted his eyes and decided that it was... yes, made of ivory. Whoever she was, she appeared to be somebody important. And probably dangerous. Staple Wire gripped his daggers tightly. He mustn't be intimidated! In the future, he would also be in assassin's clothes too but that was only if he survived long enough to prove to himself that he was capable of reaching this goal.

"We can handle ourselves. We don't need any help from y--" Staple blinked and suddenly she was gone. He froze with fear and uncertainty. Where will the attack come from? The side? From behind? Via a projectile? The answer turned out to be all three. A piece of the stony floor came flying at him in top speed from the side. He twisted to the right to dodge and barely got both his daggers up to block a slicing attack by a katar from behind. The blades clinked loudly and sparks flew as Staple stumbled back from the impact. The assassin however, gracefully hopped forward and completed a roll for the follow through. Two more stabs flew in quickly and Staple Wire parried the first with his left dagger, twirled the one on his right and chose a backhand slash to both parry and wound the hand that held the katar. He was fighting for balance and he was losing.

The assassin pulled back her arm quickly before the dagger could nick her hand and kicked a piece of wooden debris from the floor. Staple Wire flailed his hands in front oh him to cover his face as he stumbled back. The assassin was about to deliver the final blow when Shinbo appeared out of nowhere with a wild scream and a flying kick aimed at her face. The assassin merely stopped her attack and ducked. As her head went forward, her right leg shot upward from the back like a pendulum and caught Shinbo's stomach in mid-air. The Lucky Thief crashed shoulder-first into the warden's desk, breaking it in half. Staple wire used the momentary distraction to launch one of his daggers at the assassin as she looked in the other direction. The woman merely moved her head to one side and the dagger missed her by a centimeter and buried itself on one of the pieces of the warden's broken desk, just a few inches from Shinbo's ear.

"You idiot! Whose side are you on, anyway?!" Shinbo screamed, scrambling back to his feet away from both the dagger and the assassin.

"Hey, I don't see how getting repeatedly flung to the furniture could help us in the long run!" Staple shot back, grabbing a handful of staple traps from his pocket. But he hesitated when he saw that the assassin was not moving to attack. The cloak appeared to be shaking. It turned out that the assassin was laughing and laughing hard. The hood suddenly came down and the stranger revealed her true identity. Shinbo and Staple Wire's jaws dropped as they saw the vision that unraveled in front of them.

The assassin was indeed a woman and her red lips were only a glimpse of what was the full beauty of Princess Dukesa. Her soft hands brought both her katars to the floor to wipe them off on the warden's clothes and to run her fingers through the length of her green hair down to her shoulders. Her eyes were brown and sparkled like oases set on a desert that had the color of alabaster which was what her skin resembled. She had an easy smile on her face but an aura of sadness along with what appeared to be a hidden rage about her.

"I've decided that I'll let you both live. I see now that I cannot complete this quest alone. You have nothing to fear from me from now on." The princess said as she placed both her katars inside her cloth gracefully.

It took both thieves a full minute to even get their mouths to close. But it was Shinbo who broke the silence first.

"Y-y-y- you're... you're a woman???"

Two seconds later, Shinbo realized that he didn't really like flying at all. But the view from a freefall from a Pronteran dungeon tower window wasn't all that bad.

Hakata Forests, 2 Kilometers off the outskirts of Payon Town.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"No."

"Ok... now?"

"No."

"I know! Right about now, right?"

"No."

"SIGH!"

"No."

"What do you mean, 'NO'? I didnt even ask a question that time! How c--"

"No."

The Blacksmith Canaan opened a sleepy eye as he lay back on his tree. He'd been hearing the strange voices for quite some time now and figured that they were passing through this part of the road at least for the fourth time this morning. The girl's voice was most particularly loud and annoying, he thought. The rugged Blacksmith shrugged and adjusted his Sakkat to block the sun's bright rays. He didn't get enough sleep last night and he wanted to make up for it this day.

By all accounts it looked to be a beautiful day in Hakata Forests. The large stretch of woodland that served as a path between Geffen and Payon was bright and windy this morning and the sounds of birds singing melodiously and the sight of butterflies frolicking in the flowers gave the scenic view an aesthetically pleasing quality that looked perfect for a summer day painting. He chewed on a fresh blade of grass and resumed his interrupted slumber. With his two hands behind his head and his right leg resting on his left knee, it took only a few seconds 'till he was back in a restful state. Pity. It wasn't meant to last very long.

"There! See? We've passed by this dumb Blacksmith for the fourth time already. I don't even know why we have to walk all this way to get to Payon!"

"No."

"Its not funny, Master Damienus. Stop it already."

"Ok."

"Really?"

"No."

"YOU'RE HOPELESS!"

Canaan definitely could not rest with all that racket. He wished that these noisy people would just move along to wherever they wished to go. Maybe pick one of his weapons up while they're at it, he chuckled to himself. It wasn't yet time for Kiko and his party to drop by and steal his weapons. Maybe he could actually sell something this time before they do and maybe earn enough for a new Sakkat...

"Excuse me, Mister?"

The question sounded very close. He opened both his eyes and waited for the sleepy daze to disappear. The upper part of his Sakkat covered most of his view but he could see at least four people in front of his little stall. Heh, that's a laugh. "Stall" was really an overstatement, in fact. His little shop consisted of a blanket set in the grass with two knives, two swords and a used can of pickles. But he almost never had customers anyway so who cares?

"Is he dead?" It was the girl's voice. "Wow, he's decomposing..."

"I'm very much alive, miss... Can I help you with anything?" Canaan answered angrily and looked up, taking off his Sakkat to have a better view of the little party. Four people were standing in front of him. A priest, a swordswoman, a lady mage and... a lady acolyte. Something inside Canaan twitched at the latest sight. The acolyte was very pretty but her face was in a disgusted scowl which he knew the cause was his own rugged state. He turned away from the acolyte's hazel green eyes that bore into him. Why did she have to be an acolyte?? Why did he have to see another lady acolyte so soon???

The priest was observing him as he turned away. Canaan cursed at himself for appearing so transparent. If there was something Canaan didn't need right now, it was social interaction, somebody asking questions or even just harmless conversation. Can't they just go away? "If you're looking for money, I aint got nothing on me." He finally said.

"Easy there, fellow..." The priest assured him. "We just need some directions towards Payon Town. We've been wandering blindly for quite some time now and this acolyte here lost the backpack containing our warp gems."

"I didn't LOSE the backpack, I just put it down to rest my arms and then it was gone!" The acolyte interrupted angrily, swiping part of her bangs behind her ears.

"Yeah, you put it down in the middle of a crowded inn. That's very smart." The lady mage sighed and rolled her eyes. The swordswoman of the party merely remained silent and watched as the two other girls debated on whose fault it was.

"Oh yeah? I was bringing both the gem bag and the food bag. If only a certain mage stopped and helped instead of parading around the inn patrons looking like little miss 'hey-look-at-my-butt'!" The acolyte snapped back.

"ENOUGH ALREADY!!!" The priest yelled back and the two girls stopped at once with the acolyte sticking his tongue out and the lady mage almost already chanting a Level 10 Thunderbolt spell. He turned back towards the Blacksmith and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for interrupting your peace. But we really need your help. My name is Master Damienus of the Pronteran Church. The acolyte's name is Roxy and the mage over there is Lilly. The swordswoman behind us is Rahne. We're kinda in a tough spot. I'll make it worth your while, if you could maybe be our guide until we reach Payon Town...?" Damienus asked.

Canaan let a few seconds go by so he looked like he was actually thinking about it. Then he shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I'll pass. What you need to do is to follow this path towards the broken-down windmill. Continue west from there along the river then cross the bridge and you'll find yourself in another path. Let's see... if you follow that one, you will enter Fisherboughs Forest and then the road to Payon will be in sight." Canaan finished and looked off from the distance. "However, don't ever enter Fisherboughs Forest at night."

"Why? What's with Fisherbough at night?" Lilly asked with a curious look on her face.

"Just... don't go there at night. You can move along now, if you leave right away you can make it beyond the forest before dark." Canaan said and lay back on his tree. He reached for his Sakkat and put it back on. He could see Damienus shrug and look at his party mates.

"Well... ok, thanks for the information, stranger. May God bless you." Damienus said with a smile but when he was about to take a step, he hesitated, hearing an odd whistling sound. "Do you guys hear something?"

Before anyone could answer, a hefty piece of rock slammed into the back of the old priest's head at top speed knocking Damienus completely out and he fell forward on his face. Three figures entered the pathway quickly. A swordsman, a thief, and a lady Acolyte. It was Kiko's party coming to steal Canaan's wares again right on schedule.

"The priest is down, G-sas. You take care of the Mage and I'll deal with the swordswoman. Iya, we need support!" The thief yelled and ran to the shocked party. What luck! These people talking to the Blacksmith looked pretty rich! First, the Blacksmith's wares then these suckers' goods. They would make a lot of money today!

"BANDITS! Roxy go and see if Master Damienus is alright. Rahne and I will deal with these lowlifes!" Lilly screamed to her friend. The acolyte nodded quickly and ran to the fallen priest. Rahne took on a grim face and brought out her sword as she looked at Lilly for commands. Lilly's right hand moved in a small circle as her left hand glowed in a purple haze.

"Etheral hues... Beings of Dimensions escaflowne and rath, show me a portion of your power. Wreck havok on this plane as I call upon you..." Lilly brought both her hands to her side and they glowed intensely with power.

"SOUL DIVIDE!!!"

Two beams of purple light shot out from each hand curving at their own whim directly towards Kiko the thief and G-sas the swordsman. G-sas merely brought up his Mirror shield and the two beams that came into his direction dispersed uselessly over the shield that was built to withstand and lessen the power of magic spells. The two beams that went to Kiko were easily dodged by a flying leap as the beams impacted on the ground, burning grass and skittering stones in every direction. Lilly saw that Kiko was heading towards Rahne. She hoped that Rahne's sword wasn't just for show and that the shy swordsmaiden could defend herself if she had to. Because she was gonna have her hands full with the swordsman walking slowly towards her.

Roxy ran towards her stunned teacher, looking back a bit to see Lilly's attack rendered useless by a Mirror shield. She wanted to go there and help them but Damienus wasn't in very good shape. The impact on the back of his head was pretty strong but thankfully not fatal as long as she stayed there to take care of the clotting. She took a few pieces of cloth and covered the nasty bump on the old priest's head. Damn it, she can't stay here for this. Her friends needed help! She looked around and saw Canaan the Blacksmith staring at her, still sitting under his tree. He hadn't moved since the fighting began. Her blood began to boil at the sight.

"Hey you! We need help here! Arent you a Blacksmith? Please help my friends. I can't leave my teacher like this! Aren't you a gentleman?" Roxy screamed, pointing to his friends. Canaan looked at the fighting and gave her a blank stare.

"I don't wanna get involved. I might get hurt. Besides, they really don't mean any harm. They come every morning to steal my weapons. Guess its just bad luck that they saw you with me. Maybe if you give them your bag of food, they'll just go away." Canaan explained, finally getting up to help move the unconscious priest to the shade. Roxy felt like she'd just been slapped.

"Give them our bag of food??? You might get hurt??? I've never seen such a coward in my entire life. My two lady friends are in danger. Dont you have any conscience?!" Roxy was fighting to hold back tears. Tears of concern and of anger were welling up. She couldn't believe such a heartless person could exist in the world.

Canaan looked at the acolyte with much sadness. Tears were coming down now. He looked away. He shouldn't really be involved. But he couldn't help her sad look. He looks back again at the fighting. Lilly was blocking sword slashes with her simple guard. But with G-sas using a mirror shield, she could hardly fight back. Rahne was holding her own against Kiko, surprisingly. But the shy girl simply just had little experience dealing with agile opponents. Her missed attacks increased in stride while Kiko's daggers were getting dangerously close to her neck. Iya, the acolyte of Kiko's party supported them both in every way, giving them an advantage that they already had from the start. He sighed and slowly got up. He held out a hand at Roxy. "If you want to save your friends, give me your bag of food. Don't worry, I have enough at my house."

He's just... too... fast! Rahne thought as she missed yet again with a stab. She hadn't even come close to wounding the thief in any way. He ducked low on slashes, sidestepped stabs and kept moving, forcing her to keep changing direction to catch up. The thief twirled his dagger and leapt to the air. Rahne stepped back and nearly tripped, barely getting her shield high to block his attack. Kiko's dagger slid on the shield's surface and he landed in front of a stumbling Rahne. His leg shot up and hit the lower side of Rahne's shield, making her lose her grip and sending the shield away from her. Without her defense, Rahne was a sitting duck. Kiko flew forward with his dagger aimed at her neck. Rahne brought her sword up to parry but Kiko was just too strong. The sword flew out of her hands and she fell back. Looking up he saw Kiko's lunging at her for the finishing blow.

Iya gasped when she saw what was happening. Kiko was too caught up in the fight that he didn't even notice that he was about to kill somebody. His dagger whistled through the air with a mission to kill. He could hear people yell at him but he could do nothing to stop his attack now.

"KIKO STOP!!!" Iya screamed.

"Kiko, you forget yourself!!!" G-sas yelled immediately, already running towards them.

"RAHNE!!!!" Lilly and Roxy cried in unison.

What followed was a horrible sound of something sharp tearing through something soft.

Then silence.

AUTHOR'S HOWLS:

Gasp! Another death so soon??! Keep the reviews in and Chapter 4 will be up as soon as tomorrow or two days. Ciao!