"Alright, today we'll be focusing on weapons training this time." Oliver spoke as he took his wooden long sword from the ground, Serphia grabbing a wooden short sword and a makeshift shield from a pile beside the house as Sylphia left to take the trail back to the city. She then walked over to him as he held his weapon up with his right hand, his gaze determined and concentrated as Serphia took the same defensive stance Oliver had used with the danger beast, her shield raised to her chest with her blade behind it, leveled to where it could go over or under the shield. "Now then, I want you to try and hit me with your attacks. Don't hold back."
"Sir!" Serphia shouted before she moved forward for a thrust, Oliver's blade soon moving up and hitting it out of place before he twisted the blade and went for an upward arc, reaching right at her armpit and stopping as Serphia tried to back up.
"Your stance is good, but you move your limbs too much while you're striking and give a lot of openings." Oliver spoke as he spun the blade out of the opening before tapping Serphia on the head, making her back up with her shield arm reaching up for the spot he hit. "Keep your shield close and don't over-exaggerate your moves in a fight, otherwise you're asking for someone to take you out."
"Yes sir…" Serphia responded, rubbing her head a bit before she took her stance again. "So how did you fight the princess?"
"I faced her without a weapon, seeing that I would've ended up in a disadvantage if I used one." Oliver spoke as he side stepped from a thrust and went for a normal speed slash, Serphia lifting her shield this time to block it before he tapped the shield and redirected the wooden weapon to the side, tapping her thigh as she gritted her teeth from the hit before he slid back a yard, giving her time to set up her stance again as he moved his left hand up and laid it on the flat of his weapon. "Her style was strikingly similar to a warrior I fought beside, right down to the final strike she attempted to pull. However, if I went toe to toe with it as I am now with this weapon, I would've ended up with a broken blade and arm from trying to block it."
"So she's strong enough to make you have to be serious?" Serphia asked as she went for a slash, continuing it's arc as Oliver backed up before ducking under the edge of her shield, the lining arcing above him in a form of attack as he rolled back and stood back up, taking his blade into a defensive stance. "I can see why; she's able to take on twenty men in her army for practice, ending up taking them all out with only a little duress from it afterwards."
"So I could tell, given the power and strength behind her swings." Oliver spoke as he went forward for a thrust, Serphia lifting her shield in response before the blade hit it dead center, pushing her back. "Angle the shield to either side so you can control the direction of the blow, don't hold it flat to an enemy attack. I've already told you this every time we train."
"Your attacks are far different from the battles I've been in, the men we fought were slower." Serphia responded as she shook her arm, feeling the pressure in his attack as he took another attack stance.
"If I don't deal this much power against you, you can't train to surpass it." Oliver responded as he moved for a side slash, this time Serphia ducking and aiming for a sweep at his legs. However, she ended up being stopped as he slid his back foot around and locked her leg in place with his new stance, his hands switching the blade before it was at the tip of her throat. "From what I heard with how you talk about her, you seem to want to reach her level."
"Of course I do, she's basically what I want to become. Her way of showing justice to her people while dealing punishment to those who would harm them, who couldn't idolize her?" Serphia responded as Oliver walked away from her a bit, soon sitting down as she got up. She then looked at him as he laid his weapon down, her eyes trying to spot any openings he could have at the moment. "Did you idolize anyone?"
"A man named Cao Cao, who many believed was the greatest general of his time, was a person I idolized along with a good many others. I made my decisions in the war I fought by comparing them with his mistakes and achievements that were similar." Oliver spoke as he looked over to her, smirking as she took her stance. "It's obvious that you're more into conversing than training at the moment, so you can practice your strikes while we talk."
"Thank you sir." Serphia responded as she moved towards one of the nearby trees, it's bark chipped away from the practice done on it. It was the same tree that Oliver has slammed the axe into, the blade of it still stuck there. "So who was Cao Cao?"
"A man considered a tyrant at the end of it all, but whose path is viewed by so many sides that there isn't a proper way to define the man." Oliver responded as Serphia started to swing her weapon far faster than she had before. 'Still holding back despite me telling her otherwise…' Oliver thought as he watched the arcs of her slashes, seeing far more accuracy than she had used in the fight before he continued. "He started off as a man that did his duties while also taking the law into his own hands at times, never wanting to make himself higher than the emperor he served. By the end of his life, however, he had made the foundation for the largest and most stable of three kingdoms that were made from that empire, serving as a vassal to the emperor of the land up to his death. In the end, however, the foundation he laid was brought down by the corruption he fought against."
"So you fought to make sure the people at the top would have a stable government?" Serphia asked as she swung her weapon, making Oliver chuckle as he watched her swings hit the tree.
"Not exactly, more like I worked with Myrkr to reform it during the war, changing areas we took control of in ways that were similar to Cao Cao's." Oliver spoke as he looked down to his ring, his family seal reflecting in the morning sun. "During this time, we had made too many enemies to where if we led after the whole event, they would try forming a rebellion. So in order to make sure the land would be okay, we left it to a man who had fought against us during the entire civil war, one that we knew would choose the right path and was loved by the people."
"Why did you end up allying with Myrkr if you both ended up at such a position to leave your country?" Serphia asked, making Oliver's smile fade a bit to a more neutral expression, his mind processing the best way to respond.
"...In the beginning, it was only a back up plan for in case things took a grave turn, in this case our two best warriors lost their lives." Oliver spoke as he leaned forward, crossing his legs together as his mind went through his memories. As he began to speak again, he started to feel the pain of losing them both slowly returning. "Derek, who held a similar fighting style as your princess does, was among the group we made at the beginning, and was still among our best warriors despite his age being around his mid forties. The other one was Leif, who was by far the greatest definition of a loyal servant. Both of them were warriors unequalled in their art, Derek leading in following orders for strategies and adding his own mix to them, and Leif in stealth and ambush battles, along with assassinations. When those two fell, we had no choice but to resort to it."
Serphia now slowed down her own slashes, listening to the way Oliver spoke of them. It sounded like he was holding something back about them, but still holding them in high regard. "How did they both fall?" Serphia asked as she stopped her swings completely, turning to find Oliver's gaze solemn, staring at his ring as he was twisting it on his finger.
"Derek died, or was believed to have died, just before the final battle, him and his men were hit by an attack no one expected." Oliver spoke as he looked down at his ring, his mind remembering what occurred. It was supposed to be a defense operation for the city of Richmond, ensuring that the army wouldn't bombard it for sending their forces supplies, though they all expected they wouldn't do anything drastic while so close to DC. He could still see that missile that no one knew of, it's explosion seeming to hang right over the city, slowly lowering onto it as they tried to get the civilians out until… Oliver shook his head as he returned to the real world, seeing Serphia looking at him confused. "...Lief, on the other hand, lived taking orders all his life, and the moment he refused a final order was the moment of his death."
"What was the order?" Serphia asked as she leaned on her weapon, looking at Oliver as his gaze rested on his practice sword.
"To take my men to safety and to leave me to hold back the enemy, something he absolutely refused to allow since I was sure to die." Oliver spoke, his voice far more hoarse as Serphia's eyes slowly widened to the last part. He then sighed as he stood up, lifting his weapon onto his shoulder as he looked over to her. "…That's about as much as I'll say about that, and I really don't want you to dig any further at the moment. Go to your training stances after your swings then get back to your house for some rest before your patrol, I need some time alone."
"Yes sir." Serphia replied, seeing Oliver's own gaze seeming to glaze over as he fell into his thoughts. He only sighed as he turned and walked back to his house. He understood that there was nothing that could've been done at the time to stop it, it was far too late when the missile hit. The same could be said for Lief, who died doing the one thing he understood, but that didn't mean he had to like and accept either of them. 'Death follows those who are to be one of fifteen, no matter what life they choose to live...' Oliver remembered as he went through the memories of his training with Myrkr. 'Back then I accepted it since I only had a few friends and family that I didn't even see anymore, but now I'm more appalled from it. I wonder if Alegar held this same torment...'
'Well then, you seem to be going through some mental trauma. Didn't we all tell you that blaming yourself would cause you to lose years of your life?' came a deep voice as Oliver had reached his door, making his eyes widen as he heard the familiar tune of the voice in his head. 'It's good to see you're still showing emotions instead of hiding them, master.'
"Ksalso, you're the first thing these last two days that's made me not have bad memories." Oliver spoke as he walked into his house, soon making sure that Serphia was far enough away to not hear him before he shut the door, feeling a good deal of the pain he was feeling lift from hearing the being. "You've been silent for some time."
'Unlike Reginhard, I can't make a form for myself to appear in, plus my ability to speak to you can only go so far.' Ksalso replied in Oliver's head, the man soon feeling the two ruby eyes the being bore seeming to eye the room through his own eyes. 'I was told by Reginhard to tell you when I've got seven hours left to reach you, given I decided to move on ahead of everyone and follow your trail before Wayland could move any of his equipment.'
"Even better news." Oliver replied as he walked over to the northeast side of the house, holding an open door to his own bedroom that was separate from the rest. As soon as he went in he shut his door, soon falling back onto the bed as he focused on the conversation. "I'm guessing the axes are still with you?"
'Locked away in the usual spot and hidden to all except those who know of their existence, as always.' Ksalso responded as Oliver sighed, not really expecting anything less. 'Reginhard wanted them moved to the castle, but I was against it since it would've given the axes more freedom to fuel in the darkness around them, along with trying to sway anyone in there to use them.'
"Understandable and sound judgement, though I really wish I didn't have to see them when I see you." Oliver sighed as he closed his eyes, his memories returning to his training in the abilities. "But they'll always be there to remind me to accept my mistakes… So you'll be here in two hours?"
'Yes, though I'll still need you to use your calling card for me to enter.' Ksalso replied as Oliver looked at his hand, his mind concentrating as the shadows in his shirt rolled up from under his sleeve, soon wrapping around his hand and starting to hum.
"I can still use it easily enough, though it will take a few seconds longer to prepare a large scale version." Oliver spoke as he placed his hand back to the side, hearing the thuds of Serphia's training resounding straight through the wall. "However, I'll need to find a place that you can enter easily at."
'Why not in the open area I sense north of you?' Ksalso asked, reminding Oliver of the open field that Emerial rested on. During the time Oliver had lived there, he found that the city rested a good width of ten miles at a walk from the south side of the city to the top, which was all in all a good size for a trading capital since it gave more space to merchants to have tents or wares prepped in the market district, which was two miles east of the plaza he had seen the festival at. However, it was the fact of the city being a capital that it would be a terrible idea.
"That's an area that is the capital of this country, and the last thing I need is my instrument of warfare causing an uproar to the populace, or did you forget what happened at Colorado?" Oliver responded, his own memory of the people gaping at the sky in shock still fresh in his head. There were even a few people who were wondering if they had smoked anything that day, if he recalled, making it one of the funnier moments of the war. "I know of an area far enough away that they won't manage to see your arrival, so just sit tight and rest when you arrive."
'Of course, Oliver.' Ksalso responded as Oliver kept his gaze on his hand, making him smile as he looked up at his ceiling, hearing Serphia still swinging her weapon into the tree.
'Reginhard did say that he'd be here in a year…' Oliver thought to himself as he raised his left hand up, the morning light hitting it as he stared at the outlined rays it made through the spaces between each finger. He then thought through his own inventory before sitting back up, his mind now set on the current objective as he started to trail back to the first time he unlocked his abilities. "Is Wayland still living there with you? I'd like to ask him to ready a few items."
-twelve years ago, Oliver-
Oliver yawned as he finished reading 'Imperial Warlord', making it the fifteenth time he had read through the book to try and ponder it. 'So then, today is the day the agreement will be done...' Oliver thought as he closed the book, looking around his room as he scanned it's belongings. A few game consoles directly beside a small tv he got with money he saved, along with a few rows of books on various forms of warfare and history in a book case beside it. At the bottom shelf, however, were various game cases, all of which were mainly story or strategy based. 'I wonder if any of the conquerors of history might have been able to complete their ambitions if they were offered the same choice...'
The rest of the room, itself, was cleaner than it normally was, though that was more thanks to the ability he had now. Oliver then smirked as he raised his hand, the darkness dancing around his fingertips and stretching around it, shaping itself into a form of armor. "Two years has granted you quite a bit of control since you tapped into them, hasn't it?" came a voice as the room seemed to darken, a pair of red eyes soon shining from Oliver's shadow as he looked down, feeling the shifting of the darkness within it as the raven rose from the location. "But the question is if you've unlocked the small amount I gave you."
"Right down to business, like you did when I first used them." Oliver sighed as the armor vanished from his hand, soon setting his book down as he leaned back in his chair. His own eyes held a deeper wear than most kids his own age, and the raven noticed this as Oliver lifted his hand, a black sphere forming into it. "I've worked through all the kinds of possibilities that could be possible, even going so far as trials to see if I could go further, so I already know that what you gave me was an impossible task."
"And how do you believe that it is impossible to unlock them in such a short amount of time?" The being spoke, making Oliver's gaze look down at him in a deeper severity. "What more do you know that you didn't beforehand?"
"For one thing, I know that I can do whatever I want with it, shape it into any form I wish." Oliver responded as the orb changed into a small ring, then changing into a shield as he spoke. Finally, it changed into a small dragon that moved and coiled around his arm, the bird staring at it as Oliver kept his gaze on them. "However, it's abilities aren't of a simple manipulation of shadows from what you had done all those years ago, but closer to the lines of an embodiment of the very darkness itself, even using the black forms from night. However, it requires the strength of the user in order to use, dealing with endurance and strength of the person using it. As such, it's impossible to use without shaping the darkness within you to aid in strengthening your own body, which I don't even have enough to do so."
"An interesting concept you have of it." the raven spoke as it's shape changed, soon turning into a black fog that towered over Oliver. "Yet it is correct regardless. So why do you sound so bitter over it?"
"Why?" Oliver responded, the dragon soon melding into his arm as it changed into a gauntlet. He then pointed it at the fog, practically seething with anger as his eyes flashed their own form of red. "Because by all accounts, you cheated by using the ignorance of a child in order to see how far they would go for their dream, and gave them an amount that was too small to accomplish the deal. Your so called 'bet' was rigged from the start, with every part of it there for you to play the hand of: I never had a fucking chance!"
"Then why did you not try to find a way to run from me in order to keep out of a rigged bargain?" the figure responded, soon changing into a cloaked figure that held the same blood red glow in their eyes, their own face concealed by darkness itself. Oliver only sighed as he leaned back, the armor fading away as he rested his head on his free hand.
"Because though I was a kid that decided to accept a deal with what people would think of as the devil, I've grown into someone who knows that running from something that can control my own shadow is pointless." Oliver responded, looking to the figure as they watched and listened to his response. At the next moment, however, his own shadow rose and formed it's own spikes, all pointed directly at the figure as his eyes glowed orange. "So I came up with an alternative option, since I have no plan on forsaking that very ambition I gambled on: If the terms allow me to continue it, then I will accept it, but if they force me into a state to where I can't ever achieve it-"
"You'll fight me with tooth and nail, despite how pointless it may be with this power of yours." the being concluded, making Oliver close his mouth and nod as the figure looked around the spikes. The being then laughed as Oliver heard the door shake, the spikes falling apart as Oliver's gaze changed into one of shock, watching as the figure stepped to him. "The first person who I made this deal with that had said the very same thing countless millennia ago when I gave him the same amount to use it, and out of all those years you are the only person whose response held the same resolve as his did, and the same determination that held a denial of whatever fate would take away your ambition."
"Therefore, it is only fitting that I deal with you in the same way." the figure responded before the shadow flew forward and swallowed Oliver in darkness, not even giving him a time to scream as he felt himself pulled from his chair. However, he soon found himself on ground again, but this type not even feeling like the wooden floor of his room. He then looked around in shock, his eyes trying to see through the thick darkness that was around him, his own feet feeling a cold surface as he stumbled around. As he spun around to try and find some form of light, however, he soon found himself face to face with the same red eyes as before. "Come, it is the same as seeing into the night with the abilities I gave you. Look, and embrace the darkness of which your powers come from."
-present day-
Oric yawned as he finished cleaning the last of the glasses, a light rain pounding on the windows as the man processed what was recently revealed to him. The moment Sylphia came in she started talking about the backstory Oliver had, which held him in surprise given the man actually opened up about it. Back when he had first arrived, Oric tried to get him to open up after he had frequented his place for a month, but the man seemed to bottle up like whatever he had seen or committed still haunted him. 'I guess it's because you fought Elia, then.' Oric thought as he began to daze out while watching the rain, leaning forward a bit as he kept his eyes on the water droplets, soon resting his head one one of his hands as he went through his own memories. They were, however, stopped as soon as he heard a crash in the room, causing him to bolt up and turn and see one of the waitress's in front of a shattered mess, the drinks from broken glasses already mixing and pooling on the floor.
"Oi, snap out of your daze and clean that mess up before the scent soaks into the wood! We're a tavern, not a second-hand pub!" Oric shouted, making the waitress run off as Sylphia sat down at the bar and watched, now on her break as Oric walked along the bar. He then sighed as he pulled out a chair he kept behind the bar, soon setting it down beside where Sylphia was before he went back to the glasses. "Though I shouldn't really complain about dazing out given my previous state... So Oliver told you specifically that he was in a civil war?"
"Yeah, though it seemed to drain a bit of the strength he had before me and Serphy arrived." Sylphia spoke as she watched the waitress run back over with an empty bucket and a large cloth used for these messes, some of the waiter's moving in and setting up a form of blockade for people to walk around the mess. "He picked right back up after we ate, but I doubt Serphy had finished asking questions about a past he almost never speaks about."
"Well neither of you asked him exactly what he did before coming here, after all." Oric responded as one of the waiters placed a plate full of dirty glasses, one of which holding a note. Oric then smirked before he took the note out of the glass and put it beside him, soon grabbing the glass afterwards to start cleaning it. "I've asked him about his past a year ago, wanting to know more on one of my frequent customers, but apparently the memory of the losses in that war were still freshly with him, along with whatever he did. To think he actually calls himself a general that was under a defeated banner, though..."
"He seemed to still hold some pride in it, and wasn't afraid of telling people if asked." Sylphia spoke as she looked out the windows, seeing a soldier patrol marching past. Oric only nodded as he looked out to them, his mind already going through what might happen if anyone else found out that fact. "Do you think-"
"He chose to live in seclusion for a reason, and he's already personally said that he doesn't want any part in training troops." Oric interrupted as he placed a clean glass on the shelf behind him, soon turning back around to Sylphia before picking up the note. "You aren't any spy of the kingdom, nor is it any information that was asked for, so it's not your place to give out someone's past."
"I suppose that's true..." Sylphia responded as she turned her head back to the waitress that was cleaning, the shattered glass now all but gone as the waitress moved to toss the current bucket full into a pile Oric kept outside for the craftsman guild in town to reuse or toss. Oric then smirked as he opened the letter, reading through what was in it as Sylphia looked over to him. "Another note to pass along from those normals?"
"Apparently another report, though not really important since the drink in the glass made it close to illegible." Oric responded as he crumpled the note. Arlus knew how loyal Oric was to the kingdom along with the information he could grab around the city, so the man normally used the tavern for his spy network, some of them even talking to him directly while he served them. However, he forced a limit on the information the prince received, making sure it wasn't anything that would harm the men that kept to honest lives. "Apparently there's some talk between the traders of a large beast sulking through the forest this morning, looking to be one of the native of the western lands."
"I saw one of those as well!" came a voice from the entrance, causing the two to turn to find a wealthy looking trader walking into the tavern, obviously listening to the two fairly recently from how he seemed more weary than energetic for finding someone talking. "Can I get an order for the road?"
"With how the rain's about to get, you'd have better luck staying the night at an inn." Oric responded as he picked up the next glass and started to clean it, his mind already on the man's words. "So you're sure you saw that Behemoth?"
"Of course, it seemed to stand the same height as the trees, walking on two legs with some symbol branded on its arm." the trader spoke as he looked out to the rain. "I was taking a cart of chickens to sell to a nearby village, but the creature came out of nowhere and attacked the cart. I was lucky enough to get out of there alive with my horse."
"Sounds like a bluff to get a discount." Sylphia spoke as she smiled, making the trader look over to her rather annoyed.
"I don't joke about my own life, lady." the man spoke as he pulled back his sleeve, revealing a several bandages that had a light red streak going from his elbow straight to his wrist, making Orics gaze change to a worried one. "The creature had attacked me a few days ago, and would've gotten me if it wasn't for my livestock crying out in the cart. Though given the fact that they're more than likely killed, it would've been better if I had been killed. Now I have to raise another brood and hope I can get by with the eggs that I've had so far."
"Where did you see this Behemoth at?" Oric asked, looking at the man as they rolled their sleeve back over their arm, the man only looking at him confused. "We have some good soldiers that can deal with it if they know the location."
"I was attacked far south of here, around half a day away." the trader replied, making Oric nod as he looked over to Sylphia, who just nodded before walking out to inform any nearby guards of the monsters. When he looked back to the man, however, he noticed they had no look of stopping with what they knew, sending a sliver of worry back into him. "However, from what I learned from other traders, it seems to be slowly moving north along the path, some finding demolished carts near the split in the roads leading to the city."
Oric's gaze turned grim on that information. The split in the road marked where the roads changed from heading south and east, and many of the main trade routes. 'Oliver's house is over near the split as well...' Oric remembered as he finished cleaning the glasses and looked over to the rain hitting the window, now growing heavier as the storm grew closer. 'He's in the most danger at the moment, but Sylphia is already heading to the guards to warn them of the monster. Along with that, only three people in this entire city know where he lives, so the only thing we can do is hope he shows up later today.'
"My lord, news from the scouts." came a voice as Arlus watched the rain from his own window, his own eyes still analyzing every drop as they made their path. "Our suspicions were correct on the beast bearing a seal on it's arm, but it's unable to be discerned without it knowing of their location. They already lost three men attempting such and found continuation foolhardy."
"As they should have, there's no need in learning things if you end up dead in the process." Arlus spoke as he turned to the man, his gaze soon finding the king directly beside him, making him take a slight bow. "Fathe-I mean King Indras, I didn't know you were here."
"Of course not, I've kept to myself outside of international affairs and the larger scale of the land, and you can cut the formalities since we only have this man watching." the king replied, his own beard reaching past his chest as he walked up to his son and looked to the papers on the desk beside him. "I see you've kept yourself busy with the tasks I've given you, and have even gone further with these scouts you have."
"Of course, I was given leave to do as is needed for the realm." Arlus responded as he looked down at the papers himself. "I'm having the guards send out a patrol to deal with the beast we were talking about, a group of ten well trained soldiers so as to not cause it to flee from a large amount of numbers. Along with this, we'll be sending them out to a hunter that's lived out in the area in order to aid them in tracking the beast, this one in particular being strong enough to face Elia."
"That man that the soldiers kept murmuring about while on duty?" Indras asked, only receiving a nod from Arlus as he looked back out the window. "It's probably for the best then, though he may not be as limber as he was when fighting Elia, given how much it tired her out."
Arlus kept his own gaze still as he watched the rain hit the window. He had already thought of this, but with how the beast was moving towards the city, there was no alternative. "The way things are now, there really is no choice." Arlus responded as he looked past the rain to see smoke coming from a few of the chimneys. "The beast bears the seal of some group or country that we have yet to see, meaning that it could be here to either cause us grief-"
"Or to give us something to go after by claiming the seal." Indras interrupted, making Arlus only look at him and nod. the king only sighed as he looked down to the castle walls, seeing some of the soldiers in full plated armor standing in their posts, the only things covering their heads being the cloaks issued for them. "War has sprouted all around us, so it would be natural for someone to try and separate us from our alliances with other countries. We've dealt with these kinds of things before."
"But not with anything that would bear the seal of an opposing country." Arlus replied as he turned and walked to his mirror, viewing his own attire as he went through his own comment. They were a commander's uniform, one normally worn by the master of tactics, dictating his own title to the men around him. It was because of this title that he had to work so hard, despite others telling him it wasn't needed. "For all we know, they could be someone from our own country that's planning a civil war directly after whatever war they sprout from this beast. It could even be one of the city states of the lesser kings, aiming to try and grab power. With how the creature is heading for the city, however, we would have no choice but to assume that it's main goal is to attack the city. If something like that were to cause devastation to the very capital of our country-"
"It would cause an outcry throughout the kingdom to call for war against whatever seal is bore on that creature." Indras responded, interrupting Arlus again as he looked to his father with grim eyes. "You truly are starting to over think things like everyone has said."
"If I didn't, then I would be giving those sworn to become kings a bad name." Arlus responded, looking back at the mirror as his own gaze darkened. "Though it does have me wondering: does this land of our truly need so many kings, with how it is falling into depravity?"
"That is something for you to answer when your time to rule has come." Indras responded, soon walking towards the exit as the man who had given the reports for the scouts had stayed kneeled this entire time. "You may want to have this man move before he falls over from how sore his legs could be getting. Have you already sent out the letter dictating who should go?"
"It left minutes before he arrived, so they're more than likely already on their way to the southern end of the forest." Arlus replied, turning back to the rain as he saw lightning flash overhead. 'So then, how shall our beast play out...' Arlus wondered, feeling his own senses give off a form of warning, as if telling him of something that was trying to awaken in this rain.
"Looks like the rain is growing thicker." came Serphia as she watched the rain pouring out over them, the now soaked patrol exiting the southern gates as she drank some of the soup Oric had sent over for the guards in a cup. The soup itself was made from some of the dragonlings that wandered around the forests, so it was a pleasant gift he sent over in order to keep their spirits up in the rain, that was cut enough to be drunk easily. 'It always tastes like a mix with beef and pork, doesn't it...' Serphia thought as she kept her gaze on the forest ahead of them, her own squad moving through the forest to find the creature.
"And we're the sorry bastards that are walking in it to find any signs of that western monster." one of the soldiers whined as they pulled their cloak over their soup. The guards and soldier captains decided that it would need a mixed group of ten soldiers to deal with the monster, so they set up their best of both to march out. Serphia herself was chosen out because they decided on Oliver to aid in leading their group from his recent accomplishments with the other monsters.
"No moaning, we're soldiers and guards of Emerial that serve directly under the royal family." replied their commander as Serphia walked beside him, going down the path she usually took to reach Olivers home. "So the man who bested our princess lives out in this place?"
"He was granted the supplies to make his home by Prince Arlus due to an agreement during the festival, if I recall." came one of the guards, causing Serphia to smirk as she remembered that. 'It was also from how I told him of the festivals customs.' Serphia thought as she remembered her instructor's face, her mind going through the memories of her training and events with him over the past year. '...I just realized, I don't even know what his age is while he's been there for my own birthday.'
"Still, it's no wonder he could face her if he's lived out in this kind of weather without purchasing that many items..." came the commander as they walked under the trees, the downpour now less from the new obstacle as Serphia gulped down the last of her soup. "Does he make his own meals and drinks, or does he only make one or the other?"
"We have a short while until we reach his house, so you can ask him when we get there." Serphia spoke, putting the cup into a small satchel on her side as the soldiers all marched, all unaware the turmoil they would soon face along the path.
And with that comes the appearance, or introduction, of Ksalso in all his yet to be revealed glory, along with a deeper explanation of Oliver's own powers. Originally, I had him planned to appear during the fight with Elia, Reginhard to appear to state that the being would be arriving soon. Along with that, I am really sorry for how long this chapter took. Originally it was going to have Ksalso appear, but just as I had finished the chapter for it the entire computer reset on me, taking out all my work on it. The second time, I decided to type it out on the document itself, only to have my own log in reset. Eventually I ended up scrapping it and writing this form of it instead, finally settling on bringing how Oliver's bet with the raven ended up.
As for what will happen in the next chapter, all I'm going to say is that there will be blood, rage, and the awakening of a king of warfare. In the meantime, feel free to RR and tell me what I need to do to change it up correctly. I also know that I've sure as hell missed something important while writing this, so go ahead and warn me on it so I can write that part up. Till then, this is Ron signing out.
