Chapter 16: Warrior's Lament

Really, it wasn't like he enjoyed all the death and destruction he caused on the field, Valfor was just doing his job. One he had no other choice but to do well, with his family on the line. If the Black Mage didn't know where his family lived, if he could just be sure they would be safe; he would be gone faster than most warriors fell before him. The man was filthy, his methods cruel and cowardly. These were the thoughts of Valfor as he proceeded down the dank hallways of Von Leon's castle. Once upon a time they may have been well kept, the stone structures scrubbed clean and rooms well kept. Ever since the man had joined the Black Mage however, it had become a breeding grounds for ferocious monsters, many parts of it falling into disrepair.

In a way, the castle was just like the king who ruled it: without life and devoid of happiness. As he opened the doors to the dining room where the commanders usually all met, (nobody wanted to go into any of the other rooms) Valfor was greeted with a rather unwelcome sight.

"Hello Valfor, I will assume your assignment went well?" Arkarium greeted the demon in what could be described as a croak. The old man was probably, as far as the others knew, the only one who joined the Black Mage without having some sort of outside motivation. Von Leon had lost his wife to an attack by the knights of Empress Aria. (Or so he believed) Lotus and Orchid were brother and sister who were always together. Hilla had been tempted by the offer to expand her undead army, as well as bring the ancient city of Azwan glory. As for Valfor, many assumed that the demon simply fit the stereotype of his kind: violent and bloodthirsty.

"It went as expected." He handed over a scroll of paper with the Black Mage's seal on it as he replied. The report detailed the casualties and gains of the recent battle where the drove off the knights of Aria.

"Excellent. Master wishes to see you in the inner chambers." He grimaced as he said this, as if he found it repulsive that his precious Black Mage should wish too see any other than himself in a private setting. Holding back from rolling his eyes, Valfor merely proceeded into another door as he prepared himself to meet with the mage. In all his experience with powerful entities, he had never met one with as oppressive a presence as the Black Mage.

And all at once, the immense presence of the Black Mage pressed down upon him as he opened the doors to the inner chambers off Von Leon's Castle. Having formerly been what seemed to be a large library, it was now little more than a work room for the Black Mage. The man, or rather, entity himself was sitting on a throne-like chair in the rear of the room.

"Liege." Valfor addressed the Black Mage curtly as he went to one knee. The lack of respect was openly transparent even with the position the demon was in. This was fine with the Black Mage though, as long as he had the demon's power, he could care less what the man did.

"Valfor, have you heard about the recent rumors?" The Demon Slayer looked up at his master questioningly, he was a man to keep up on relevant news, not irrelevant rumors.

"Going by your face I assume no. It's been said that a certain mage on the other side is looking to gather powerful allies in order to oppose me. He's been quite successful from the sound of it; gathering the insufferable queen of elves Mercedes as well as the Rein tribe's most powerful warrior."

"What is your wish my liege?" Even without asking, Valfor could tell where this was going. He knew the twisted designs of this man much too well to think otherwise. Nevertheless, he asked simply for formality's sake.

The Black Mage almost seemed to smirk as he spoke, his tone of voice telling Valfor that the atrocity in front of him wished for nothing less than a painful death for Maple World's would-be protectors.. "I wish for you to kill these so called 'Heroes' of the Maple World. Nothing can be allowed to obstruct our plans for a better world."

Raising a an arm, 3 streams of magic flew from the Black Mage's hand, flowing around each other before forming something akin to paintings in as they hung in midair. Each one of them depicting the image of Mercedes, Freud, and Aran respectively.

"I trust your handiwork Valfor, do not disappoint." The Black Mage knew full well he was keeping a wolf on a leash. The demon held no loyalty towards his master and followed him only because of the former's family.

His formerly neutral stare now forming a glare seemed to penetrate straight through the pictures and into the man on the other side. Keeping his composure, Valfor moved to leave the room quickly before he was stopped by the Black Mage.

"Oh and Valfor." He turned around questioningly. "Do take your time to visit. It would be such a shame for you to not see your family." The sickeningly fake concern dripping from the mage's voice was almost enough to make the demon retch. Nevertheless, he managed to spit out a response through clenched teeth.

"Of course liege."

The sinister smile remained on the mage's face as the massive doors closed with an ominous boom.

Aran sighed heavily as he finally climbed off Ryko for the day. For the past 2 days he and a few other warriors of Rein had been doing nothing but traveling across the vast expanse of Maple World, moving to join up with a group of volunteer fighters stations in Leafre. The continent of dragons and halflings wasn't exactly a top priority but many of the monsters there were starting to get out of control, including the one at the top of the food chain. If they were allowed to run amok they would eventually spill over into other continents, creating chaos that the Alliance didn't need.

Before he set up camp, he dropped all his baggage on the ground which included a very long and heavy parcel given to him by the chief. He had no idea what it was but boy, had the chief been adamant about not opening it until they had met with Chief Tatamo of Leafre. To be completely honest, Aran had nearly given into the temptation of opening it several times during their trip out of sheer curiosity. Unfortunately for him, the chief's words were law and he dared not to go against them.

"Hey, Aran, do you need any help setting up your tent? You look like a lost child over there." One of the other warriors called to him from their halfway up tent; rather fortunate since, besides being the expedition leader, Aran also had to set up his own tent and start his own fire while all the others were in groups of two.

"Ah shut it, I'm just thinking about some things." The one who had called out raised an eyebrow to that, but said nothing. Aran thinking? It wasn't like the polearm wielding warrior was stupid, but he wasn't exactly a genius strategist either.

An hour later they had finished setting up camp, the fires burning brightly in the darkness of the night. It was a fairly normal setup besides one thing: Aran was the only one to sit alone at his fire. Being the leader also meant shouldering the heaviest burden. Being alone was a signification of this; you held the trust, support, and lives of all the warriors under your command, but in the end, making decisions with them in the balance fell to you alone.

Aran sighed heavily as he shouldered this burden; it was the first time the young man had led such a force despite being a talented warrior.

'Both an honor... and a burden to be the leader. Now I understand why the Chief said I was too young whenever I asked to lead a group before this. Many men in the tribe could have simply led a training mission. But when people's lives are on the line... it's a completely different feeling.'

Aran didn't sleep until the last coals on the fires burnt out.

~~~~~End~~~~~

A/N

A week wait for a comparatively shorter chapter (about 100 words shorter). Sorry, but I feel like there's a lot of setup for things that will happen later on. Feel free to try to predict in reviews! As always, hope you enjoyed.

-Lunarfeather