Hello again faithful people who like reading. How are you this fine Sunday? Presuming it is a sunday where you are. It is for me D This chapter kind of feel ehh-ishto me. It could've been better on my behalf, I think .o. OH well, you tell me with reviews, after you've read it, silly.

Bruma was nothing like I expected it to be. I thought Bruma was going to be a small village in the mountains. But it wasn't until I lay eyes upon the beginnings of a castle on the horizon that I realized my theory was sorely incorrect. By the time Jason and I made it to the gates, I was shivering. One of the guards looked at me sympathetically and patted my head. He reached into his cuirass and pulled out a brown sack that chimed when it moved.

"Get yourself some clothes, son. Bruma is no place for fine materials." He held out the bag for me to take but suddenly Laresh was behind me. The guard looked up at the knight then stood tall and erect. "Good day, sir" He said, bringing his hand up in a salute to the knight "To what does Bruma owe for this unexpected visit?" The knight flicked a gaze to the guard. I looked up at Laresh as he spoke

"There is no need to supply to boy with gold, he is under our care. And as for my visit, I am simply here to pick up what I dropped off my previous visit" His voice gave away no emotion. The guard nodded and tucked away the brown sack into his chest plate

"Yes, sir. If I am not mistaken, the Countess herself was holding on to your package to ensure its absolute safety. We understand that such a treasure can not be obtained in this land, and treat it so." The guard was flustered and it dawned on me that Bruma was a town in which Laresh was well renowned. But it became apparent to me that we had made our way to Bruma not just for supplies, but for some sort of treasure that Laresh had entrusted to the town. I grew more and more eager to become a knight now, and furthermore, interested in what Bruma could call so precious to be 'not of this world.' The guard waved a hand into the air and another armored man leaned over the side of the wall that towered well over our heads. After a few seconds, the gate opened and the path was cleared for us.

We trudged into Bruma as Laresh lead on. I looked around me, fascinated by the wood houses that lined either side of the street. It was a quiet city, but still rather large in size. I marveled at the quiet business of the city as we trekked through. Jason lifted his nose and I heard him inhale the scents of the mountain. Gain and Phoenix were behind us, smiling at our reaction. Laresh stopped towards the side of the road and I jogged to catch up, tailed by Gain and Phoenix. Laresh turned to face us, hesitating before giving us our 'orders'.

"Phoenix, you can take the boy and get him some proper clothes and appropriate armor, and then Gain will meet him at the Fighter's guild to see if they can arm him for a proper price, mention my name and expect low prices. Then when you're done, you will meet me at the castle in two hours." He said, when he received no reply, he reached into a leather bag and pulled out a significantly large bag of gold, which he handed to Phoenix. She stashed it between her bosom and grinned at me when I gave her a questioning stare. Laresh continued as if this hadn't happened at all. "Split it between you and Gain, spend it on the boy, the rest is yours." As he turned to head towards the castle, I stared questioningly at his back, presuming it would provide answers for me, it did not. Where did he get this kind of money? What on earth was so important that he left in the care of the castle residents? I shook my head to clear them of my questions, taking in for the first time that Gain was already heading down the street. Phoenix was staring at me with a mischievous grin, hands on her hips.

"Come on, space cadet." She said cheerily, and then she set off for a side road on the main street. I followed after her and once again acknowledged the cold that was nipping at my limbs. I began to walk faster to catch up. The imperial turned into a wooden building that had a sign hanging over it. Amidst the frost, I could not make out the sign label, but I followed the archer inside anyway. Inside was a large, jolly looking man covered in ash standing happily behind a counter, looking winded but cheery none the less. Phoenix removed the bag from her bosom and placed it on the counter. She then childishly placed her elbows on the counter and looked up at the man like a girl at a candy store "Hi Robert!" she said cheerily, the man smiled and began to wonder towards the back of his shop

"'Lo thar Phoebe Mitchelles, How're ye this fianne day?" He crowed. His accent was funny to me, but he seemed friendly enough. I looked to Phoenix as she straightened up and spoke again

"We're looking for some clothes and armor for Carter here; He'll be traveling with us for a while." The man peered down at me, eying my size and letting out a concentrated grunt.

"Aye, Phoebe, Ye do know that armor his size is heftily priced, right?" He said, stepping out from behind his counter to get a better look at me "They don' make armor a boy's size anymo'" He pointed out. Phoebe sighed and moved the bag slightly with one finger.

"I know, I know. But it's on Laresh's order." The girl eyed the shopkeeper in a slightly authorative way, and the man straightened instantly.

"Aye? Well then, in that case, I suppose I can give ye all a discount, but I'd like to see something from yer, first." Phoebe smiled instantly as if she knew what the man was talking about.

"Bring it on!" She said. The man shuffled to the back door of his shop and pushed it open with a beefy hand. From where I was standing, I could see leather and cloth lined up on the walls, but at the very back of the little store house, I could make out the white and red circle of a target. Did he expect Phoenix to hit that? It was so far! I looked at Phoenix ironically. She already had an arrow in hand and her bow well prepared.

"You can't be serious!" I blurted out. The man had returned to the counter and chuckled.

"I can, and I am. A'ight, Phoebe, you hit that thar target back thar, and I'll give ye a fifteh percentage discount!" He declared. Phoebe grinned and nodded, causing me to gape at them both. This must be some sort of joke. She couldn't possibly hit that target! It was then that I remembered how Phoenix had trained with the fighter's guild as an archer, and suddenly the target didn't seem so far.

Phoenix pulled back the bow string and hitched her arrow. There was a slight pause as she steadied her aim and the storekeeper moved well away from the door. There was a slight breeze as the archer let go of the bow string and the arrow flew into the back room. The arrow came to an abrupt stop in the center of the target, lodged at a slight angle. The shopkeeper grinned, grabbed my wrist and guided me around to the back of the counter. "Come on, ye two, we 'ought to get yer fitted." Phoebe hopped over the counter and followed us into the back room to retrieve her arrow.

"Fit him in something of Iron." She said as she walked by us to the back. The archer was tucking her bow back into place on her back as she walked. The shopkeeper chuckled

"Fer that performance, Miss Mitchelles, I'll fit 'im in somethin' of Steel, fer the same price." He said, the man suddenly looked for more jolly now that I knew of his generosity. He shuffled in the racks of clothing and pulled out a simple pair of soft black greaves and a white shirt. "Fit into these, boy, and we'll find ye some armor." He told me as he turned into another room that was attached to this one. I glanced around and paused for a moment. It was the cold that jolted me into action as I pulled of my pajamas and fitting into these clothing. They were light and let the cold through. Surely he must have heavier clothes coming, or I wouldn't survive in this weather.

There was a shard of glass propped up against the wall to act as a mirror. I intended to bring myself over there to witness my new attire, but the man emerged again with what looked like a hunk of metal into his hands. He set it down on the floor and looked at me.

"Thar, that 'aint so bad is it?" He asked with another chuckle. I shook my head as he picked up the shining hunk of metal. "This is what you'll be wearin' overtop of yer chain mail." He crowed. He set the piece down again and picked up a chain mail sweater. He walked over to me and held it up. I instinctively held up my hands and he fit it over my head. It was slightly big, but not by much. It added a bit of weight, but nothing I couldn't handle. He turned around swiftly as I rolled my shoulders to help me get comfortable in my new clothing. Robert turned around again and handed me the same material greaves, beaming. "Come on son, I don' have forever."

The greaves fit better than the top, they were rather tight and gripped around my thighs and calves. But I felt warmer and well protected now. Lastly, the round man lifted the cuirass. Excitement bubbled up inside me. He was holding my very own armor! He suddenly slipped the cuirass over my head and I twisted and wiggled to get my arms through "Quit squirming boy!"

When I stepped out from the shop, the cold didn't seize me as it had before. The man had also fit me with some steel boots. Although they were a size too large and clunked when I walked, I couldn't help but to feel proud about my new attire. Phoenix called a farewell to the man in the store and shut the door behind her.

"Come on, Carter, We'll get you to Gain and find you a weapon." She grabbed my wrist, which I proudly mention was covered by gauntlets as well, and pulled me behind her as we shuffled through the streets.

Gain was awaiting us outside another frost-covered building; one hand was resting quite calmly on the hilt of his blade. He noted my new armor, grinned at me and with his free hand flashed a 'thumbs up'. Phoenix threw the remainders of the gold to him, and pushed me towards the mage "I'm off to do some hunting before I meet you all later." She said, and she turned into an alley without another word. I watched the archer go then turned expectantly to Gain, who was walking up the steps of the frigid building we'd met him at.

"Come on." He said, waving a hand in my direction as he held the door open. I skipped a step and hopped up to Gain's side. Pausing upon entering, Gain closed the door behind us and stepped over to the shopkeeper, a fairly built man with slanted eyes. His shop seemed far more dreary than Robert's It had one window, which the curtains were drawn over and candles were lit around the counter in the center of the room. The shopkeeper flashed his gaze to Gain, surveying him before speaking.

"Can I help you? You don't look like you're from around here" He said, he had a deep, commanding voice. Such a voice made me feel small. Gain however, did not seem phased

"You can, actually. We're looking for a light steel shortsword, not too heavily crafted, but won't shatter in a fight." Gain set the gold on the counter, keeping his eyes fixed on the shopkeeper as the man eyed the bag.

"I'll check to see if we have such a weapon." He said, turning around and vanishing into another room located somewhere around the corner. I took the time to look around to the room. The shop wasn't too big, and the front room was actually quite small. I supposed that the shopkeeper lived upstairs or in back somewhere, or just didn't live here. Gain's fingers rapped against the hardwood of the counter as he waited

"Nice armor." He said suddenly, smiling at me. I wondered why Gain didn't use heavy armor. He didn't look very well protected, compared to Laresh or even Phoenix; she at least had some armor on, even if she wasn't wearing a heavy metal.

"Why don't you have any?" The mage laughed and shook his head, making a few potent gestures with his hands before speaking again.

"I can do magic, If I need to, I can simply use a magical shield to protect me." He said, his voice still bubbling with a slight chuckle. He motioned for me to be quiet as the man came back around the corner with a blade still lodged in its sheath. The shopkeeper grinned unkindly at Gain, pausing for another moment before speaking up.

"Such a sword you seek is hard to come by, but we have one. It's costly though" He said gruffly. I looked up at Gain and saw something flicker in his eyes before he spoke again.

"Name it."

"Two-thousand-twenty-one gold." The shopkeeper said smugly. He lifted the bag and shook it slightly. The gold inside it tinkled. He looked at Gain again and shook his head. "I'm guessing you're about a thousand short." He said. I looked up at Gain, only to find him grinning again. I guessed that the price the Shopkeeper had named for us was no the real price at all. The magician wiped the grin off his face and sighed.

"You're right, what a shame." He said, casting his eyes downward as if in defeat. I simply stood at the counter while the magician walked away. The shopkeeper glared at me.

"Well, git!" He snapped at me. I stumbled backwards and stuck my tounge out at him childishly, then spun on the spot to trail after Gain. To my surprise, the mage turned and held out a hand. Green light streamed from his fingers and enwrapped the shopkeeper in an eerie green glow. The shopkeeper blinked once or twice and shook his head as if to clear the thoughts that may have clouded his brain. Gain turned around and pointed to the sword in the sheath.

"How much is that again?" He questioned lightly, a smirk was settling on his face. The shopkeeper blinked, he seemed entirely different

"Uh-Uh, 1000 gold, I'm sorry for the high price, but I do have to make a living." He told the mage humbly. Maybe Gain had brainwashed him? No, the shopkeeper may have not even known where he was if the wizard had. Gain shrugged

"I can pay that for sure." He said with a warm smile, and he pushed the bag of gold towards the shopkeeper once more. "Keep the change" This time, the Shopkeeper picked it up and stuffed it into a pocket. He then attached a strap to the Sheath of the sword and handed it to the mage. Gain smiled and thanked the man and began to walk out of the shop. I watched the shopkeeper for another little while as Gain turned around, and found that the Green glow was fading. The shopkeeper shook his head again and blinked, then turned his gaze to me and glared

"I thought I told you to scat!" He hollered, and I turned on the ball of my heel and scooted for the door. Outside, Gain was waiting for me with an amused smile on his face.

"What did you do?" I asked, amazed. The magician had done something to the shopkeeper's personality and I was determined to find out

"It was nothing, actually, a simple spell to make people more…agreeable." He said. I looked at him in a slightly puzzled manner and he continued "It just makes them look at you with more respect, like they see you as someone important. You should see what Phoenix can do. She can make people think she's emperor, once per day." He told me, shaking his head. He began to lead the way down the snow-covered road towards the castle at the head of the town.

"Can you teach me?" I asked. Gain looked at me in a puzzled manner

"Teach you what?

"The Emperor thing."

"No"

"Awww why?" I whined. I didn't mean to whine at first, but to have such a potential power taken out from under my nose is kind of daunting.

"Because that's a power she has in being an imperial. But I can show you how to manipulate someone's respect, just not right now." This lightened my spirits some.

We met up with Phoenix after having a minor race to the top of the steps. I slipped on one, so undoubtedly, I lost. We were led into the castle by a bulky guard who had been rather lazily sitting on the ridge of the wall by the front gate. Upon seeing us, he straightened himself out immediately and opened the gate. The castle was dark and uncomfortably quiet. Though guards did line the side of the carpet, some were chatting amongst themselves. When we passed them, they fell silent and cast us nervous glances. I dimly wondered what they could have been so restless about. Maybe Laresh's package had something to do with it? It must have. Bruma didn't seem like the town to see much commotion. A guard who had been rather relaxed whilst talking with his mate spotted us and hurried to open the next set of freakishly large doors to permit us entrance to the throne room. When I stepped into the room, my heart skipped a beat. The room was finely decorated beyond anything I'd seen before, but that was not the reason. Hunched down in the middle of the room was a dark figure, obscured in black armor engraved with luminous red lines, I could not see the things head for it was covered in a black helmet, a red feather weaving from the top. I had the sudden memory of the man who had killed my mother, that horrible night when the Wraiths had attack. I took a breath in and held onto the memory, channeling it through to my sword and sparking the energy to tear it from its sheath. Raising the blade I gripped it with two hands and charged at the warrior, bringing the sword back as I ran, finding myself suddenly unbothered by my new armor. If this was the very same man that had done away with my mother, he would not leave unscathed, even if I died in the process.

Badadadum. Pray tell, why is an eil warrior thing in the middle of an empty throne room just kind of like...sitting there. And why on earth would Carter do such a silly thing as to like, PHRAAWR and attempt to kill it. durr. We shall find out. Eventually. So like, review again, It could just be like blargishnargiblarg, or you could acually reveiw?

Toodles for now.

Shmeeko