"Here you are!" Zeldris exclaimed as he set down the prepared food on the table. Another day in the Vampire's Blood tavern already rolling through with people going in and out with rumors of the good food and drinks. "And the beer?" The customer said, chewing on his roast. Zeldris, fit with a classical black suit with a red bowtie, immediately started pouring the drinks and handing them out to the crowd. "Alright!" The bulky man took a sip...

"BLEH!" It was spat out almost immediately. The bitter and sour taste was absolutely awful! "What the hell?! I heard this crap was delicious!" The man yelled! "Yeah, the food. Not so much for the drinks..." Zeldris muttered, wiping up the mess. "Ugh...You're lucky this pig is good, boy..." The man went back to eating, pissed off with the terrible taste in his mouth. Zeldris was always being mistaken for a boy, being unusually short. "Ugh...How many times I gotta tell people I'm not a kid?!" Zeldris thought to himself, rolling his eyes as he got back to work.

A few hours later as Zeldris continued to listen in on the conversations going on throughout the tavern. A mix of talk with anonymous things but he picked up something interesting. A mysterious knight in rusted armor spotted across the land, said to be rather intimidating. One of the Ten Commandments perhaps?! Whoever it could be, hopefully they weren't too dangerous...

The door slowly creeped open, a figure in a suit of rusted armor was standing there only then started to make its way into the tavern with the door all the way open. "IT'S HIM!" The customers yelled in fear, running out of the tavern for their dear lives. "T...Ten...Command...ments..." A voice could be heard from inside the figure's helmet. Zeldris grabbed the hilt of his sword as he walked up to the figure, ready for anything that this being could throw at him. "Who are you? What's your business here?" Zeldris said, his head held high with a brave expression.

The Knight immediately fell over with a large THUD with the helmet coming and bouncing off to side, revealing the being was a young woman with long white hair. She seemed to have passed out from pure exhaustion! Zeldris stood there for a few seconds in shock before he slipped off her armor, picked up the sleeping lady, and slowly takes her upstairs to his bedroom to let her rest in the black body suit she was currently in. He placed her down on the bed and went back down stairs to deal with the huge mess the customers left behind in their panic...

Time passed as Zeldris cleaned up in the tavern as he waited for the lady to wake. "If I'm going to be honest with myself, I wasn't expecting it to be her..." He thought to himself. His attention was immediately drawn to the creaking stairs as the lady had awakened, slowly stepping down the stairs. "H...Hello?" She said, looking around the dining room. "Glad to see you're awake." He said, turning to her with a smile. The lady looked to Zeldris in surprise. "Wh...Where am I?" She said with a timid tone. "The Vampire's blood!" Zeldris stated with pride in his establishment. "The Vampire's...what?" The maiden asked, caught off guard by the name. "Oh, don't worry. It's a tavern, nothing else. I run this place." He said in a reassuring way, not wanting to frighten the female further. "You do? Pl...Please excuse me but...aren't you a bit young to be running a place by yourself?" The lady asked with a curious look.

"...I'm not a kid..." Zeldris muttered, stroking his now forming headache. "Oh... I'm very sorry..." She said with an apologetic look. Zeldris saw her expression and quickly smiled in hopes of cheering her up. "Come on down, I'll make you something to eat. You're probably starving." Zeldris said kindly. The lady slowly stepped down, looking around the tavern. She noticed a wall with ten certain wanted posters but her attention was caught by Zeldris patting a seat near the bar top, calling her to sit while he prepared some leftover ingredients. She walked over to the seat and pleasantly sat down as she watched with curiosity. "Oh my...You've already taken me in and let me rest...and you're feeding me?" She asked, genuinely touched. "Of course!" Zeldris exclaimed, finishing up preparations for the pie he was making her. He scooted the finished pie on a plate towards her. "Eat up!" He said with a friendly grin. "Oh my..." She delicately took a bite I'm of the pie with her fork, her eyes open widely with the thrill of the wonderful taste.

"The ironic thing is that for a tavern, the drinks are nasty..." He joked, trying to lighten up the mood more. To his surprise, the lady was moved to tears. "It's...very delicious..." She wept, drying her eyes. Zeldris had no idea what to do with the crying girl so he waited a few minutes before striking up another conversation. "So...what was a young woman like you doing out there in such an ominous suit?" He asked. "...I'm...looking for the Ten Commandments..." She stated. Zeldris was caught by surprise. The Ten Commandments? The notorious group that sought to destroy the kingdom? "What business does a young lady like you have with them?" Zeldris asked. "I...need their help... They're my only hope if I'm to..." She answered, suddenly stopped as a large BANG came from behind the front door.

"Open up! We were alerted by the locals that the Wandering Rust Knight is here at this tavern!" A young man yelled from behind. Allioni had arrived with his team, "The Beard of the Mountain Cat". Zeldris immediately sensed that this wouldn't be pretty. "Listen very carefully. From how they sound, they won't be very reasonable. I'll distract them, you get away as fast as you can out the back door and do not look back. Understand?" He explained calmly and carefully, making sure she understood the plan. She hesitatingly nodded, a worried expression on her face. "But...what about you? I don't even know your name, you shouldn't have to..."

"Hey...Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Please, get out of here while you still can." Zeldris said, keeping his confident smile on to reassure her. He walked over to the discarded rusted armor and started placing on pieces he could fit in. "HEY! Get out here!" Another man yelled from outside. The lady stepped near the door, ready to run and Zeldris made his way to the door.

He stepped outside to see the group of foot soldiers. Some tall and beefy, some small and a little lanky. At the center was who seemed to be their captain, who carried a serious glare. "Can I help you?" He said bluntly. He was embarrassed to be barely wearing what remained of the lady's suit but it was the best he could think of. "Allioni...This little squirt is one of the Ten Commandments?" The man with the pointy nose asked. "Obviously not!" Allioni stated. The lady slowly made her way out of the tavern and dashed into the forest. Unfortunately, she stepped on a stick...

SNAP! The soldiers' attention were all caught by her. "That woman, she must be the true rust knight!". They all immediately started chasing her. "Damn it..." Zeldris muttered as he immediately followed in pursuit. The lady ran as fast as she could but the soldiers were easily catching up...

In a blink, she has suddenly disappeared from sight?! Zeldris had to move quickly but he managed to move the lady away. They moved far enough away, near a cliff with a nice field of grass, to lose sight as he gently placed her down. "Y...You're...too kind...sir..." She said, a look of awe. "It's no big deal. Now...before we were interrupted, why were you looking for the Ten Commandments?" Zeldris asked, trying to get back on track.

"It's about my home...Liones. It's been taken under siege by the holy knights..." She explained. "Holy knights? Aren't they supposed to be the king's royal guard? Heroes?" Zeldris asked. "They were... but something happened and now, they've taken over..." The lady added. "What of the king then? If what you're telling me is true, then that rumor I heard of his illness is false..." Zeldris stated. "You are correct. They've locked him up and spread the lie to maintain control. That's why I need the Ten Commandments, they're the only ones who could help take the kingdom back. After their attack on Liones, they've all but vanished. My father told me about them when I was little...Each of them carry a special power, a unique ability that would be more then helpful."

"Zeldris of Piety"

"Estarossa of Love"

"Galland of Truth"

"Melascula of Faith"

"Monspeet of Reticence"

"Derieri of Purity"

"Drole of Patience"

"Gloxinia of Repose"

"Grayroad of Pacifism"

"Fraudrin of Selflessness"

"They're...my only hope."

SLASH! The two of them felt the ground start to slip below them. Zeldris quickly grabs Elizabeth and jumps off the falling ledge to see the man responsible. A rather bulky and large man, the apprentice holy knight Twigo with the mountain cat group in the back. The Knight looked down at the two he nearly killed with an arrogant sneer, an uncaring expression plastered on his face.

"Conclusion...We have a speedy one here. So it seems you truly are who we're looking for." He said rashly. "...You absolute fool, you nearly harmed an innocent woman in your reckless actions. Do you have any shame?" Zeldris exclaimed, calling Twigo out straight. If there's anything he hates, it's a careless fool. "My...so the little dog decides to bark?" He steps forward, unsheathing his sword. "S...Sir, don't you think you're going too far? You could've killed someone..." Allioni said, stepping up.

"Silence...or the person dead will be you" Twigo said with a threatening tone. Allioni and the other men were scared stiff, clearly terrified of their ruthless leader. "Now then...Hm?" He noticed the lady behind Zeldris, eyeing her earring. "Aha...The earring of the youngest daughter of the king who mysteriously disappeared? That makes you Elizabeth." Twigo examined. "...Elizabeth..." Zeldris muttered, getting ready for anything. Elizabeth slowly started walking towards Twigo. "Elizabeth...what are you..." Zeldris began saying.

"I...I can't let you get wrapped up in my problems no longer..." She muttered. "Tch...Wanted dead or alive. Either way, I couldn't care any less!" Twigo yelled, sending a large attack towards her and Zeldris. "Elizabeth!" Zeldris yelled, saving her before she nearly got killed. As the dust settled, Twigo made his way towards them. Zeldris held Elizabeth close to him as she was crying her eyes out. "It...It was awful...Leaving my father, my sisters, my home...and for what? I haven't even found one of the commandments...and now you'll die an innocent man...I'm a failure..." She weeped.

"...you couldn't be more wrong, your highness..." Zeldris whispered to her. Twigo had finally reached them and launched with bare effort a swing of his sword with the intent to exterminate...only to receive a little cut to his cheek. "What? I send one of my strongest attacks...only for me to take the blow?!" Twigo exclaimed in pure shock. "You have in no way failed your mission, Elizabeth...as you've found the Ten Commandments' leader."

Elizabeth's eye open wide. "Z...Zeldris? But...he looks nothing like the poster..." She muttered to herself in shock. "So it is true, one of the Ten Commandments is in my presence? Well then...I'll stop at nothing until YOU'RE DEAD!" He yelled, trying all he could to slash Zeldris down but he kept dodging at high speed. Zeldris lunged forward at an insanely fast pace and kicked Twigo in the chest, sending him flying through the sky with broken armor. He slowly turned to the other foot soldiers who immediately started running when they met his gaze.

Zeldris then turned to Elizabeth and held out his hand to help her up. "Zeldris of Piety...At your service, Princess Elizabeth."