A/N - Before I begin, I'd like to apologize to The 21 blue dudes. The reason I didn't acknowledge your review(s) is because I didn't know they were there. Every time I checked my page, I saw nothing in my inbox so I assumed I didn't get any. I really appreciate the criticism. I'll respond to your specific grammar/vocabulary points through private messages .Anything related to the plot I'll answer here in the author notes. I'll get to reading your "A Hero's Sword" right away. :P

Zephyr Overlord;

Yes, this story revolves around the werewolves and lycanthropes in El Nath. (Some people might say they are the same thing, but in maplestory, lycanthropes are the white ones, slightly higher leveled than their brown counterparts.) That will become much clearer in the following chapters. I'll upload my Ariant fanfic since you asked for it; just give me a day or two to look it over.

Everyone

As you might have noticed, the first chapter was rushed. I was really hoping to get at least 1 review as motivation and acknowledgement of my work. What I didn't realize was that I already had a review; I was just too dense to find it. Oh, and the prologue doesn't occur before the story (you can see why I call myself a deranged lunatic). It's actually a scene that will take place later on in the story, it should make a lot more sense now that you know that, might even reveal too much of the plot.

Anyways, hopefully this chapter will be more satisfying than the last two bits. All reviews are greatly appreciated, even if they are one liners (not that I am encouraging them). Okay, I've rambled enough. Enjoy.

Chapter 2

Artemus woke to the sound of loud knocking, and tried to swallow. The sun shone brightly through the window, and he flinched slightly as it radiated straight into his eyes. A chronic headache lingered in the back of his head and he tried to rub it, only to find his left arm in a hefty cast. He glanced around once, taking in his surroundings. A dusty bookshelf stood in the corner of the room, a closet next to it, and a small cupboard to the side of his bed. All the floors and walls were made of a dark hardwood, including the door, which shook with impact.

"Artemus, you awake man?"

Artemus tried to reply, but the sound didn't make it past his trachea. He cleared his throat and tried again. "If I wasn't, I am now," he sighed, recognizing the deep voice on the other end.

"Artemus, my man! I heard you got banged up by a wittle yeti!" he laughed as he walked in. His large orihalcon suit rung with every step he took. A thin brown fur cape trailed behind him, and he leaned on the cupboard beside Artemus.

"Yeah, a wittle fifteen foot yeti," he shot him an annoyed look, "and he caught me off guard." It would have been a poor justification even if it was true. "Did you just walk into my house with snowshoes? You're going to mess up all the hardwood, man. My parents are going to kill me when they get back."

He ignored the complaint. "I heard you took the thing's right arm straight off. That's impressive for those little claws you call daggers," he mocked, as he ran his big hand through his wavy hair. Artemus couldn't figure out why he did that, his hair always returned to the same position.

"I could take Baltazar's head off with those claws, too," Artemus smiled at the memory of the beast's arm bouncing in the snow. Baltazar replied with a hearty laugh.

"Big talk for a topless man wrapped in bandages," he patted Artemus's head. "Man, you should get yourself a haircut. It's like you got a porcupine nesting on your head. I guess a few days of sleeping can do that to ya'."

"Days? How long has it been?" he screamed. He felt as if he tore something in his throat as he finished.

"Only two, actually. But goddamn, you healed in those two days. The first time I got here, you looked gnarly, man. Cuts and blood all over your body, some of your bones were poking through your skin," he scratched his chin strap. "Man, are you always this pale?"

Artemus looked down at his bandaged body, and realized it looked almost as white as milk without the sun shining on it. "Well, I'd rather look like snow then look like shit," he snickered, proud of his insult.

"You're just jealous my friend, that your skin isn't as golden as mine," Baltazar winked at him. "Alright, I'm going hunting." He got up from his resting place, tightened a few buckles on his armour, weighed his sword, and stepped towards the door. "Ah, by the way," he paused, "tomorrow's Sunday."

"…And?" Artemus eyed.

"Our troops should be reaching back by tomorrow," he replied calmly. "Take it easy." He walked out of the door and took a few steps down the stairs before disappearing. Artemus watched him as he left, and swore at him silently for not closing the door behind him. His anger was short-lived, however. Three long months he had to spend alone in this house, but tomorrow his parents would be back.

Quickly, he pulled the blanket cover off his legs, and was glad at the lack of injuries. He got up slowly, and stretched his legs in several ways, then opened his closet. He saw his dark suit hanging separate from the rest of his clothes. It was ripped in several places, and soaked in dry blood. He cursed silently, picked out a large brown fur out of the closet, and wrapped it around himself. It was slightly longer than him, but it would do. He went back over to his cupboard, and grabbed his white headband resting on it.

The sun came out from under the clouds just as he picked it up, the light bouncing off the metallic red emblem. The symbol of the Makhaira clan was etched into the circular metal. It was nothing fancy, three short yellow slashes the one in the middle significantly larger than the others. Regardless, Artemus wore it with pride. The Hoplon clan bore a similar emblem, but theirs was a bronze colour matching their eyes. Their icon was a row of fangs.

Artemus raised it to his head before he realized he had no way of tying it in place. After pondering about it shortly he bit one end, and tied it so that it hung over his neck. Pleased with the result, he grabbed hold of his fur, and left his house.

It was close to mid-day, Artemus realized, and the people of El Nath were scattered like pearls. As he walked, several Makhairans and Hoplons hollered at him warmly, and expressed their happiness to see him up and running. Even some of the humans expressed their delight for him. He walked past the houses alone, however, enjoying the cold sunlight on his face. As he trudged down the snowy path, he saw two large creatures charging in his direction. Although they were still a long distance away, Artemus made their details out fairly quickly. Both of them were wrapped in large white furs, but their faces were uncovered. Both of them bore a black mane over the back of their heads, extending around their necks and under the fur covering. The white-faced one had glowing red eyes like his own, while the brown-faced wolf had glowing golden eyes with fangs that would never fit in its snout.

Artemus kept walking at his normal pace and the brown wolf jumped over him, while the white one ran around him. He turned back and saw the people of El Nath continue on with their own business non-chalantly as the wolves whizzed past them.

He turned the corner behind a house, and immediately a body seemingly dropped from the sky. Artemus nearly jumped back in shock.

"Zero wants to see us," said the man. He wore a large black robe, and hid his eyes behind an expressionless white mask. He pushed his silky black hair away from his eyes as he straightened his back.

"Aeton," Artemus greeted, "Both of us?"

"Keep up," he said, evading the question. He turned on his heel, and started running. Artemus found himself struggling to keep up.

They entered a small abandoned house on the outskirts of the city, which reeked of ink. The wood creaked underneath them as they walked, and Aeton closed the door behind them, nearly sealing off all light. Even as a Makhairan, Artemus had a hard time making out the details of the house. The two story house seemingly had no furniture, other than stacked bookshelves. "He certainly reads a lot," Artemus said, amazed at the sheer number of books.

"Not really. He wrote them," replied Aeton as he stepped into a small room. Artemus looked back at all the books. He wrote all of these? he thought, mind boggled.

This room had absolutely nothing in it, no windows, no furniture. It looked to Artemus like a prison cell. Aeton walked to a corner in the room, got down on one knee, and felt the ground. Suddenly, the wood floor pulled away creating a small opening. Without a word, Aeton jumped down. Artemus bent over the square passageway, and couldn't even make out how far down the ground was. Just as he was wondering, he heard a soft thud. "That's far," he swallowed.

Artemus adjusted his fur coat, and jumped in as well. The impact of the landing traveled up from his ankles and knees to his back. He stood up, and saw absolutely nothing. Overhead, the wood flooring had already sealed itself. A breeze swept its way past Artemus making him shiver, and he wasn't sure it was because of the temperature. He thought he heard Aeton, and began walking in that direction, his hands out in front of him.

He bumped into Aeton shortly, who did not even budge. "Sorry," Artemus apologized, but Aeton didn't acknowledge him. He looked around him, and saw two glowing ruby eyes. It somehow gave Artemus the feeling of a cold fire.

"You're late," the voice spoke.

"He had trouble keeping up," replied Aeton, in a voice much warmer than Zero's. Zero quit the chit-chat, and got straight to the point.

"I gave you one simple quest, and you treated it like a joke," he said without any emotion in his voice.

"We weren't going to let him die," Aeton tried to justify.

"I made it clear that you were not to display any emotions when working for me," Zero replied, his voice unshaken. "Get out," he said, turning his back, immediately disappearing in the darkness. Artemus stood silently, hoping his eyes would soon adjust to the darkness. Aeton hesitated before bowing his head slightly, and then turned and walked away.

Artemus felt the darkness close in around him. Before he could think, Zero spoke again. "You told me you were serious about joining the Black Wind."

"I-I…" Artemus stuttered. He was hoping Zero would speak again, but he waited patiently for an answer. "I was, I am serious," he finally managed to cough.

"You don't have what it takes. You would have been dead, had I not rendered you unconscious in time," he said. Artemus looked confused, and Zero noticed it. "You attempted to morph into a lycanthrope bearing multiple shattered and protruding bone fractures. You can not imagine what consequences that would bear?" Artemus opened his mouth to speak, attempting to justify himself. He wanted to tell him that he had a much smaller chance of survival in his human form, but Zero continued. "You took your eyes off the target every time you felt pain, without exception."

He turned around again, his eyes piercing through to Artemus's very soul. "When you had a slight advantage, you began enjoying the blood bath," he said, "and you lost grip on your weapon to top it off. You would only be a hindrance to the Black Wind," he concluded. Artemus remained petrified in Zero's gaze for several moments, before he spoke again. "I trust you can find your way out."

Without another word, the eyes of Zero disappeared.

Artemus gasped for air when he realized he had been holding his breath. He shivered, and felt relieved to not have to meet Zero's eyes again. The weight of disappointment over his shoulders nearly made him cling to the ground. He could feel tears in his eyes, but he blinked them away immediately. His disappointment turned to rage, and then to determination. I'll prove myself to him, he thought to himself, he'll be begging me to join. He stood there with a clenched fist, before having an epiphany. He looked around, and still saw absolutely nothing. Despite the rejection, Zero overestimated Artemus because he had no idea how to get out of there.

"That'll be twenty mesos, sir."

Artemus grabbed the pouch from the blonde hair blue eyed man, and handed him two bills. "Thanks," he answered, but the man was already busy with another customer. Carefully, he attempted an escape from the confinement that was the marketplace. People and carts bumped into one another, and Artemus had to maneuver carefully to protect his injuries.

When he finally made it on to the streets, he pulled a large red carrot out of the pouch in his belt. He bit off an end, and enjoyed the bittersweet juices filling his mouth as he crunched the vegetable. He closed his eyes, savoring the flavor. He opened his eyes at the sound of a familiar voice.

"My man!" yelled Baltazar. He was walking alongside two other men. The one in the middle was Lykaon, Artemus recognized. His long black hair was spiked in all directions, falling over his eyes and around his shoulders. He had dangerous looking maroon eyes, much like his own father, with long eyelashes and bushy eyebrows. The two red stripes painted on each of his cheek only added to his barbaric look. He wore large black pants, and a loose red top that did exposed his muscular arms. A thick white fur cape trailed behind him as he walked, hands tied behind his head. Two katanas were sheathed on either side of his waist.

Towering beside him was a Hoplon armoured from head to toe, the colours varying between red,green and gray. The armour was decorated with thick white furs, far thicker than his cape. His brown hair was only slightly darker than his skin, and it fell over his forehead barely revealing his headband. His thin beard covered most of the lower half of his face, and his golden eyes narrowed at Artemus. The leather grip of a sword extended behind his head; with a small bright red flag hanging at the spherical end. Snow crunched under his grieves with every step, and Artemus could feel the weight of his equipment just by looking at it.

They halted in front of Artemus, and he nodded. "Chief," he said, nodding his head. Lykaon closed his eyes and smiled, hands still tied behind his head.

"Lykaon's my name. It's nice to see you out of bed so quick, Artemus," he responded with a smile. Artemus opened his mouth to speak, but Lykaon cut him off. "This is Saoul,

by the way," he said waving towards the Hoplon obelisk beside him. Saoul nodded in greeting, and Artemus imitated. "We were just on our way to meet the Ice Queen. You wanna' come along?"

Baltazar seized the opportunity and wrapped his arm around Artemus's neck. "Man, we're going to take someone who got beat to a pulp by a yeti in front of royalty? What's up with that?"

Lykaon smiled a diabolical smile. "You know, several years ago I had to save a little Hoplon myself. He was about your age Artemus," he said looking at Baltazar, "getting mauled by a bunch of pepes."

Baltazar's smile vanished, and he looked at Lykaon almost menacingly. Lykaon grinned, glaring right back at him. Artemus looked back and forth between them, not knowing what to expect.

Suddenly, Baltazar burst out laughing. "This is true," he said, looking as though he would fall over. Lykaon looked at Artemus and chuckled, and he did the same. Even Saoul bore a small smile on his face.

"Sure, I'll come."

Artemus and Saoul walked silently listening to Baltazar and Lykaon joking around and laughing. Artemus kept wondering how Lykaon knew of him because they had never met before. He thought perhaps his failure against the yeti had somehow gotten around. He looked at him and saw him shoving a coughing Baltazar away, still grinning widely. Maybe Baltazar just told him about him. Artemus hoped for the latter.

"Good evening, Chief," saluted a soldier clad in steel armour from head to toe. His face was hidden behind a full helmet, with several breathing holes and two thin rectangular eye openings. He carried a tall two headed spear in his right hand. Baltazar looked down at his steel kilt, and suppressed a laugh. "Her Highness has been expecting you."

Artemus looked up at the castle. There was nothing special about the plain stone structure. When he was younger, he had assumed this to be a prison rather than a castle. It was located at the edge of civilization; beyond it laid vast snowy fields and a range of mountains. It was a massive cube like structure, with archer towers on four corners. The spearman guard turned and knocked on the wooden door. "He's here," he said under his helmet, and the rounded door opened inwards.

Artemus's eyes widened at the sight. The interior of the castle was made of a polished gold-coloured wood. There were warrior guards of all kinds; clad in steel armour much like the one standing outside, carrying spears, swords, and axes of varying shapes and sizes. Some of them were positioned at certain stations, while others roamed around freely. Many of them were chatting up the maids running around with long silk dresses of all colours of the rainbow. Baltazar looked around and his face lit up.

"You know what, man. I think I'll catch up with you guys later," he winked. Lykaon laughed and pushed him.

"Keep your clothes on." Baltazar gave his signature hearty laugh before he ran off to a lone maid carrying a tray. Saoul scoffed in annoyance, while Artemus couldn't stop gazing at the palace interior.

The trio made their way through halls and countless rooms, maids, and guards. Green crystals were floating on both sides attached to the walls through golden chains, illuminating the entire castle. Colourful flowers and plants followed the walls around every corner, filling the air with pleasant aromas. They walked into a chamber in what Artemus figured would be the northern end of the building, and the environment suddenly transformed.

The golden wood of the castle had hardened to a dark marble, the floating crystals disintegrated into small lanterns, while shields and swords decorated the walls. A large oval shaped wooden table was placed dead centre in the room, and was surrounded by matching armchairs. Across the table was a large throne, seemingly made of snow and ice. It emitted an eerie azure glow, and was covered in obscure hieroglyphics.

Seated on it was a woman who far surpassed the throne, however. Had Saoul not been walking behind Artemus, he would have been stuck in the doorway. Her shoulder length hair flowed gently over her left eye; her thin white armour practically stretched across her frame. The jagged armour was embedded all around with a lustrous gold; everything just radiating the cyan in her stupefying eyes.

Five other figures were present in the chamber, other than the two maids standing on either side of the Queen. They all wore robes of different colours; red, green and purple to the left of her, brown and blue to her right. The figures in the purple and brown had surprisingly broad builds, and all of them covered their faces in the hoods of their gowns.

"It's nice to see you again, Lykaon, Saoul," spoke the Queen of Ice.

"Your Majesty," Lykaon offered a small bow and smiled mischievously before taking a seat. Saoul nodded at her, and sat himself beside Lykaon. Artemus stood next to Lykaon silently.

"Ha," laughed Vanessa, flicking her hair away from her eye, only to have it bounce right back into place. "And who's this?" she looked straight towards Artemus, her cyan eyes shimmering in dim light of the lanterns. Artemus attempted to answer, but choked on his words.

"This is my Makhairan brother, Artemus," replied Lykaon on his behalf, rocking on the hind legs of his hand crafted wooden chair.

"We can only be here for so long, your Highness," spoke the hooded figure in the brown robe. Under the shadow, Artemus could make out a thick beard and a large nose, but his eyes were a mystery.

"You're right, Tylus," the Queen spoke, the seriousness returning to her face. "Are you familiar with the Bahir tribe?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lykaon kept swinging in his chair. "The archers, right?" he asked looking around.

"The tribe closest to Orbis Tower," confirmed Saoul. He was leaning over the table slightly, touching fingertips.

"Correct. They are refusing to allow any merchants or caravans from getting through to the rest of El Nath," she spoke with moderate concern. "Our city can sustain itself for a several months; however some of the outer tribes are dependant upon trade."

"What is it that they want?" inquired Lykaon. Vanessa hesitated, and Saoul narrowed his eyes at her. Artemus scratched one of his bandages under his fur coat.

"They demand that the monsters in El Nath be banished to the mountains," spoke another member of the Council. Lykaon immediately stopped rocking, and Saoul looked at him. He brought his chair down gently, and looked at the owner of the raspy voice. The blue Council member remained still, his hands in his sleeves. Lykaon looked for his hands and narrowed his eyes.

"Are those their words or yours?" Saoul replied harshly, adjusting the sword on his back.

Before any of the Councilmen could speak, Vanessa replied. "Rest assured, good Saoul, these are their words," she said. Lykaon whispered something to Saoul, and he eased up slightly, but the anger did not melt from his face. It was then that Artemus realized what the monsters were.

"Have you tried negotiating?" Lykaon asked. For the first time since they met, Lykaon was acting like the figure of authority he truly was. Artemus looked at the Councilmen, and shifted uneasily. The queen closed her eyes and sighed.

"We sent two messengers. Neither of them returned," she paused. She rested her cheek on her hand, and looked straight at Lykaon, who appeared to be in thought. Finally, he met the Queen's eyes.

"I propose a simple ultimatum, to allow the caravans to go by, and release the messengers if they are still alive," said Lykaon. Vanessa looked at the Councilmen, who remained still before raising her head off her hand.

"That is what we had decided beforehand, we wished for your approval," she said. "However, we do not know how large their forces are, and we can not mobilize a large army of our own imperceptibly."

"I know just the man for the job," Lykaon smirked and began rocking his chair again. There was a brief silence before Tylus stood up. The four remaining Councilmen followed suit.

"Then we shall take our leave," he said gruffly. They bowed towards the Queen. "Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty," said the four Councilmen together, and then performed the same bow towards Lykaon.

"Council," Lykaon replied placing two fingers above his brow in salutation. Vanessa sighed in relief.

"They mean no harm, Saoul," she said easing up in her throne. Lykaon snickered.

"Looks like the life of royalty might be too much for our little princess," he laughed.

She smiled, and Artemus saw the girl behind the woman. "It's getting late," she said, "would you like to stay for dinner?" It was then that Artemus realized that he hadn't had a real meal all day.

"We'd be honoured," replied Saoul. Vanessa turned around and spoke to one of her maids. The maid nodded, and walked around the large table, her white dress trailing behind her. She was young, Artemus noticed, not much older than himself. She pushed a thin bang away from her face, and came up to Artemus.

"Follow me, please," she said meekly, smiling. Saoul pushed himself away from the table and stood up, adjusting his sheathed sword again. He caught up to Artemus and the maid, making Artemus feel self conscious about his size. Before exiting the chamber, Artemus turned to Lykaon.

"You're not coming, Chief?" he questioned.

"I'll catch up," Lykaon replied, still smiling at Vanessa.

A/N: Yes, both in the beginning and the end of the chapter. I initially wanted to add a few more scenes in, but March Break has come to an end, and it would take far too long to finish up. I want to upload this for anyone who's been following my crappy story so far.

Zehpyr Overlord: Hi there. Yes, I had to make reference to you again, since you're the only one that asked for the Ariant fanfic. I read it over (I wrote it about a year and a half ago or something) and the plot needs some tweaking. If you're really interested in it, I can send it to you personally, but im not going to upload it here yet, simply because updating one story takes long enough.

General Notes: If anyone didn't figure it out, the 5 hooded figures/councilmen were the 3rd job instructors.

Towns are not towns; they are cities in this story. Don't like it, hit backspace.

I think that's all. Read and review, love to all my readers.

P.S. I know sometimes it's difficult to remember the character names, so, here:

Artemus – Main Character

Lykaon – Chief of Werewolves/Lycanthropes

Saoul – Some guy that's always with Lykaon (more details later)

Baltazar – Artemus's obnoxious yet caring friend

Vanessa – Queen of El Nath

Tylus – Hooded figure in brown, broad shouldered and bearded.

Aeton – Masked man from the Black Wind

Zero – Leader of the Black Wind

I think that's it. Until the next chapter...