the black door

Chapter I

In Geston, a city in the kingdom of Ibuna, crime is no rarer than a thorn on a rose. The streets are riddled with the poor, the homeless, the beggars, and the thieves. The only way to survive here was to be born rich, hit hard, or think quick. The latter is exactly how Dras Reyton lived.
His knife cut clean through the pouch carried by a young man, dropping coins into the thieves basket. Dras grinned at his success. He quickly scuttled into the crowd before the man realized that he had been robbed. Quietly, Dras headed into the back door of a smithy.
“Vesber, I heard you were running low on cash. I gathered a few, um, donations while getting apples.” Dras called out. Vesber was an older man, as his now graying hair showed. He happened to be one of the few people of Geston to make a living somewhat legally, although this didn’t make him necessarily ‘likeable’. He was of the selfish sort, the kind of man who looked out only for his own hide. Even with his self centered personality, he managed to act as a guardian on Dras’ behalf. He stood at nearly six feet, almost half a foot taller than Dras. He also happened to be at least half a foot wider than Dras.
“A job well done as always, I thank you for the kind donations to my cause.” Vesber replied. He grinned as always when he saw the sparkling silver coins, weighing them from hand to hand, lost in their musical jingle. There was a quiet tap, one that went unnoticed by Vesber as he inspected his coins. Dras on the other hand had heard it, turning his head to see if anyone had come in. He had an almost uncanny sense of hearing. Because the sound was alone, he unsurely reasoned it couldn’t have been a footstep. Eventually he convinced himself it was just some sort of clumsy mouse who couldn’t land on its feet. Vesber turned back to Dras,
“It’s harvest day and this is all you were able to find? I’d better send you back out to work!” he said, with his grin completely dissolved into an ugly scowl. Dras sighed, although he didn’t exactly dislike stealing there was always the chance of being caught, a mere tiny chance that haunted Dras in his dreams.
Vesber continued in a quieter voice “Hey, I hear that old man, Tursul I think it was, found gold a little while back on the southern half of the mountain. He’s had men mining it since. See, this Tursul fella has some trust issues, and I may as well call it a fact that he has that gold stashed in his own home.” Dras thought for a moment. He had only ever dealt in pickpocketing and was honestly unsure if he remembered how to pick a lock, the last time he did so was almost seven years ago, when he was only ten years old. The temptation of gold outweighed his fears. There is a first time for everything after all.
“Tonight, if it’s dark enough.” he finally said, with a sigh. Immediately he regretted it. Hopeful the moon would be bright that night he went back out looking for work, which was most commonly found in higher class areas of town. Geston sat on the side of a mountain, splitting the city into two levels, the Upper and Lower Plateaus. The Lower Plateau was home to the poorer people, beggars and drunks infested its foul alleyways. Of course, this meant that the richer people would live on the Upper Plateau. Those living on the Upper Plateau actually owned most of the land in the Lower Plateau, despite none of them wanting to live there. No, see the rich instead owned the land which they built factories upon factories on. They essentially enslaved the hopeful fools of the Lower Plateau. Nobody could earn enough to escape from the Lower Plateau, yet fools were always hopeful and trusted that if they worked long and hard enough for those richer than them, they would eventually become far richer than every other rat in their factory.
Dras made his way to the Upper Plateau, dodging through the thugs and beggars who lived at his level. He couldn’t simply climb the stairs anymore, the guards had begun to stop him long ago. Now he had to scale the side of a steep cliff, a difficult task to undergo without being seen. Once Dras had reached the top, he knew the next step would be to steal some clothing off of a clothes line, small enough to fit him. Dras ran behind a series of houses, looking for something about his size. He would use the same clothing as he had stolen before, but he found it easier to steal new ones as washing such delicate wardrobe was difficult. Furthermore, the fact that it was so delicate caused it to be easily ripped and damaged. He doubted such wardrobe would even survive the climb. Dras spotted a warm cotton outfit that looked just small enough for him. It would definitely be a little bit loose, but they always were on him. Rich people were often much more plump from all their sweet rolls and cakes. He quickly changed then bagged his old clothing and hid it under some rocks.
Finally it was time for him to head out onto the street and get
back to work. He walked along, searching for an easy target. Men were difficult, they often kept what they had close to them, in their pockets and such. Women on the other hand carried fancy purses, but only some were thin enough for Dras to cut unnoticed. He held an empty basket in his right hand, along with a knife just under his sleeve. He passed a young attractive woman, pressing his dagger against her purse. It didn’t cut. After this he simply continued, often too afraid to even look back due to the unlikely chance of drawing attention. It took four more tries until he finally succeeded in cutting a bag, dropping loads of jewellery into his basket. Quickly, he pulled out a small blanket he had stuffed into his largest pocket and set it atop the basket, effectively hiding the jewellery. He had pickpocketed a girl with long, dark brown hair. She seemed about the same age as him and only slightly shorter. The girl was thin, similarly to Dras and had dark green eyes. Her hair was a little bit frizzed and he noticed some dirt on her hands. She definitely didn’t look like most rich folks do, yet here she was in her fancy clothes carrying tons of jewellery. More jewellery that really made sense to be carrying about, even.
He smirked at the thought of the jewellery, completely forgetting about how little she fit in for a moment. He had made a great score. Before long though, these curious thoughts returned, and began to make him wonder. Curiosity overtook routine and he looked back at her only to see the slight glint of metal coming from under her right sleeve. A smile found its way onto his face, not a false one like any nobleman would display when telling his workers that soon they would be as rich as him. No, this was a genuine expression of his own happiness. Bliss even, and at the same time a humour in the irony of this event. All he could think of for the rest of his time on the Upper Plateau was that he truly was not alone.
 Later that night Dras looked out his window, learning that there was, quite unfortunately, no moon that night. It was next to pitch black outside and seemed to be the darkest night there had been in ages. He would have to go break into Tursul’s home. He went out, his pockets bulging with his instruments of ‘trade’ and a burlap sack tied to his waist for the loot. He snuck out through the backdoor and made his way to the old man’s villa in the shadow of the moon.
Dras fumbles with his lockpick, trying to open the door. It had been almost seven years since he last used a lockpick. He didn’t want to remember those times, back when he lived with his father and his sister. If there was anything worse than living in the slums of Geston, it was living with his father. He broke a pick, pressing too hard in anger. Calming himself down, he reached for another. The past was the past.
The door was open in about a minute, creaking loud enough to wake an giant. He couldn’t see anything in the darkness so he simply felt for the gold. What was there… a chair, a table, a cupboard, a door. He opened the door to find that it led immediately into a staircase, which he decided to descend later. Continuing around the room he came across a pouch filled with coins, and quickly pocketed them. After feeling about for another two or three minutes, he concluded there was nothing else of value on the main floor. About to head into the basement, he cursed himself for having closed the door before. Slowly and carefully, he opened the door. But no matter how careful he was, the deafening creak caused him to cringe. He headed down the staircase, clinging to the cobbled walls of the basement. It was too dark to really tell much about these items he found for sure, but he could guess from the shape and texture after feeling them. He felt around objects, finding sacks of flour, potatoes, fruits and vegetables, nearly tripping over a squash. Soon he came across something wooden, held together by a large metal band. It was a barrel with no lid and was filled nearly half way with gold. Dras felt for his relatively small leather bag then realized he would have to make quite a few trips. He stuffed his bag as full as he could, only to realize he could no longer lift it. This was a problem, and he probably wouldn’t be able to take all of the gold in one night. He emptied the bag about halfway and slung it over his shoulder. It would be a difficult job to carry any more.
On his third way back into Tursul’s villa, he tripped while running down the staircase. Although his landing wasn’t exceptionally loud, it was loud enough to wake up Tursul. He could hear the old man coming down the stairs quickly, and he panicked, running out of the basement as fast as he could. Suddenly, a dim light light shone into the cold basement, reflecting off of the cobble and creating dancing shadows as its angle changed. It was Tursul, carrying a small oil lantern. Dras immediately looked down and pulled his hood over his head, rushing past the elderly man and knocking him into the wall. If Tursul didn’t see his face, he would be fine. He ran out of the building and instead of making a beeline for the Vesber’s place, he ran around to the back of Tursul’s villa, picking up a rock on the way. Quickly, he scrambled up onto the roof and laid down silently. From the roof of Tursul’s home, he threw a rock at the building across the street.
Tursul yelled out “Thief!” repeatedly as he ran off towards the rocks landing spot. Only once the elderly man had completely disappeared into the darkness did Dras climb back down. Careful not to bring any attention to himself, he rushed to the only place he knew as a home. The dull glow of Vesber’s forge was in sight, when suddenly a Dras felt a dull pain in the back of his head. He fell forwards, eyes rolling up and mouth falling open. He was out cold before he hit the ground.

A man in a dark blue cloak and cloth mask looked down to Dras, seemingly smiling, but it was impossible to tell with his face covered. Dras surveyed the room he was in. It was a small cabin, lit only by the man’s candlestick. Cobwebs were in the ceiling and the entire place was even dustier than Vesber’s smithy.
“So kid, what was that all about? Quite a fuss you caused with Tursul.” As soon as the man mentioned Tursul, Dras scrambled up and started to run for the door, but the man grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
“Woah there kid, I got nothing against what you did. I’m actually quite proud that I found a kid like you. The King could use your skills.” Dras looked at the man with suspicion. He most definitely didn’t look like he worked for the King.
“You really think High King Osing would want to hire me? And for what skills?” The man laughed.
“You’re sneaky, you think fast, you can pick locks. You’re a cutpurse, a thief. Those skills are hard to come by among the wealthy, which is why the King can use you. Why should the king fight against this so called ‘plague’ within the kingdom instead of using it to their advantage? To turn one of your greatest enemies into an even greater ally, seems only natural to do such a thing when you can.”
“And if I don’t want to do this?”
“Then you’re executed! Heck of a lot better to go with the Kings will if I do say so myself.”
Dras was silent, wondering whether to trust the man.
“Well, make your choice! Either you can join us, or you and everyone you know can be silently executed. I’ll give you a hint, join us!” The man started pulling Dras towards the door, laughing heartily.
“Wait!” said Dras. “What’s your name?”
The man turned around, seemingly smiling but it was impossible to tell with his mask on “I can’t tell you my real name kid, but everybody calls me Blue.”
    Blue led Dras outside. It was morning and they were in a pine forest. The dew covered grass brushed against Dras’ ankles and strong winds blew through his ragged cloak. The sun hurt his eyes a little bit but they adjusted quickly. Blue started off into the ever darkening woods, gesturing for Dras to follow. Not sure of what else he could do, Dras followed him. The forest was nothing like anything Dras had seen before. Massive trees taller than he could see, beautifully colourful batches of flowers. He saw an apple tree, and grabbed himself a ripe, juicy looking fruit from it. It was delicious. As they moved, the trees became denser and denser, the birds chirped less and less and the flowers lost their colour. The forest was dieing as they moved, but walking through this strange, living city was nonetheless amazing compared to the disgusting town he lived in. It made Dras feel more alive than ever.
Everything had gone silent, the ground was littered in dead leaves and mud. Dras had just finished his apple and thrown the core when they reached a towering, rocky cliff. Blue said this was their destination.
    “Home sweet home! Come on in kid!” Blue and Dras walked towards a large boulder and slipped into the crevice between it and the wall. There was a tunnel a few metres long on a downward slant and at the end was a black door. There was only a small green stripe running along the base of it. Apart from this, it had no intricate designs or even a doorknob. It was just a wooden panel painted black. A few moments after Blue knocked on the door and called out something it slid open to reveal stocky man stood at the other side, with a scar to the left of his mouth. He wore leather armour with steel plates over his shoulders and on his chest. The room was dark and unwelcoming, with only two candles giving it light. It was maybe six metres across and shaped like a semicircle, with the bottom at the same side of the entrance.
    “Blue, if this is another one of those idiotic kids you found pulling pranks and decided he was some kind of prodigy, I will decapitate him myself right in front of you! In fact, I doubt I could guarantee I won’t do the same to you.”
    “Hold on Arde, this kid ain’t some prankster. He’s a proper thief. I caught him robbing a ton gold off of some rich fool.”
    Arde grunted “Just don’t expect me to be giving him any special treatment. He wants to join us he’ll still have to pass my tests.”
    “All’s fair than, Arde. He’ll ace them on his first try.”
    “Wow, that’s almost a dozen less than it took you, Blue. I guess you did find a prodigy.”
    “Almost a dozen? As if, I got it down on my third try!”
    “Ha! That’s not what I found in the records!” Blues face goes red, and he quickly pulls Dras through a door.
    “We better get started training, if you can’t make it in, Arde will never shut up about it! And to top it off, you’ll be executed. Listen kid, don’t mess this up for me!”
    “Wait, I’ll be executed? What in the world is even happening? I get you guys want me to be some kind of spy but… I mean… Can you just explain a little more of this to me?” asks Dras.
    “Well… This is a secret organization, created by the King. Not the High King Osing you know of, but the True King.”
    “True King?”
    “Yes, True King. Osing is just a figurehead. He really doesn’t do much more than act tough and noble, and make speeches. The True King is our real leader. He does all the thinking and tells the High King what to do from behind the scenes.”
    “What’s this ‘True Kings’ name?”
    “Ha! As if I would know. Only High King Osing has ever seen him, and he doesn’t even know the man’s real name! Anyways, we are a part of the military force used for scouting out areas, gathering intelligence and of course, assassination. It’s a dangerous life, which is why you have got to learn how not to die. Shall we start?”
    “Ummm… I suppo-” Blue snatched at Dras then pulled him through a door at the back of the room before he could finish his sentence. There were about a dozen people in the new room, most of them fighting. One man was kicked across the face and knocked almost halfway across the room. It was a girl who had thrown the kick, looking hardly older than Dras.
    “I’m Shiko, and you are?” the girl said as walking towards Dras.
    “My name is Dras.”
    “Welcome to the Black Door than, Dras.”
    “Black door?” asked Dras.
    Blue quickly interrupted “About that, I seem to have forgotten to tell you the name of our little family. We are called the Black Door.” He smiled and then continued. “We should get to work, let’s see you fight. Shiko, you want to spar him?”
    “It would be my honour to beat up the newbie.” she said, smiling. Dras had no idea what to do when Blue suddenly gave him a long oaken staff.
    “No way you're gonna beat her hand to hand, so here's a handicap.” Shiko dashed forwards and lifted her hand to strike. Dras knocked it away with the staff but she quickly lifted her foot and kicked him between the legs, knocking him back. He dropped the staff which she quickly picked up, and tapped him on the forehead with.
    “Is that really all you’ve got? Blue should be ashamed of himself.”
    “Oh come on. That wasn’t fair play, you kicked him right in the crotch!” disagreed Blue.
    “Got to use everything to your advantage, isn’t that right, Sensei?” mocked Shiko, arms crossed and shaking her head side to side.
    “I suppose you’re right…” Blue sighed. “But fighting really isn’t his best skill from what I’ve seen, he is rather stealthy though.”
    “That doesn’t matter much to me. I suppose I will have to make sure he learns how to defend himself, otherwise there’s no way he’ll pass the test.” Shiko replied.
 Dras sighed “About this test, what exactly will I have to do?”
    “Always depends. We take the least important job we can find then give it to whoever the new kid is. Then me, Arde and a few of the other higher ups here judge your performance.” Blue answered.
    “And these tests almost always end up having a fight in them, as almost nobody can make it through without being seen. That’s why I’ve got to teach you to fight, and we better be getting started on it. Follow me.” Shiko walked to a corner of the room and kicked at the floor, opening a trap door. She then climbed down the ladder and Dras followed, then Shiko lit a lantern in the room they had entered and set it down in the corner. The walls were made of stone and the floor of wooden planks. Thick, damp air suffocated Dras as he took in his surroundings. A single dummy stood at the center of the far wall, with metal arms that seemed to be attached to an axle.
“Go on Dras, kick it, punch it. Do whatever you think would damage it most.” Shiko encouraged him. Dras stepped forward and threw a punch at the dummy's straw filled body. His fist bounced uselessly off and then the arms swung around and smashed into Dras’ face, knocking him to the ground. Blood dripped from a cut on his cheek.
Shiko laughed,“Beaten by a dummy, were you? Give it another try, and be ready for that this time.” Dras stood up and kicked the dummy’s body, then immediately swung his arm to the side to block the incoming blow, but it never came. Suddenly a force hit him from the opposite side, with just as much force as before. He was knocked down causing Shiko to laugh again. He stood up, and punched the dummy again, this time jumping back, only to be hit between the legs by a plank of wood risen from the floor and knocked down yet again. He got frustrated and stood up, then glared at Shiko.
“How does this always react to what I do? I jump back and the floor attacks me, I block to my right and it attacks from the left! What am I supposed to do?” Shiko pushed Dras back and hit the dummy. It immediately swung at her, but she dodged easily. The plank rose from the ground behind her but she sidestepped then swung a second kick at the dummy, knocking some of the straw out. Part of the ceiling opened and a metal ball hung by chain fell down, swinging above her head as she ducked, then returning to the ceiling. She got a third hit off and no more attacks followed.
“I don’t know how it can tell what people are doing, but the secret is to respond after it starts an attack and get out of the way before it finishes. The goal is to hit it three times, then it will stop attacking you.” Dras walked forwards and stood across from the dummy. Something about it seemed sinister. He punched it, feeling ready for anything, but it’s head suddenly extended forwards knocking into him. He fell again.
“This is going to take a long time, isn’t it?” said Shiko as she sat down in the corner. “I’ll wait. I’m sure you will get the hang of it eventually.” Dras stood up and fought the dummy. Time after time again he was beaten, and he continued for almost four straight hours. Although he never got the third hit in before being knocked down, he had started to dodge many of its attacks. Shiko patiently sat, watching him fight and occasionally calling out tips.
“Never focus on one thing, keep your eyes on the big picture.” she called out. He listened to all of her tips, and fought tirelessly. He never did beat the dummy that night though. He was far too busy dodging it to be able to hit it, at one point fighting for almost half an hour before being knocked down.
“Alright, you have taken enough of a beating for tonight. Go to the entrance room. Blue will show you to your room.” Shiko said, standing up and beginning to climb the ladder. Dras followed, then headed back to where he entered the building from. Arde was looking through papers with a pipe sticking out from the corner of his mouth, Blue leaning against a wall behind him.
“To tell the truth, you might be right Arde. The kid can’t fight if his life depended on it. I guess we just got to hope he can sneak past everyone.”
“Got that right Blue, the kid is practically useless if he can’t defend himself. I really just hope Shiko manages toughen his soft skin. Something about him makes me want him to pass.” Dras stepped through the doorway.
“Hey Blue, Shiko told me you would show me to my room. Which way would it be?” Dras said, pretending not to have heard what they were talking about. Blue quickly turned around and smiled, then spun to the side and pointed at a door.
“Right this way, your highness.” and he marched through one of the many doors and into a labyrinth of hallways.
“And here it is! Your roommates will be Sneezy, Grumpy, Happy, Dopey, Bashful, Sleepy and Doc. Make sure to remember their names!” Blue dashed back into the maze, leaving Dras behind. He opened the door and was greeted by a leather bag being thrown at his face.
“Go away Blue!” an older boy called out, but then he saw Dras. “Oh sorry kid! You must be the new guy, Dras, right? Nice to meet you, I’m Al. Care for a spar?” Al shook Dras’ hand, then rose his hands and readied for a fight.
“Hold on, I’m beaten up enough by the stupid dummy, can we do this in the morning?” Dras said.
“Oh… okay then, I guess.” Al seemed disappointed. He went and laid down on one of the two cots in the room.
“There should be clothing for tomorrow in the dresser behind your cot. Get a good night's sleep, after all, you are gonna be fighting me in the morning.” Dras sat down on the bed, then blew out the candle next to it and fell into a deep sleep the moment his head touched the pillow.


Chapter II

    Dras stood at the peak of an immense mountain. Snow swirled around him, dancing in the wind. Rays of sunlight bounced from the white blanket of snow that covered the ground, the crisp air nipped at his skin. Below him was an endless expanse of forest that surrounded the lonely mountain, and stretched out for miles. The bright green foliage was beautiful from the height he stood at. He saw a village in one direction. It seemed as though he could see the whole of Penterra from this place. Nature's perfect image surrounded him, and it amazed him. But then in the distance, he saw the beach. Fog covered the ocean, but two eyes seemed to pierce through it from the ocean. The lonely mountain he stood upon began to move towards this beach. The snow was shaken off to reveal the stoney scales beneath. The mountain roared towards the ocean, and whatever was hiding in the fog roared back. Tree’s were crushed underneath the mountain as it moved, leaving a trail of ruin behind it. From the ocean rose the opposing beast. A serpent, blue scales and seemingly even more massive than the creature Dras stood atop now. It was hard to tell it’s size when so much of it was submerged. Massive fins fanned out from the back of the creature's head and back. The serpent opened it’s mouth and let out a terrifying scream with enough power to knock Dras clear off of the mountain he had once stood claimed the peak of. Dras panicked, but noticed something far in the distance. A single man wearing a robe and holding a staff. His image began to fill Dras’ view until all Dras could see was the grin on his bony face. The man started to laugh and the image began to fade, darkness was all that was left. The darkness cloaked Dras, squeezing him and torturing him. Where had the beautiful landscape gone? What had happened? It was only darkness, until the red eyes opened, and a shape began to form. It was the serpent, the Leviathan, born from darkness of the deep sea. It struck, and the lights went out.
    Dras woke up, sweaty and uncomfortable. It was only a dream. Al looked down from above.
    “Breakfast or spar first? Your choice!” Al said excitedly.
    “Let’s just get the spar over with now.” mumbled Dras as he stood up. He readied himself for combat, and then noticed the bruises on his arms and the cuts on his knuckles. He was in much worse shape from the dummy than he remembered. Quickly, Al let loose a kick that swung towards Dras’ head. Dras managed to duck under it, and throw a punch from the crouched position, but Al’s foot suddenly dropped forcing Dras to the ground before his punch made contact. Al stepped forwards and attempted to stomp Dras, but he rolled to the side to quickly. Dras’ legs hooked around Al’s, then brought him down. Al managed to grab Dras after hitting the ground then rolled on to him. He put his arm down on Dras’ chest.
    “I could have this on your throat right now, and could kill you just like that. You’re gonna have to practice some more.” Al said. Again he seemed disappointed, as if Dras hadn’t lived up to his expectations.
    “Well, time for breakfast then. You missed dinner last night while you were training.” Al laughed, and patted Dras on the back before leaving the room. Dras’ stomach growled, and he realized he hadn’t eaten anything but an apple the day before. He immediately sat up and raced after Al, following close behind him as not to get lost in the expansive maze of corridors. Almost immediately did he forget about his dream. He ate a small breakfast of bread and cheese then went back to training with Shiko.
    “Look at you, all beaten up. Your skin is soft as a baby’s. We need to toughen you up. Hold out your hand.” Dras did as Shiko told him. She picked up a plank leaning against the wall and swung it at Dras’ hands. There was a slap, followed a yell of pain, and Dras pulled his hands back.
    “What was that for?” Dras yelled,
    “Toughening up your baby skin, the more it’s hit the harder it becomes. Put your hands back out, this will be a long day.” Shiko answered, cold and without emotion. Dras notice her knuckles were already bloodied.
    “You did this to yourself?” he asked.
    “I’ve been doing it every night, maybe one day my skin will be tough enough to stop a sword in it’s tracks. It’s really quite an effective technique, you know.” She looked down as she spoke, not looking Dras directly in the eyes. Dras stayed quiet. She put herself through so much pain just to become stronger, and work for the True King. Dras understood he only had to withstand a fraction of what she made herself endure. He trained quietly, but eventually curiosity overtook respect.
    “You aren’t doing this for the Black Door only, are you?” he asked. Shiko sighed.
    “You’re right.” she said, and left it at that. She was near silent for the rest of the training session, only speaking to tell Dras where to toughen next.
    It was time to fight the dummy again. Dras climbed down the ladder, ready. He stood across from the dummy with muscles tensed. He punched. The dummy spun, and Dras dodged. A floorboard swung upwards, and Dras sidestepped it. The metal ball came from the ceiling, and instead of dodging it Dras grabbed onto it and swung back on it, straight back to the dummy, striking it with a vicious kick. The dummy’s head lunged forwards and almost hit him, but he kept swinging. He had almost made another full circle on the chain when it started to rise. Dras’ next kick flew uselessly over the dummy’s head. A second ball fell from the hole in the ceiling, nearly hitting Dras as he dropped off the first one’s chain. The dummy spun again forcing Dras to duck then turn around and strike it one last time. It was over. Dras fell back, gasping.
    He had finally done it. He collapsed from exhaustion. Shiko stood silently, it was the first time anyone had used the dummy’s own attacks against it, to her knowledge, like Dras did with the chain. For the first time since Blue found him, Dras was showing potential.
    It was time for dinner, which proved much better than breakfast. This time there were vegetables and meat to go with the bread and cheese. Laughter flooded the room, and Dras felt more at home than ever, even with the tough scabs covering every inch of his body. An older member brought up Blues training.
    “I swear, the worst people in testing always turn out the best. I mean, how many tries did it take you? Twelve, thirteen?”
    Arde laughed. “Took him twelve tries mate, found that myself!” Realization dawned on Dras. Immediately, he mentally scolded himself, wondering to himself just how stupid and unobservant he could possibly be.
    “How did he take the test multiple times if you get executed for failing?” he asked. Everyone turned to him and smiled.
    “You don’t get executed for failing the final test, however, if you had taken just a few weeks longer to pass the one you just did now, you would have been executed. We give newbies one month to figure it out, then we stop wasting resources on you. After all, if you can’t realize we were lying to you there, you are useless to the King. I was a little bit afraid that you wouldn’t catch on though, and we would lose you. It took you forever to realize. Of course, normally you would be executed if you failed the final test twelve times. I was unlucky, they were never what we expected to happen.” Blue answered.
    Dras responded “So I passed one test, how many other hidden ones are there?”
    “The dummy was a test as well, and apart from that and the next hidden test there will be the summative, which you will know of soon enough. Don’t worry, it isn’t a secret one. Good luck, Dras.” Arde answered.
Dras began to think. “What could the next test be? They had tested my cunning with the fake threat and have tested my strength with the dummy, what is left?” An idea came to him, and he decided to take action that very night. He went back to his dorm late due to training and found Al fast asleep. It was perfect, he wouldn’t even have to wait. He turned around and left the dorm. Quietly, he waltzed along the walls through the endless maze of the Black Door, feeling his way until he found the lobby, where he had first entered. Behind Ardes desk was a locked door, which was quickly opened with one of the keys Dras had taken off of Blue earlier that day. He was going to look for documents on people who passed or failed the third test in order to find out how he could pass. Dras knew it would be in there, because Arde had pulled out the documents which Blues tests were recorded on from behind that door. He struck his match and lit his candle, only to illuminate the grimacing faces of Arde and Blue. They had been completely invisible in the dark, but now he could see them quite clearly. Both of them frowning, Dras turned to run but was grabbed by Ardes iron grip, then turned around.
    “You pass buddy.” Blue said, and then both of the men started to laugh.
    “What? But I was sneaking in, I was cheating!” Dras said.
    “That’s the point, sometimes you just can’t win fair. People who work here at the Black Door, whether you call them assassins, spies or even ninjas, all make absolutely sure they win, even if it means cheating. We had to make sure you weren’t too ‘honourable’ to cheat, and so we set up the third and final test. Well, final hidden test that is.” At this point, Dras had started to laugh too. That night he went back to his dorm knowing that this really was the right place for him.

    Here he was again, atop the monstrosity from his last dream.
“The Behemoth” he thought. Where was this? What really were these two creatures, whose names seemed to have just flowed into his mind. He could sense their intention, they wanted to defeat each other. The battle between these two creatures would destroy so much. The Behemoth reached the sea, and the Leviathan rose from it. Atop the Leviathan's head, stood a man in a cloak, holding a staff.
    “So you are my enemy?” the man asked.
    “I don’t know what’s happening here, isn’t this all just a dream?”
    “No, this is no dream. It is a sign. Soon, in the physical world, we will stand like this, facing each other. We and our creatures, the Behemoth and Leviathan, will fight each other to the death.” The man gasped for air. He was having trouble speaking.
    “Surely you wouldn’t be able to fight though? And why would we be fighting?”
    “Don’t underestimate me, boy! Your questions will be answered soon enough, be patient! The creatures below them attacked each other, and so both Dras and the man fell off into what seemed like an abyss below.

    “Wake up Dras!” Al shouted. Dras looked to the side, to see Al fully dressed standing up and ready. “Blue wants to teach you stealth. You only have three more days until the big test!”
    “Wait, three more days? Why?”
    “You’re lucky. You finished the other three tests later than most, so you got more training in the dojo. Everyone does the big test three days after they finish the final hidden test. Today you’re learning how to move unseen, and tomorrow you are going to get some weapons training. Bows, knives and claws. The usual weapons.”
    “Claws?” Dras inquired.
    “You’ll find out tomorrow.” Al answered. “For now, I would just worry about not being late to meet up with Blue outside.” Dras changed and sprinted through the halls. He had gotten some general understanding of the maze he was living in and was able to take the quickest path out.
    Dras wandered out and looked around, but Blue was nowhere to be seen. Was he early? Was Blue late? A wave of realization waked on him. He was here to train for unseen movement, and Blue probably wanted Dras to find him before they started. He searched everywhere, in thorny bushes, between boulders and under tree roots but Blue was nowhere to be seen.
    “Good morning Dras!” a familiar voice called out from behind. Dras turned to see Blue. “What are you looking for out here, kid?”
    “I was looking for you, I suppose you got bored of hiding?” answered Dras. Blue looked startled.
    “You thought I was testing you?” he asked, chuckling under his breath.
    “You weren’t?” Dras replied. They stood and stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds.
    “I was late.” Blue broke the silence, then laughed heartily. The next moment Dras heard Arde yell at Blue for leaving the door open, then slammed it shut. Disappointment flooded Dras.
“How am I to learn from this guy?” he had thought to himself, until he realized Blue wasn’t there anymore. Somebody tapped Dras’ shoulder, and when he turned around, Blue stood there.
“Don’t be disappointed that it wasn’t a test. I’ll challenge you plenty now.” Blue assured “You see the leaves? As they sway in the wind and the sun moves slowly overhead, the shadows move in strange ways. You must follow them, quickly and quietly.” Dras attempted to step with a shadow, but it stopped moving, again he tried but it went a different way.
    “You have to understand the shadows before moving, analyze them and their patterns, feel the wind to understand any changes that are to come. It’s difficult, but to blend your movements with those of the shadows is the only way to move undetected.” Blue explained. Dras sat down, and watched. Slowly, he saw the patterns, there were thick branches that would take time to start moving or to stop, and thin ones that would that would go from still to wildly flailing in an instant. He stood up, and he creeped into the shadows, walking on the toes of the strange cloth shoes he had been given. He was silent, and nearly invisible.
    “Well done kid. You still need a ton of practice, but you caught on quicker than most. Looks like I was right that you were the stealthy type.” exclaimed Blue as he grabbed Dras by the shoulder.
    “But you just grabbed me, you saw me!” Dras complained.
    “I never looked away Dras, therefore I can’t lose you. Remember that, it is quite useful.” Blue explained knowingly.
    As they made their way back into the labyrinth of a base, Blue began to explain the weapons Dras would be using.
    “You got your simple weapons that you may have even wielded before, they would be knives and bows, then you got some of the fun ones like claws or a hook chain. The claws are strapped onto your palm and are usually used for climbing, but you can catch a sword between the claws and throw it out of your opponent's hand. Another nice thing is that by doing this in the dark, it will look like you caught the blade with your bare hand. That alone scares most people off.”
    “So that’s all they’re for? Climbing walls and defense?” Dras asks.
    “Don’t get so disappointed. You can pull off a palm strike while wearing them to stab your opponent in the gut, but they are a pain to clean afterwards. In a real, one on one fight, you would want to use the hook chain.” answered Blue.
    Dras looked up, puzzled “What exactly is the hook chain anyways?”
    “Well, it’s a kama with an iron ball attached to the hilt by chain. You hold one hand on the kama and the other on the chain, then you use the chain either to bash them or for tangling it around their legs. After they have either been tangled and tugged over, or beaten and bruised, you go in for the kill with the kama.” explained Blue, much to Dras’ excitement. Blue saw him grinning and thought back for a moment.
    “Listen kid, it isn’t going to be nearly as good as I make it sound when you actually have to kill somebody. We are a serious organization, we do… bad things. It’s difficult, but it has to be done.” Blue sighed.
    “Just don’t lose your humanity. Another killing machine is the last thing we need. You should head down to the dojo for a bit.” Blue turned a corner and left Dras to wander and wonder, knowing what Blue meant but trying to understand who or what he was referring too, if anyone at all that was.
    Shiko was in the dojo when Dras arrived, beating down anybody brave enough to fight her.
    “Hey Dras! How did stealth training go?” she called out just as she kicked Al across the face. She grinned, and he groaned.
    “Want another go at me? You might even hit me this time!” she teased at Dras. He started to turn red, but then started thinking. He was barely bigger than Shiko, but he was definitely faster than the people she had been fighting. Maybe he could take her.
    “Why not?” he challenged. Shiko grinned.
    “Good luck Dras, honestly, you’ll need it.” and she lunged towards him, arm extended and hand balled into a fist. Dras ducked and narrowly missed her punch, then grabbed her waist to pull her down. She elbowed his shoulder, forcing him to loosen his grip. They backed up and slowly circled each other.
    Dras smiled, and called out “I’m getting better, ain’t-” she struck him in the gut, mid sentence, then held a finger to her lips.
    “No talking while fighting.” she explained, while easily dodging Dras’ half hearted kicks.
    “You will lose focus.” she smiled, bent her knees then jumped straight at him. She full body tackled Dras, knocking him on his back, then rolling over him and immediately getting to her feet at his head. She stomped down, missing by an inch as Dras rolled to the side. He rolled once more to dodge her second stomp and ended up directly next to a wall, then he remembered something. Just as Shiko stomped for the third time, Dras kicked at the ground in front of him. A trapdoor opened underneath Shiko dropping her through to the room below. Dras quickly stood back up and jumped in after her. He landed, seeing Shiko stand in the far corner, seemingly unharmed despite her headfirst fall. Beside her was the dreaded magic dummy. Dras went in for a punch, but she was quicker and caught him in the gut. He backed up a bit then threw a wild kick at her head. She easily ducked underneath it, causing it to continue and slam into the dummy's head. When Shiko stood straight again, the dummy spun its mechanical arms around, making contact with her forehead. She fell to the ground, and groaned in pain.
    “Goddammit Dras! That just isn’t fair!” she complained.
    “Got to use everything to your advantage, right ‘Sensei’?” Dras smirked. Shiko gave Dras a sharp look, but then reached out for him to help her up. They reached the top of the ladder to find everybody in the dojo staring at them. One brave man began to ask who had won, but Shiko had knocked the unsuspecting man out cold before he could finish. Dinner was served and laughing filled the halls, but all Dras could think about was the upcoming test.
    “Two more days.” Dras said aloud before falling asleep.

    Fire was everywhere. The town was burning down, the forest set alight. Steam rose from the vast ocean, and in it swayed the massive body of the Leviathan. Dull, gray scales began to glisten with the water. It’s bright, blood red eyes slowly began to fade until they became a dark yellow. Its roar faded away, and it closed its mouth. No longer was it a mindless beast, it was sentient. It stared at the fire, calculating. Caring. Underneath Dras, a roar came loose. The Behemoth was still there, as angry as ever. Steam rose, escaping from between its scales. Smoke puffed from its nose. It roared once more, and this time sprayed out fire. Although he was atop his head, although the fire was moving away from him, he began to feel his skin burn. Dras began to sweat, but his sweat didn’t last long, evaporating before it could even cool him down. Steam and smoke was everywhere, blinding Dras. Things became very dark, all his senses were lost until the cold came. It hit him like a truck. All his senses returned instantly as cold water washed him away. Falling, falling far down the broad back of the Behemoth. Falling down, in a torrent of water. Wisps of smoke and steam pushed back up, fighting to rise against the water. But it was too much, and so Dras continued to fall, falling into darkness.

    Dras woke up abruptly, sitting straight up. Al was still asleep. For a moment, he just stared at the door, wondering what he had just dreamed about. There was, what was it, a fish, a snake? Wasn’t there supposed to be an old man on its head? What happened to him, maybe he got caught in the fire. There was fire, right? Things just didn’t make sense. Dras dressed himself and lit a candle. He left his room and began to wander around the halls, the flame from his candle warming the cold tunnels, guiding Dras. He had never had such dreams before, and he wanted to learn more about what was happening. He just wasn’t sure what he would find simply by exploring in the darkness. The darkness shattered, light coming from all sides as the torches on the walls all lit themselves instantaneously. The crackle of fire broke the silence that Dras found so much comfort in. Something was happening. From a around a corner came two men, one of which he recognized as Arde. The second man wore a long black robe that covered all but his hands and head.
    “Why are you out here right now?” growled Arde. Dras just stood, staring.
 “It’s the middle of the night and you have no reason to have left your room, what are you doing?”
“Quiet Arde. Now Dras, why don’t you tell me about your dreams?” the old man requested.
“My dreams?” Dras replied “How do you know about my dreams?” Suddenly the confused look shifted from Dras’ face over to Ardes,
“What in hell is going on here?” he yelled out, but the robed man simply held in arm up and opened his hand infront of Arde. ‘
“As I said before Arde, be quiet. There are people sleeping, you know.” Arde looked at the man with a defiant scowl on his face, but he did not utter a single word.
“Dras, I am the Black Doors Head Mage, Milos. I work with all things that include a magical aspect. If you remember the intelligent dummy, than you have seen a wondrous example of my work.” the man explained calmly.
“So you created that pain in the ass dummy?” Dras said.
Milos laughed a little bit, then continued “Indeed, one of my most important creations in the realm of training, but is easily the most hated as well. Hmph! I am unsure of what my intentions were to engage in this idle chatter. This is no time to speak of such unimportant matters. I need to know everything that has happened in your dreams recently.”
“Dreams? Why in hell would you need to know about my dreams?” Dras replied.
Milos sighed, “Just tell me boy! I will explain after.”
Dras was uneasy, but saw no reason not to tell him. “I don’t quite remember it all. I guess the main things were that there were the two massive animals. One looked like a sort of reptile but it stood on two legs, and the other was some kind of massive sea serpent.” Milos looked shocked.
“Not at all good, not at all...” he muttered.
“Well, in the next, there was a man on the serpent. He was dressed similarly to you, in a cloak and all that. He had a staff too, if that helps.” Dras continued.
“Indeed, he was a mage as well as I, which only makes things worse. What were the creatures doing?” asked Milos.
“Well, in my first dream, I remember them rearing up for a fight. In the second they had started fighting. I remember the man best from that dream. The third one I had, that was just now actually, they seemed to have already been fighting for quite a while. The land creature was going crazy and burning everything in sight. The other one, the serpent, tried to put out the fires and seemed, well it almost seemed intelligent.” Dras rambled. Milos looked down, then began to shake his head.
“Dras, this is a sign, a warning. I believe I know who the robed man you are talking about is.  He… he used to work with us. But eventually he went mad, he had thrown himself entirely into the research of those two creatures and abandoned the Black Door when we didn’t give him permission to try and bind one. I believe he may have discovered the method of binding and may be attempting it now. I can’t say I didn’t expect him to come up with a method, I was only unsure if he would ever be able to execute such a feat. There is no way that that much power can be held by one man without destroying his physical body.” Milos explained.
Dras sighed, “What's the worry if they really can’t be bound without killing him? Why are you coming to me about this?”
This time, Milos was the one sighing. “You’re a curious boy, Dras. I only thought that said feat was impossible, but your dreams seem to depict him as succeeding. As per your second question, I have only spoken with you because I had sensed these dreams and narrowed them down to your dorm. At the moment, we were actually heading down to question you and Al together.”
“Dreams under your spell? What do you mean?” Dras asked, confused.
“Knowing Sleep, as I have named it, is a spell I had created solely for the Black Doors use. It took nearly two decades for research and another year to set it up, but it was most definitely worth the wait. Essentially, the spell scours the world, reaching even forwards through time, for something which may pose a great threat to Ibuna. After this, it shows these threats to a sleeping soul that is geographically located within the Black Door headquarters. On multiple occasions has this revealed enemy troops movements, locations of drug lords and criminal organizations and even natural disasters, allowing us to respond accordingly to the situation before it even befalls us.”
“It seems to be quite the spell, then.” Dras complemented.
“Indeed. Yet now, I am beginning to distrust its accuracy. Nonetheless, actions must be made. Thank you for your contribution, but you should really get to sleep.” Milos flicked his wrist towards Dras, sending out a dim energy that swirled and flowed quickly through the air until gently touching Dras and knocking him unconscious. When the boy woke up, he was back in his dorm, unsure of whether the encounter was a dream.


Chapter III

    Blue had lead Dras into a new room, where he then took his place and the front. It was similar to the dojo, bar the weapons lining the walls. Dras reached out for a short sword, polished and glistening, but Blue stopped him.
    “That one isn’t for you kid, I want you working with even smaller weapons.” Dras nodded, and looked back to Blue.
    “Glad I got your attention now! Alrighty, first things first, a knife, easy right? What would you use it for?”
    “Stabbing?” Dras replied.
    “Maybe if you’re caught, but normally it’s nice for cutting rope and doing other, less violent tasks. Since you seem to be so excited to get into a fight though, hows about we try out the hook chain?” Blue pulled the strange weapon off a rack behind him and handed it to Dras.
    “Hit me with the iron ball, Dras.”
    “What? Not a dummy or anything?”
    “Nope, just good ol’ Blue over here. Come at me now.” Blue laughed. Dras paused before he began to spin the chain above his head, then he finally swung it out to Blue. Blue calmly stepped back, allowing the weighted chain to continue back towards Dras who was hit in the gut and knocked to the floor, breathless.
    “As you can see, that’s not the best way to fight. If you ever do use the iron ball itself, it would be to strike one's head after they are already disoriented, or have fallen. Otherwise, you strike with the kama and use the chain to tie their legs together. The ball serves as a distraction while you keep swinging it above your head.
    Dras stood up, “Should I try again?” he wheezed.
    Blue laughed “Of course! Though I don’t want you figuring it out while you’re testing it on me.  There’s some dummies in the other room, there. I’ll grab you one and we can see what you can do.” Blue was back quickly, carrying a straw filled dummy only slightly smaller than him. Setting it down, he turned to Dras.
    “Get to work kid.” he said before firmly plopping his body on the ground in the corner of the room. He sat down, arms and legs crossed, and watched as Dras struggled. Throughout the training, Dras destroyed two dummies, but was humbled when Blue showed him that a dummy could be broken cleanly in half with a single slice of the kama followed by a strike with the iron ball. Dras sighed, and slumped on the floor, but Blue grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him back to his feet.
    “Hold on kid, we aren’t resting quite yet. Next up is climbing claws, the most dangerous simple training you will undergo here.”
    “Why is that?” Dras asked.
    “Goodness, I thought you were supposed to be clever. Remember that cliff that we happen to be based under? Our lesson will start at the bottom and end at the top.” Dras sighed.
    “I suppose I don’t really have much-”
    “Choice on the matter? Of course not. Here are your claws, I’ll meet you at the top.” Blue quickly strapped on his claws then ran out. After a few minutes, Dras had finally secured the claws to his palms and followed after him. Blue was maybe half of the way up the wall, making good progress. Dras walked alongside the wall, feeling it. Most of it wasn’t rock but some kind of tough dirt. There were many holes where others had climbed, but most were older and worn away. Luckily, Blue had begun to climb first and left fresh holes behind. Dras dug his claws into the marks left by Blue, the dirt resisted very slightly, allowing Dras to easily move his claws upwards. Immediately, he attempted to lift his feet off the ground, sending a surge of pain through his wrists which had suddenly taken the weight of Dras’ entire body. Quickly, he swung his feet forwards and pressed them against the wall. His claws slid out of the now twice used and weakened dirt in the wall and he fell flat on his back. Using the path that Blue had left behind wouldn’t work, he would have to climb the cliff alone.
    “Having fun down there?” Blue yelled out. Dras looked up, surprised to see that Blue had already made it to the top. He cursed himself for not having watched Blue more closely to see how he climbed the wall. Regretfully, he planted his claws in the wall once again, this time choosing a fresh area in the dirt. He made sure to put his claws in on a slightly downward slant as to avoid it sliding out again. He pressed his feet against the wall. The claws held. He began to climb, raising his left hand, left leg, right hand, right leg, over and over again.
    Soon, Dras had begun to count out his advancements under his breath.
 “One, two, three, four. One, two…” he repeated to himself. He didn’t look up, afraid the distance from the top would discourage him, and never looked down for the fear of being frightened by the height.
    He lifted his left hand and planted it against the wall, only there was no resistance. Confused by the change in routine of climbing the wall, Dras glanced up. He had reached the top, and there was no more dirt to be dug into. Pressing one claw at a time into the dirt at the peak of the cliff, he raised himself, only to drop his body into a slump on the flat surface he had reached. He was exhausted. For the second time that day, Blue picked him up by the back of his shirt and lifted him to his feet.
    “I had planned on bringing some food up so we could have lunch here, but I forgot to! We are going to climb back down now and have food in the base.” Blue explained, seemingly smiling although it was impossible to tell with his mask.
Dras sighed. Sitting up, he looked over the side of the cliff. Far in the distance, over the dense forests he had traveled through to get here, he saw a single mountain. Buildings were scattered across it’s two very different levels, smoke rising from the bottom half and blocking the view of certain points above.
    “Strange seeing your hometown from so far away, isn’t it Dras?” Blue asked.
    Dras nodded “I suppose. I wonder whats going on there now.”
    “I can tell you it hasn’t changed much just from you disappearing. That man you lived with probably thinks you were caught while robbing Tursul, and the rest of the city couldn’t care less for a dirty thief.” Blue said.
    “I suppose that’s true, I really didn’t make much of an impact there…” Dras stood up and walked to the edge of the cliff. It was a long way down.
    “Blue, how does one climb back down the wall? I mean, there doesn’t seem to be that good a way to start.” Dras asked.
    “I was pulling your leg kid, you don’t climb back down. We’re going to head in through another entrance up here and take a ladder down to the lobby.” Blue answered. After Blue head headed in, Dras remained on the cliff side for a bit. He stared over the edge, not at the town that he had came from but instead the ground, perhaps where he would go next. It was a long way down. Strange, the thoughts that could cross a person’s mind at any time, even one as sunny and seemingly happy as now. He turned away from Geston which was now his past, and to the dirt that may be his future.
    “Forget about it.” he told himself, and he descended the ladder. He would live in the present. Forget about anything he didn’t like from his past and change anything he doesn’t like in his future. He swore to himself, alone in the dark and quiet ladder shaft, that he would live like that. He would keep that promise, no matter what it took. Looking down the shaft Dras saw only an abyss of darkness. He tightened his grip. Falling was not an option.
    There was a new face at the table during lunch, new to every member of the Door except for Dras that is. A thin girl, with long, dark brown hair and even darker green eyes. Dras was sure it was the same girl as before, whom he had pickpocketed on the Upper Plateau in Geston. She sat quietly, barely touching her food. Dras sat down in the empty seat beside her.
    “Hello, are you from Geston by any chance?” he asked. The girl looked up at him, surprised.
    “How did you know that?” the girl replied.
    “I’m from Geston too. I recognize you from work up on the Upper Plateau. Anyways, my name’s Dras.” The girl smiled at his description of their trade.
    “I’m Delene. Why were you pickpocketing in Geston if you’re with, um, what is this called again?”
    “The Black Door. I just joined, so I wasn’t a part of this back when I saw you. Well, I suppose I’m still not quite in. I’m supposed to have another test I need to pass.”
    Delene looked startled “Tests? What happens if we don’t pass? Do they let us go?” she asked.
    “In a way, I suppose they do let us go. But please, make sure you pass.” Dras looked around the room to make sure nobody was listening to them. He turned back to Delene and whispered into her ear. “There are three hidden tests. Come with me after lunch and I’ll tell you about them.” He smiled. He wasn’t sure why he had decided to help out Delene. It’s not like he really knew her, he just recognized her from Geston. Maybe that’s just why. She was a reminder of Geston. Strange how you can miss a place just as much as you hate it.


Chapter IV

    Dras woke up in a wooden cabin, Blue standing over him.
“Finished your beauty sleep yet?” Blue joked. Dras jolted up.
“How did I end up in here? Where is here anyways?” Dras questioned.
“We are in an abandoned cabin just outside of Log Town. You are about to begin your first job.”
“How did you even get me here?”
“Narcotics to keep you asleep while I carried you. Now eat while I brief you.” Blue handed Dras some bread, cheese, and an apple.
“There is a minister, Noble Alfred Tor, working in the town hall of Log Town. He is catching on to some... less than ethical practices performed by the crown. Your goal is to infiltrate silently, end his life, and retrieve the documents he is keeping on said unethical practices. There is a catch however, his death must seem accidental. That means no stab wounds, no beating him to death, nothing like that. It must look like an accident.” Blues looked intently at Dras, waiting for a response.
“Good as done.” Dras said. He had so many questions as to what the ‘unethical practices’ were, why he was being given such a serious job already, and more. But he knew this wasn’t what Blue wanted to hear. Blue wanted his orders to be obeyed, and any less would be far worse than disatisfying.
    “That’s what I like to hear, Dras. There is a cloak in the cabinet over there. It will be your equipment for this job. Once you have retrieved any and all of this man's documents, as well as taken care of the minister himself, return to this cabin. I will be waiting.”
    “And where he lives?” Dras asked. Blue simply smiled and walked out the door.
“Have fun Dras!” Blue called out before shutting the door to the cabin. Dras sat silently. The documents wouldn’t be a problem, it was the assassination. Not only would he have to kill a man, but he would have to disguise the murder as an accident. He stood up, took the cloak and left the cabin. This small job wouldn’t get in his way.
The town was nearly devoid of sound. Such silence only amplified the sound of dry leaves crunching under Dras’ feet. Carefully, Dras tread forward. He was afraid of being caught, though he was not sure where this fear came from. Nobody would find anything suspicious about a young boy walking through the town. Eventually, he began to hear sounds. This excited him, and he felt urged to move towards them. He almost missed the busy streets of Geston. Turning a corner, he saw a small marketplace, selling fruits, meats and breads. His stomach growled. He had no money, so he quietly slipped a bright red apple out of one stall while passing by. He looked towards a young girl of perhaps eight years of age, someone who suspicion and attention from would not be dangerous.
“Hello, could you point me in the direction of the town hall? I’m a traveller.” Dras asked the child. The girl smiled and pointed down a clean, cobbled road.
“Daddy says to follow the path to find him.” she said.
“Daddy? Sorry to bother you but what is your name?”
“I’m not supposed to tell that to strangers.”
“Ah well… Is it by any chance Tor?” The young girl looked surprised.
“How did you know?” she asked.
“I’m a… a friend of your father.” Dras responded.
“Tell him he should be home more, please?” the girl pleaded.
“I suppose I will.” he said. Dras turned away from the child and marched down the cobbled path. Dead, dry leaves were grinded and crushed below his feet. I single flower bloomed from between two stones, bright red and pink. Dras kicked the head off as he passed.
Arriving at the tall building Dras was rather confused. The town hall was built like a log cabin, logs stacked on top of each other, unlike anything you would see in the big city of Geston. He stepped inside, shaking under his cloak. A young woman sat at a counter, doing paperwork.
“Hello, is Alfred Tor here today?” Dras asked the woman. She muttered a room number and pointed down a hall, obviously too distracted by her work to bother herself with Dras. After quietly sliding a sheet of paper and a quill from the womens desk he made his way down the hall. Locating the room the clerk had told him, he sat down at the nearest table, only a few meters further down the hall. He sat down, and began to pretend to write. At first, he was really quite unsure of how to do this, as he hadn’t actually learned to write. Vesber never taught him and he didn’t go to school, so this foreign practice seemed near impossible. He settled for just holding the quill in his right hand and moving it around, barely hovering above the paper. Sometimes his hand quivered, scratching it against the paper and creating messy, faint black lines. Dras was so intrigued by the piece of abstract he had created, he barely noticed when Noble Tor left the room that he had meant to watch very closely. Immediately, Dras stood up and made his way down the hall, following the Noble. He trailed Alfred carefully, making sure to stay just far enough behind as not to draw his attention, but not so much as to lose track of him. Most importantly of all, he walked normally, as if he belonged where he was. Nobody questioned the young, cloaked boy walking through the town.
After making a final turn onto a more glorified street in the town, one with a cobbled street rather than dirt, Dras watched Alfred step into a large home, greeting his excited daughter who awaited just through the door. Dras took note of the location and made his way back to the town hall. He thought he could pass the time until night collecting Alfred’s papers. Folder after folder, he moved them out of the town hall hidden is his cloak. The stack behind the cabin Blue had briefed him in was growing larger. Not one townsman questioned his repeated path to the town hall and out of the city, all to busy with their own lives to question this odd child. By the time Dras had brought the last file to the cabin, the moon was high. The entire town had gone to sleep, and so it was time for Dras to finish his job. He made his way back to the Nobles home, snatching a dimly glowing candle from an open window on the way. He sat the candle down on the Noble’s fine, wooden deck, then began so surround it with dried up, crunchy leaves. Next, he stacked twigs and sticks over top of the leaves and finally doused the debris with oil from Alfred’s own lanterns. He lit the mess with his candle, then stood back to watch as the flame grew. He left before the building was completely engulfed in flame, as not to be caught on the scene. Dras left the town and wandered into the dark forest. Once he felt he was sufficiently far enough from the town, he lay down, resting his head on a bed of moss. Dras slept calmly that night, comforted by the warm glow of an orange-red flame that visited him in his dreams.
Morning had come, and the calm, rested, Dras made his way back to Log Town. He simply wandered the streets, eavesdropping on conversations. Early in his search, he had come across two women.
The older of the two began the gossip, “Did you hear about the Noble whose house burned down last night? Terrible tragedy, the entire family had died.”
Dras didn't wait for the younger to respond. This was all the confirmation he needed. Hurried, he headed back to the cabin in the woods. Balancing all the documents on one arm, he opened the door to the cabin and stepped inside. Blue sat in the far corner, soundly asleep.
“I finished.” Dras called out. Lazily, Blue turned to face him.
“Kind of quick, eh? Did you make sure he was dead?”
“I wouldn’t forget.”
“Checked his pulse of course? Wrist or throat are the best spots, although I prefer the wrist. That way I can avoid getting bloody.”
“No need for that, he was burned alive.” Dras stated, matter of factly. Blue stood up, intrigued.
“What a way to go… How did you light him up?”
“Burned down the whole house while he was asleep.”
“Family died too?”
“Of course.”
“Ah… I see.” Blue murmured, only to prop himself back up “Well, I do believe you passed. Let's head back to the Door.” He led Dras outside and they began the long walk back, consuming almost the entire day.
“So this puts you at the rank of Rho, Dras.” Blue explained.
“Rho, eh? What other ranks are there?”
“A bit of a list, actually. In order of lowest to highest, Rho, Lambda, Sigma, Kappa, Omicron, and Epsilon.”
“And where are you on this list?” Dras questioned.
“I’m an Omicron. Epsilon is primarily mages like Milos as well as politicians and strategists.” Blue’s direct answer left the conversation rather stale.
“How long did it take you to bring me to Log Town?” Dras asked, trying to revive the discussion.
“Only a bit under a day. I had you unconscious for a whole time, and following night. It’s actually protocol to do that, but I’m not sure why. Higher ups can get pretty damn strict with odd rules like that.” Blue answered. He picked some berries from a bush, slipping his hand into his mask to eat them rather than just taking it off.
“How come you don’t take of the mask?” Dras asked. Blue, mildly annoyed by Dras’ pestering answered quickly.
“To hide my face of course.”
“But it doesn’t really matter if myself or another at the Door see your face, does it?” Dras challenged.
“Listen, the Door drives everybody a little bit nuts. You will develop something like this here as well. It gives us a bit of character, keeps us human.” Dras kicked at the dirt.
“They don’t want us to be human. They want us to be killers, machines.” he stated.
“You aren’t wrong.” Blue said, rather bluntly. “But in the end, it’s for the sake of the country.”
“I don’t care for the country.” Dras shot back.
“Then what do you care for?”
“Myself.” Dras said.
“Only you?” Blue questioned, intrigued.
“Perhaps another. But why should I care for others, anyways?”
“Does it not hurt you to hurt others? Can’t you feel their pain?”
“I know their pain. But I only feel my own. As long as I avoid pain, I will never have to feel it. Even if that means hurting others.” Blue looked worriedly at Dras.
“They aren’t really taking away your humanity...” he said. Dras looked back up towards Blue, expressionless.
“You aren’t wrong.”
Chapter V

    Upon returning, Dras learned that Delene had already passed the first three tests. Of course, he had tipped her off about the what the hidden tests were, but he still found it impressive that she had already beaten the dummy. He had just found her and while he made his towards her to give his congratulations Arde pulled him aside.
    “Milos asked to see you.” he stated, although he made it sound more like an order than a fact. “Follow me.” Quickly, he hustled through the winding halls of the Door, those which had recently become familiar to Dras, until they stopped at a heavy marble door.
    “This is where Milos works. Be careful not to touch anything he doesn’t tell you to.” Arde warned. With effort, he slide the marble door into a crevice in the wall.
    “Reinforced, in case the mage makes an error.” he explained, panting.
    The room was huge, almost thirty meters across and perfectly circular. In the center was a small circle of salt, surrounded by glowing runes carved into stone tablets. These very runes dotted the many strange machines and artifacts that filled the room, and were the only source of light. This gave the entire cavern a deep green glow.
    Milos sat opposite the door, head resting on one arm. He waved one hand causing the marble slab to slide back into place then stood up.
“It took you all long enough.” he complained. He walked slowly towards Dras, examining him. “You are strange.” he stated. “Usually, that is a good thing.” Milos began to walk in circles around Dras, shoes clicking against the cracked stone floor. “You are smart.” he pointed out, tapping Dras’ head. “You may have potential.” Milos finally declared. Walking along the edge of the room Milos stopped at a basin filled with a clear liquid.
“This is focused aether. However, it is completely without energy.” Milos explained, bringing his hand towards the basin. “When it comes in contact with a source of energy, that being anything which lives, it will glow.” the moment his hand made contact with the water there was a bright white flash. “The brightness is determined by how much energy is concentrated within the source. This will test your potential, how much magical energy you carry personally.”
Milos stood back, gesturing towards the liquid.
“Go.” he ordered. Still dazed by the bright flash of light Milos had created, Dras made his way towards the basin. Slowly, he lowered his hand into the liquid. It felt thick and sticky despite the clear appearance. With his entire hand submerged, Dras stared blankly at the liquid.
“What in hell is happening?” Arde cried out. Milos looked quizzically at the liquid.
“You have... no potential?” he stated, obviously confused. “This is very, very intriguing. I was under the assumption that magic energy is essential for life, but your lack of said energy completely contradicts this belief.” Milos continued.
“That seems rather unfortunate.” Dras replies.
“Indeed it is. Head back out to your comrades, the testing is over.” Milos said dismissively, waving his hand at the marble slab to open it once again.
Dras and Arde made their way out, a long and awkward walk across the room. Silently, they made their way to the dining hall. Dras finally found Delene, who he congratulated before telling her about his confrontation with Milos.
“So you don’t have any magic? They weren’t training us to be mages anyways, right?” she asked. A small flame suddenly appeared between Dras and Delene, hovering over a blue-gloved hand. Simultaneously, Delene and Dras looked to the side to see Blue. Even through his mask, the two of them could tell he was grinning.
“They do teach us magic.” he stated, before balling his hand and extinguishing the flame. “It is incredible helpful to have some basic magic under your belt. Imagine if you could have just conjured up a flame to burn down the nobles house, Dras. So much easier.”
“It isn’t a necessity, right? Somebody can still be a great assassin without magic.” Delene said.
“Of course you can. But see, the best assassins all have, at the very least, a stealth spell. You can never reach that level without one. Also, please don’t refer to members of the door solely as assassins. We do many different things, and prefer to be called ‘Agents’.” Blue explained, quite thoroughly.
“Have you got a stealth spell?” Dras asked. In response, Blue simply vanished before the two of them.
“I can definitely see how that would be useful!” Delene said, laughing.
“Nobody would ever see you coming.” Dras said.
“I was thinking you could get away from anything, if we wanted to find him now we would have no idea where to go.”
“His shadow was still there. He left through the door by Shiko.” Dras explained quickly. “If he hadn’t been in my vision before, there’s no way I would have noticed that. That’s why it’s better for sneaking up than escaping.” Delene looked dumbfounded.
“How did you even see that?” she exclaimed. “Too bad you can’t use magic. I’m sure you would have put it to good use.” Dras smiled.
“All the people I could kill.” he said. Delene was shocked.
“Kill?!” she exclaimed, “I didn’t mean that… Wouldn’t you be able to find some clever way to do things without killing?”
“Sometimes it's the best option. I have already killed once, on my mission. I’m sure I can do it again.” Dras explained.
“It’s late.” Delene responded dully, “I think it's about time to call it a night.”
“I would rather train.” Dras said, ending the conversation. He made his way to the dojo. Delene returned to her dorm, lying down on top of her covers. Her roommate, Shiko, was still training. Delene had know idea how she managed to train so late into the night, or why.
She didn’t understand Dras and his terrifying, emotionless view on death. She didn’t understand Blue and what role he played, rarely leaving the base apart from when he was moving rookies about. She didn’t understand why she had to be a part of the Door.
Why did they have to pick her? There were plenty of other thieves in Geston, many that worked far more efficiently than her. There were tons who were willing to kill for money, but she couldn’t imagine herself ending a life.
All she could think of was her family in Log Town. All she needed was to earn enough money to make it back to them, then she would finally be back to her normal life. But the Door ruined that, she can’t leave now.
Delene Tor went to sleep thinking of her family, but when she fell asleep, she dreamed only of flames.

A few days had passed since Dras returned from his job in Log Town. Delene sat on a stone by the beach, Al to her side and Blue standing in the tides. Having woken up here, Delene had no idea where ‘here’ was. She assumed that she was on her final test, similar to the one that Dras had taken part in only a few days prior, but that left the question of why Al was also present. Blue cleared his throat, drawing Delene’s attention.
“Today is a special day, Delene, as it is the day you undergo your final test before becoming an agent of The Black Door!” Blue announced dramatically.
“So how come Al is here?” Delene replied, more spitefully than intended. Al frowned before Blue continued.
    “You are going to be assassinating a drug lord named Durus Mus. He works under Kori Fius of the Bay Company, an illegal trade organization. Because this man just so happens to be a drug lord, he will have many guards. Al will help you take care of them. Your job will be to assassinate Durus with this knife.” Blue handed a large, straight knife to Delene. “The blade is laced with an extremely potent poison. If you at least break the skin of this man, he will be dead within an hour. Make sure not to get the knife wet.” Blue turned to Al, “As for you, take this hook chain. If you two are caught while making your way to Durus, I want you to stay and fight while Delene continues to make the kill. Stay back while Delene kills Durus, only interrupting if she is killed or caught. Understood?”
    “Entirely!” Al confirmed, smiling. “You ready for a rush?” he said, turning to Delene.
    “As ready as I can be.” she answered, unsurely.
    “Return to this beach after making the kill. Make sure nobody is following you.” Blue finally said before vanishing. Delene watched his shadow make its way towards a nearby bush where he promptly hid himself.
“He really tries to be fancy.” Delene said to Al before they made their way down the beach. “Where exactly are we going?” Delene asked.
Al turned to her casually,
“A little ways down is a cove that Durus stores shipments in. We sneak through to his office at the back and deal with him. Hopefully, I won’t have to use this hook chain.” he explained.
“But you looked rather excited about it earlier.” Delene questioned.
“It makes it easier not to freak out when you pretend it’s a game. That’s what I was doing.” said Al. “Now be careful. The cove is just up ahead. We are gonna sneak through the spaces between cargo crates.”
Silently and crouching, they made their way to the cove. Turning around the corner, they immediately slipped behind a few large crates. Most of them hung slightly over the edge of the wooden docks they rested on, forcing the pair to climb along the sides of the crates. Men laughed about something at the other side of the cargo. They seemed quite cheery. Even with the work they were engaged in, it seemed like it would be a waste to kill such happy people.
Crates were piled upon each other, some stacks reaching well over twenty meters tall. Each box was individually far heavier than Delene and Al combined, allowing them to hold themselves in the air between the crates. Delene wondered how much product the drug lord could possibly deal with, and wished desperately to ask Al. But of course, she feared even a whisper would give them away. Finally, they reached the far end of the cove. Embedded in the stony wall was a wooden door with guards standing at either side.
Al turned to Delene, hand reaching for his kama “They will have to go.” he whispered.
“No, I have an idea.” Delene replied. She made her way back into the huge crevice between the cargo and waved at Al to follow.
She put both feet against the crates closer to the wall and both hands at the opposite side. Al caught on to what she was doing and positioned himself similarly.
    “Push.” Delene said, as quietly as she could while still sounding authoritative. Together, they pushed with all their strength. Behind them, the box’s collided with the rock wall, but ahead fell into towards the musty dock. Losing what held them in the air, the pair fell, flailing and trying to grab hold of something to keep them in the air. If either had failed, a splash would most certainly have led them to be caught. That was not the case.
    Workers shouted, sighing and complaining. One called to the guards to help them in returning the massive crates to their place. The guards agreed. Quietly and quickly, Al and Delene dashed through the doors. Nobody had noticed. Bursting in, Durus’ attention was caught immediately. He turned to see who had so rudely interrupted his work only to be stabbed in the throat. Delene did not think before doing this, but acted purely on instinct. She did not understand what exactly she had done until the dying man began to cough blood onto her arm. She pulled her hand back, dropping the knife to the ground. In horror, she stared at the gruesome scene she created, painted with strokes of red, sharp lines made by the brush she called a knife.
    “Delene!” Al shouted, breaking her trance. She turned around to see another girl, barely older than herself, holding his arms behind his back with one arm, and a knife to his throat with another. The girl smiled to Delene, before slitting Al’s throat.
    “Al Iners, of The Black Door’s fourth training regiment, dead. Not a particularly glamorous kill,” she licked the blood off her blade, flushing her pale skin “but certainly still enjoyable.” Al’s body dropped to the ground with a thud, and the girl made her way towards Delene.
    “I’m not familiar with you. A new recruit, perhaps?” Delene stared in horror.
    “Shy, are we? I am Caedes Pulsus, and I would be oh so grateful if you shared with me your name before I killed you.” she said, dropping the bloodied blade in favour of a new, clean one retrieved from her sleeve.
    “D-D-Delene… Delene Tor.”
    “A fine name.” Caedes noted. Now that she had come close, Delene noticed she was much shorter than herself. Short haired and
freckled, Caedes looked innocent. Yet the small, shiny blades told a different story entirely. Caedes was pleased to see this girl paralyzed by fear. She could take her time with this kill.
    “How come your hair is purple?” Delene asked. Caedes stopped, staring.
    “Why in the world would you ask that?!” she shouted, but Delene had already begun a mad sprint to escape. Caedes had left the door open when she entered the room, allowing for Delene to dart directly out. After a moment of confusion, Caedes realized what had happened and began her chase. She flung a knife at Delene, striking her ankle and leaving a trail of blood. The fleeing girl cried out in pain, but did not stop running.
    She rushed past the guards and cargo movers, who stood in confusion from the events unfolding in front of them. One guard began to join the chase but was stopped by Caedes.
    “The girl is mine to kill!” she shouted. In pain, Delene sprinted through the sand. Some was kicked up, into her burning wound. The more she ran, the worse the pain became. She saw Blue standing in front of the bush he had hid in before. He pulled a long blade from its sheath, and stared directly through Delene. His eyes were focused instead on the pursuer, who returned the deadly stare.
    “Stop.” Blue calmly ordered as Delene passed him. The injured girl dropped to the ground, shaking.
    “Caedes. Go back to the cove. I don’t want to kill you here, and I doubt you want to be killed either.” he ordered.
    “Who says I won’t kill you instead?”
    “You know very well that you can’t kill me.” Blue continued, his voice more threatening than the long blade he held. Caedes stared him down, before tossing her blade into the sand and turning away.
    “You win this time.” she called out in frustration, and made her way back to the cove.
    “Delene, what happened to Al?”
    “She cut his throat…” Delene mumbled, “He died!”
    “I thought as much. We should leave before anyone else comes.” Blue lifted Delene with ease, carrying her atop his shoulder. After making it a good ways into the forest, he set her down on a clear portion of ground.
    “This is going to hurt.” he said, and his hand began to glow. He pressed a finger to the deep cut on her ankle. Delene winced at the pain of her steaming wound.
    “I am cauterizing it. This way you won’t bleed out and it will be more difficult for anyone to track us.” he explained, but Delene did not respond. Once Blue finished, Delene’s ankle was left burned and painful.
    “The pain should fade in an hour or so. I will carry you until then.” Blue said as he picked her up, holding her over his shoulder. “We did not think Caedes would be present. I am quite shocked you survived.” he explained.
    Finally, Delene spoke “Who was she? Why did you know her name?”
    “Caedes Pulsus works directly under Kori, meaning she ranks much higher than Durus does in the Bay Company.”
    “But why do you know her? And why didn’t you kill her?” she pestered.
    “The Bay Company works in conjunction with the Door at times. We still try to shut down any operations we haven’t authorized, which pop up all the time, but for the most part they are protected by their usefulness to us. If I had killed Caedes, there is a good chance I would have started a war.”
    “Is she really that important?”
    “She is second in command, one down from the man himself. Of course she is that important!” Blue said, almost shouting.
    “But she killed Al.” Delene mumbled under her breath. Blue pretended not to hear her, but she could tell. Behind those calm, blue eyes, the man was in an outrage.

Chapter VI

    “I’m here.” Caedes said, entering the office. It was a pleasant room, wooden furniture, thick rugs, and a warm fireplace. Across from the door the assassin had entered through was a desk, adorned by a golden lamp and a stack of paperwork. Kori Fius, leader and founder of the Bay Company, leaned over this desk. Behind him was a wonderfully adorned ivory bow, decorated by carvings of great mythical beasts and strange lands that existed only in legends. It hung idly on a plaque, as the ivory of the bow was far too tough to be effective in use. Instead, he kept his more effective, enchanted oak longbow under his desk.
    “And not a moment too late.” Kori replied. The girl sat down by the fireplace, whimsical purple hair clashing violently with the warm atmosphere of the room.
    “Are you aware of the mage who defected from the Door? Juanike, I believe it was. He brought White and many others with him.” Kori asked, politely.
    “I know his name and status, but I am unaware of the specifics. Do you want me to kill him?” Caedes responded.
    “No, I would be most displeased if you harmed that man. He is in need of supplies, those which he needs for a spell he is attempting.”
    “And why you are telling this to me?”
    “I wish for you to negotiate with him. Bring him my mark so I may contact him further, and offer both magical supplies and your own support. As payment, I will require the Obsidian Blade.”
    “Obsidian Blade? What use would a weapon of such a fragile material be worth to you?”
    Kori laughed at this. “The Obsidian Blade was named for its colour, a dead shade of black. It can cut through any material as if being swung through thin air, even those which one may claim to be indestructible.” Caedes smiled at this.
    “If he happens to agree to hand me the blade prior to my assisting him in his spell, may I kill him and return early?” she asked, hopeful.
    “No, the man has many followers, and you would be overwhelmed. This is why I must explain to you the nature of the spell. It will be an incredibly large event.” Kori chuckled at his description, for large was certainly an understatement. “Are you familiar with the Gaelish gods of the land and sea?” he asked his subordinate.
    “The Behemoth and the Leviathan. But the Gaelish are barbaric, surely their gods are nothing but nonsense.” she replied, doubtfully.
    “You are correct that they are no gods. However, they do exist. They are beasts, the size of mountains. Juanike wishes to summon the sea dweller, the Leviathan.”
    “That is ridiculous. If he gains that kind of power-”
    “An army is being assembled as we speak. The Door, and therefore the Crown, is aware of its this experiment’s existence. Even I am gathering men to make sure that the sorcerer does not get out of hand. It is very important that I retrieve this blade, and I am willing to risk the entire country for it.” Caedes was frustrated, wishing to smash the suited man’s antique bows and burn his soft rugs. But she remained calm, knowing that a tantrum would be most immature to display in his presence.
    “As you wish.” she finally replied, reluctantly.
    “Very well, we may now discuss the specifics.”

    Blue’s horse was swift and strong. He was sure he would make it to the White River in no more than two days. Normally, it would take a rider at least three, but his horse was branded with runes for strength, speed, and endurance. As long as he had charge in his magic salts, this horse would vastly outclass any mundane beast. He was on a serious job, to cross the White River and infiltrate Juanike’s home base in the Umbra Mountains. There, he would have to gain information on the sorcerers progress towards summoning the Leviathan and report back to Milos. Blue thought back to the new recruits training in the Door. A few days prior, one of Milos’ students had started to teach them to read and write, and they were both catching on quite quickly.
As for weapons, Dras had taken a liking to fighting with a shortsword, while Delene had uncanny skill with climbing claws. In fact, she was probably the first person Blue had seen who could use them more effectively than any other weapon.
Delene was certainly a star student, she had already shed the shyness that plagued her back when she first joined. However, she seemed depressed, and may not make a good killer with her light heart. Dras was the opposite. He shows no remorse, and seems almost like a machine. The fact that he has only killed once and already shows this lack of care for human life in disturbing. The boy wasn’t made so cold by the Door, not like White was. No, he was always like this, the Door was just a window, a portal that allowed them to see this side of him.
A few new members had also joined the Door, though they were not new recruits. They came from a separate, larger wing to even out the Doors spread of influence, simply not enough people worked in the Green Sector.
“Hey you! This here is a toll road, pay up!” a man called out. He stood directly in front of Blue’s horse, wearing thick leather armour and carrying a large axe. Blue looked up, seeing half a dozen men sitting at the top of the hills at either side of the road, bows drawn tight.
“What a nuisance” he thought as he dropped himself off of his horse.
    Blue vanished as he fell, his transparent body spinning as he silently landed on his feet. His shadow blended perfectly with those of the swaying trees around him and he had reached the top of the hill to his left in seconds. Three men slid down the hill, leaving a solid trail of blood. Blue made sure to adjust the men’s bows as he killed them, firing arrows into the throats of men who sat opposite. The bandit who had first demanded the toll be paid began to run, but did not make it far before he was cut down by Blue.
The assassin climbed back onto his steed and left the bloody scene, humming to a happy tune. Once he was sure the blood was out of sight, he opened his eyes for the first time since he dismounted his horse. Blood makes him feel sick.
“Where was I?” he wondered. “Oh right, the new agents.” There was one man, and one woman. If he remembers correctly, the man’s name was Cruor Macula, and the woman’s Faeles Vastator. They were a few ranks below him, standing at the respectful rank of Sigma.
Finally, the White River was in sight. Situated along its coast was Canus City, full of bustling ports and markets. Blue made sure not to remain in town too long, leaving on the first boat he could get his hands on. At the opposite side of the river sat the towering Umbra Mountains, in which Juanike was supposedly hiding within. Because he had to leave his horse behind to cross the river, Blue was forced to navigate the rocky outcrops on foot. It was not long before he spotted armed men navigating the treacherous stones. Their skin was tanned, arms hairy like an ape. These were Gaelish men, without doubt. Silently, Blue followed them. The Gaelish warriors’ movements were sloppy, tripping and knocking over stones everywhere they went. Eventually, the men stopped at a large camp in an outcrop by the beach. Looking over the stones, Blue saw a huge marble construct, covered almost entirely with crystals. From the assassins limited knowledge of magic, he could tell that they were preparing for a powerful spell, one that would be cast into the ocean. He sketched the runes on a parchment he had brought with him. Surely, Milos would find it quite useful. Next, he needed to find Juanike himself. Of course, he could follow men back and forth around the rocks until one led him to the sorcerer, but it would take too much time. He was in enemy territory, and if somebody of greater intellect than these lumbering Gaelican oafs were to spot him, he would be in quite a tight spot. So instead, he waited until a man left the camp alone. The moment he was out of view of the camp, Blue knocked him in the back of the head with the pummel of his blade. He dragged the bulky soldier as far as he could through the rocky landscape.
    There, he tied the Gaelican and awaited his waking. It did not take long at all. He began struggling and shouting, but quieted down when he felt Blue blade against his throat.
    “Where is Juanike?” Blue demanded.
    “Who?” the man asked, confused and panicking.
    “The sorcerer!”
    “Him! I know him! He wanted us to defend the workers!”
    “I understand that much. What I need to know is where is he?”
    “Surely he would have me killed if I told you!”
    “And I will have you killed if you don’t, who do you think is the more immediate threat?” Blue asked, pressing his blade against the man's throat.
    “By the Beasts, why must everybody want me dead?”
    “I don’t care for your life. All I need to know is the sorcerers location!” Blue said, almost shouting. He was growing impatient of the man's incompetence.
    “All right, all right, just ease your blade and I’ll explain!” Blue sheathed his blade. “Alright, so the big guy is hiding out in the second peak south of the camp. A ton of building going on there too, something about going a step further in his plans. Though I wouldn’t plan on going over there, if you value your life.” the man explained.
Blue found it so sad that the man spoke so casually, completely unaware that his life was about to end. Blue killed him before the man even saw him draw his blade. If the man had told anyone of his presence, Blue would have been in trouble. He disposed of the body in the river, eyes open and scouting for enemies, but never even glancing at the bloody corpse.
    He looked into the mountains. Maybe three or four hours before he would make it to the second peak. The sun was setting, but he would not sleep until he returned to Canus City.

    After a few hours, Blue spotted men carrying large bags towards the base of the nearest mountain. It was the second peak from the beach, just as the man had said. He followed them a short way until they reached a magic circle, which they then began to fill with salt from their bags. Blue examined the runes, noting they were the same as that which he found on the beach.
    Blue made his way to the side of the camp where the mountain rose from. There, a large wooden building stood against the steep stone wall. Blue’s magic was beginning to fade, slowly bringing him back to visibility. He hid behind the building, sure it was where Juanike had situated himself. The man would not be happy in the lackluster conditions of a tent, and likely demanded that a proper shelter be built for him.
    Blue pressed his ears against the wooden walls. He did not expect to gain much from this, a simple eavesdropping, but luck was on his side.
    “We have everything you need, and all we want in return is the sword.” a girl said. The voice sounded quite familiar.
    “I suppose I have little choice but to accept this offer. The sword will be yours after the crystals arrive.” said an older man. Surely, this was Juanike.
    “I’m happy we could come to an agreement.” the young girl responded. There was a quiet whistling noise, before a heavy metal arrow tore through the ceiling and wall of the building, embedding itself within the stone wall beside Blue.
    On the arrow was a note, clearly reading “Caedes, I require that you return immediately after completing your negotiations. -Kori”
    “That would be my boss. Put this mark somewhere, if he ever needs to tell you something he will send an arrow into it with a note attached.”
    “Goodness, where could this man be shooting from?”
    “Honestly, anywhere. Just make sure you stand clear of this mark from now on. I need to go get the arrow that just arrived.”
    Caedes and Kori were directly involved in Juanikes activities. Although Blue had wanted to avoid a war, he was afraid it may become an inevitability. Before Caedes could make it to the back of the building, Blue had scampered atop its roof to hide. His energy was returning, and he would be able to invisible for just long enough to get out of Juanikes camp.
    After Caedes informed Juanike of her orders, she left. Blue made sure to leave immediately afterwards, trailing her while invisible. Once he believed they were sufficiently far enough from the camp, he did what he always seemed to be doing, and knocked her unconscious.
    A few hours later, the girl woke up in a small boat. Her wrists and ankles were tied together and she was gagged. Blue sat at the front of the boat, paddling. However, he was not returning to Canus. Surely, the townsfolk would not take him kindly if they witnessed this kidnapping. He decided that sleeping would be far too dangerous as long he had Caedes in company, and that he would simply avoid it until returning to the Door. It was becoming quite the tiring journey.
    Unfortunately, Blue’s steed was in a stable in town. Taking a risk, he tied Caedes to a tree as well as he could and made his way to retrieve the horse. The girl, despite him disarming her, had somehow managed to cut through a full layer of rope in the time it took Blue to return. No matter, she would be in an nigh inescapable cell soon enough.

    “And can you tell me why in hell you showed up with the Bay Company’s second in command tied and gagged!?” Arde shouted as Blue entered the main hall.
    “She was working with Juanike. I brought her back for interrogation.” Blue replied, his voice dull and flat.
    “Well… Hell with this. Throw her in a cell, make sure Milos himself comes to reinforce it. I don’t want her pulling any tricks.” Arde ordered. “And I’ll make sure to interrogate her myself.” he finished.
    On his way to the cells, Blue crossed Shiko in the halls.
    “Why is… she here?” she asked, scowling at the bound demon. Blue ignored her and continued, knowing not to provoke her. Caedes, who was fully conscious at this point in time, gave Shiko and jolly look, only making the girl more angry.
    “Blue! I don’t care what's going on, just kill her! She’s a devil!” Caedes eyes lit up. This would be entertaining. Blue turned to Shiko.
    “This is a serious matter. I don’t care who she killed. I don’t care that you care. All I care about is the information that she has, and we need. After that, we will probably have to let her go to avoid a war with Kori. After all this, none of it is at all influenced by a damn Rho’s whining! Shut up, and act like a professional. Lives are at stake here.” With this, Blue marched off, leaving Shiko angry, fists balled and arms crossed.
    “She needs to die, Blue!” she called out, but to no avail.

    The night was still young when Delene returned to her dorm, surprised to see Shiko sitting cross-legged on her cot.
    “Caedes is here.” she said, evidently angry over something.
    “Where? Are we in trouble?” Delene panicked, remembering the events that had unfolded in the drug dealers cove.
    “She is in a cell. Apparently she knows something about Juanike. I think we should just kill her.”
    “Blue says that would start a war.” Delene argued.
    “I doubt it, she may be Kori’s second in command, but I don’t think he would go as far as declare war after her death.” Shiko explained. “I’m sure there would be bloodshed, but not nearly as much as I’d expect this psycho to cause alone.”
    “What is it you have against her?”
    “She kills everybody, without remorse. She killed Al, then tried to kill you. And before that, she killed my brother.”
    “Oh.” Shiko looked as if she would cry at any moment, but no tears came. Instead, she squeezed her fists. Anger and sorrow battled to display themselves in her expression.
    “It was just a normal job. We weren’t on our way to kill anyone, steal anything. Nothing like that. We were just carrying a message…”
    Shiko slammed the stone wall, chipping a bit off. “She decided to kill him, for fun, she said! For fun!” Delene reached towards Shiko, trying to comfort her, but her hand was slapped away.
    “She deserves to die, and that’s the end of it. The girl is evil.” Shiko lay down, atop of her covers.
    “I’m going to kill her, tonight.” Shiko thought to herself, flustered and angry.
She didn’t move an inch until Delene had fallen asleep, at which point she promptly stood up and left the room. Arming herself with a short blade, Shiko made her way to the cells. She wasn’t sure which Caedes was held in, but there were only four in total, and the girl was the only prisoner at the time.
    She checked each cell, blade ready each time she opened one of the heavy bronze doors. In the fourth cell sat Caedes. She had somehow managed to take the ropes and gag off herself, and sat in the corner of the stone room. Turning to see Shiko, her eyes lit up.
    “The Door just won’t bring justice? You need to take it into your own hands?” She giggled. “Come kill me. Let me know what your brother felt like.”
    Shiko was shaking. She lifted her blade, at made her way towards the demon. Caedes stood, grinning. The darkness of the cell enveloped half of her face, and blotted out the cheerful colour of her hair. Shiko stepped closer. Raising her sword, she was suddenly so happy. She could finally kill Caedes.
    With a flick of her wrist, the demon dropped Shiko to her knees, writhing in pain.
“What did you do?!” Shiko cried out.
    “Don’t worry. You aren’t hurt yet, my magic only simulates pain.” Caedes said. She giggled as she picked up the sword Shiko had dropped.
    “Thanks for bringing me the sword, by the way. And you even opened the cell for me.” Caedes slashed Shiko’s arms. “I suppose I should repay you. Save you some pain and kill you right away.” She leaned over, lifting Shiko’s chin to look her in the eye. Shiko stared in horror, replaying scenes of her brothers death in her mind. When he fell, his back riddled with tiny blades, she didn’t go back for him. All she did was shout and cry as he lay there, bleeding. And that's when the demon said just what she was saying now.
    “Thanks for helping me out. I suppose I should save you some pain…” It repeated in her mind, over and over again, tormenting her. Caedes saw the girls fear, her pain. She smiled.
“But where’s the fun in that?”

Chapter VII

    It was Arde who found the body, when he made his way to interrogate Caedes. Shiko lay face up, intricate designs carved into her cheeks and forehead. Every finger and toe was separated from her body,   sitting in the dark, stagnant pool of blood. He knew how it would have played out, Caedes first terrifying the girl as she cut the muscles in her arms and legs to immobilize her. After this, she would remove her fingers and toes, one by one. At this point, her victim would probably be unconscious, in which case she would awaken them with a jolt of her magic. Before carving the girl's face, she would cut off her ears, a little bit at a time. Of course, she left the eyes untouched, watching the fear they showed grow exponentially. And when she was all done and through, she would simply leave her victim to bleed out, assuming they hadn’t already done so.
    Arde cursed himself for not taking precautions against this. Then again, anyone stupid enough to get themselves killed by a prisoner probably wouldn’t last long anyways. The real issue here was that Caedes was gone. He called for the mess to be cleaned up, leaving a digit or two to warn future prisoners.
    He would have to make sure the newbies didn’t see this. Dras may be fine, but immediately after seeing Al killed, and encountering Caedes in person, Delene may be traumatized too much. Enough of thinking about this death, it was time he talk to Milos about the plan to stop Juanike.
    “So what do you get from the runes?” Arde asked, beginning the conversation as he entered the conference room. He sat down at a long table, opposite to Milos who sat at the head. Among them were three tacticians, Ferox Tekka, Cras Harry, and Pata Bilis, as well as Blue and another high-ranking agent named Leta Lis.
    “It is a waking spell, and the writings are complete. If Blue’s information is accurate, the only thing stopping them from casting the spells is a deficiency of magic salts. Furthermore, it seems that he is summoning two creatures, rather than just the Leviathan. We can assume the second is the Behemoth.”
    “And since the Kori’s pet was there, we can expect they were negotiating a trade for said salts.” Said Cras.
    Leta laughed, “A good thing we caught the little creep! This is sure to slow them down long enough to get an army in place.”
    Arde interrupted “Unfortunately not. An agent decided to try and kill Caedes last night. She failed, being killed herself and allowing the prisoner to escape.” This was news to everyone in the conference.
    “What kind of idiot would do that!” yelled out Ferox. In an instant, the entire discussion devolved to simple insults being thrown about. People were not happy with this turn of events.
    “Quiet!” Shouted Milos, his voice booming above the chaos, echoing throughout the room. “We will discuss this as civilized people. My first plan is one that is quite simple. We amass an army from the crown to march on the mountains. At the same time, our green agents shall stealthily make their way for the assassination. We wage a battle with our army, and send our agents to kill Juanike in the chaos. Objections?”
    “How large an army do you propose?” Asked Pata.
    “No less than three-hundred men. Other reports say Juanike has amassed about two-hundred, and I want this victory to be assured.”
    “We have the warships to carry an army of that size from the capital, along the White River. The journey may take a few days. Do we have time?”
    “I doubt the Bay Company can deliver the crystals in time. Caedes will be slow to return with the message without supplies or even a horse-”
    Blue interrupted, scratching the back of his head “About that! My horse may have went missing the morning, so she may or may not have stolen it.”
    Ferox slammed the table “What else can we expect from the devil child! All she brings is misfortune.”
    “Calm down Ferox, even with a horse, the mountains can be reached directly through White River from the capital. Kori would have to send a ship along the coast, we will still have time.” Pata said, her voice soothing.
    “I agree with Pata. It seems only sensible that we go through with this plan. It is simple, straightforward, and hard to screw up.” Said Leta authoritatively, twirling her long, raven black hair around her finger. She was bored, trying to end the conference as soon as possible.
    “Leta isn’t wrong. There doesn’t seem to be much better option than this, as my Plan B was to attack the beach summoning, then
overrun him with the Leviathan who we would summon ourselves. Of course, that runs quite the risk.” Milos explained.
    “That idea is ridiculous.” Cras remarked “I vote for the first plan.”
    Arde stood up, and cleared his throat, “Have we come to an agreement?” The men and women all nodded their heads.
    “Then it’s unanimous.” Said Milos, “Ferox, send the message to the Crown. Make sure the threat is thoroughly described in your letter, and do not be afraid to exaggerate dangers. I will send the messenger on our fastest horse.”
    “That would be the one Caedes stole.” Said Blue. Milos sighed.
    “Our second fastest horse.”

    Dras and Delene were sparring, not hand to hand but with weapons. Both knew that they would need to become stronger, faster, more efficient killers. Delene had decided she needed to improve after her encounter with Caedes. If she ever saw the girl again, she wanted to be able to fight back rather than run away and hide behind Blue. Dras had different intentions. He wasn’t afraid of being killed, and didn’t care if survival meant to run and hide like a coward. Of course, he never really told Delene what he was training for, which only left her to decipher it for herself.
Her theory was that he was lying, lying about not fearing death, and lying about not caring to be a coward. She believed he was much more human than that. Of course, she was quite wrong.
Delene was incredibly good with the claws, making it near impossible for Dras to strike her with his dull blade. She remained ready to catch his blade, and two times had he been disarmed and defeated. Of course, when he switched weapons and instead wielded a long bo staff, he easily tagged his opponent a number of times. Understanding that certain weapons easily outclassed others in a rock-paper-scissors fashion, Dras made sure to practice with as much variety between weapons as he could.
It did not take long for Dras to outclass Delene with almost every weapon. Claws remained the only thing she held above Dras, and those were of little use unless against an opponent fighting with a straight blade.
A bell rung, quietly. Neither of the newbies could even hear this bell when they first joined, as it echoed like a whisper throughout the rooms, but have since trained their ears to pick it up no matter what other sounds may be littering the air. The bell meant it was time for dinner. The pair made their way to the dining hall, where Arde stood at the head of the table.
“Settle down everybody. I’m sure you all know of the defect mage, Juanike?” He shouted out. The crowd booed at the name. “He has assembled a cult of mages and an army of brutes. He wishes to summon to this world creatures worshiped as gods by the savages. With these creatures, he intends to join the side of the Gaelish brutes in a the war. We cannot raise an army to fight these creatures, and instead will bring one to kill Juanike himself before he completes his spell!”
The crowd cheered. “Our job is to assure his death. As our army fights his men, we will search every crack for where the rat may hide! We march tomorrow at dawn!” The cheering became deafening.
On the table was pork and beef and goose. There were many different fruits and vegetables, many in which the pair of newbies did not even recognize. Spirits were passed about, men giddy with excitement. Delene ate and laughed with the rest, happy to feel so at home after all she had been through. Dras ate as quickly as he could. He turned down any and all drinks offered to him and made his way back to his empty dorm, where he lay down in peaceful thought. Dras knew better than anyone else just how important a day Juanikes death would be, and prayed for his life that luck would be on his side.

The horse was fast, so fast infact that Caedes decided not to kill it. She would keep it for future trips, move faster and be able to enjoy far more kills in far less time. She smiled, the Bay Company Headquarters were in sight. A large, stone warehouse sat on the edge of the cliff she rode along. Behind it was the Ayarine Ocean, waves gently pulsating against the beach below. A huge pulley system was attached the warehouse, moving cargo back and forth between the it and the cargo ships. Caedes urged her horse towards the cliff, where there was a path leading down along it.
She would stable the horse once she reached the beach, and make her way to Kori’s office. When she finally reached the beach, the massive empty space beneath the cliff was exposed. Stone arches rose from the water, supporting the weight of the huge warehouse but still allowing for ships to pass below them. Cargo was stacked tall, more here then any human could possibly need. Further in, where the ceiling was lower, were Kori’s real treasures. Blades, knives, and bows. Oh, were there ever a lot of bows. Kori loved them, firing arrows carrying messages to anywhere in the country, aiming for the marks that he had mentally connected himself to. Of course, with the marks he had given to people to carry, he will aim slightly above them, as not to kill Caedes or others. Sometimes he would aim to give his subordinates a bit of a haircut, which Caedes was sure he got quite the kick out of.
“Utterly sadistic, he is.” She thought to herself, before giggling happily. Who was she to call another sadistic, let alone condemn it? And anyways, the short, curly hair suits her, so these occasional surprise cuts aren’t much of a problem. If anything, they keep her on her toes. She entered Kori’s office, decorated by bows and pelts.
“I’m here.” She reported.
“The deal was successful?” Kori asked, although it almost sounded like a statement.
“Of course. What’s next?” Kori smiled.
“I have a gift for you. Somebody came across this treasure and I thought you may like it. A blade that burns everything it cuts.” Kori passed the blade to Caedes, whose eyes lit up like a child during christmas. “The pests won’t bleed out on you anymore, will they?” Kori said, grinning.
“Absolutely not! I will put this to good use.” The girl was giddy with excitement about her new toy.
“As for what I need you to do. There is fine Jiben battleship outside, The Nomad. It is carrying the magic salts that are to be delivered to Juanike. You will ride with it, making sure nothing happens to the cargo, assist Juanike in his spell if need be, and retrieve the Obsidian Blade. Understood?” Kori ordered. Caedes, still mesmerized by the blade he had given her, simply nodded, waiting to be dismissed.
“Then get moving.” Kori ordered. Caedes skipped away cheerfully, twirling her deadly blade in the air. The Jiben ship that Kori had told her about was rather small, and reminded her of a turtle because of its green roof. Both sides were lined with cannons, Kori did not want this shipment to be interrupted. Probably why he sent Caedes along with it instead of having her wait at the destination, too. Boarding the boat, she found it dark and cramped. It wasn’t meant for shipping cargo, and so the magic salts simply sat in large crates in everybody's way. She claimed the captain's cabin, sending the original inhabitant to sleep among the crewmen. Of course, he didn’t question this, defying people like Caedes or even Kori himself would be utterly unthinkable.
“We leave now. Get to it!” Caedes yelled out, causing men to rise and hurry into action. The boat may look like a turtle, but it moved far faster. Like a bullet, the shelled vehicle darted through the water faster than the wind that moved it.
“We’ll be there in no time.” Caedes grinned, twirling a smaller blade around her finger.

    “Finally here.” Delene sighed. The party that came to the Umbra Mountains to kill Juanike consisted of herself, Dras, Blue, Leta Lis, and the two transfers, Cruor Macula and Faeles Vastator, who were assigned to defending Milos himself. Leta Lis and Blue would go after Juanike, while Delene and Dras would help with defending Milos until cannon fodder was needed. Milos never told them this, but with the amount of training they had received compared to everybody else, it was probably their only use. Both the rebellious Dras and the docile Delene shared a lack of intent for that purpose.
    After waiting a short while on the rocky coastline, two huge ships arrived. Boarded were a few hundred armed men who rushed onto land and formed neat rows of soldiers. A general stood in front, barking orders to the men.
    “We follow the man in blue, he knows the enemy’s location! Once they are in sight, we charge! Kill anyone who moves, and seize all buildings! We will completely overtake them!” He shouted, and the men cheered. Dras spit to the side.
    “They are soldiers, so they must know bloodshed. Why do they cheer?” He asked.
    “Morale.” Leta answered, matter of factly, “They cheer before they fight, they cheer after they fight. They act as human as possible in these times to make up for the humanity lost while they fight. You should too.” she was picking her teeth with a knife. “Can’t let the killer leak out when you aren’t killing.”
    “And why don’t you?” Dras asked, more as a challenge than an actually question. Leta smiled.
    “I have it under control.”
    “Whatever. Looks like the general is done with his pep talk, can we start moving?”
    “Of course.” Said Milos, smiling as he appeared out of nowhere. “Blue, lead the way.” He ordered, and Blue listened. He made his way darting through the rocks, stopping to wait for the clumsy armoured soldiers to catch up every now and then. Finally, the workers were in sight. The magic circle appeared to be complete, simply awaiting the spell to take place. Leta and Blue vanished in search of Juanike. They would find him, kill him, and return. Dras, Delene, Faeles, and Cruor simply stood around Milos facing outwards as the army charged. It was a terrifying sight, death everywhere. Men dropped like flies, some killed a dozen before they were struck down, others killed none. Of course, the Crowns greater numbers quickly overpowered the cultists. The fight was a quick and absolute victory. The men regrouped, readying themselves for the next fight by the coast.
    “That was too easy.” Milos noted. “Blue had reported that there were far more men defending him, I don’t think we are done yet.”
    “We aren’t.” Said Blue, who had appeared from nowhere. Leta followed immediately after.
    “Juanike isn’t here. He is summoning the Leviathan right-” Leta was interrupted but a shrill screech from the direction of the water.
    “Well that would be the Leviathan.” Milos’ eyes widened.
    “Very well. I doubt we can take down the monster with our army… so I propose we use this magic circle he has already made to summon the Behemoth to fight it.”
    “Do you know how?!” Delene asked.
    “Of course. It is all in the runes around the circle. A simple waking and control spell. All I need is for a few others trained with magic to help me. Blue, Leta, Cruor, and Faeles, you all understand the runes?” They nodded.
    “Then let’s begin.” The five gathered in a circle around the salt, dropped to their knees and held their hands against the border of the circle. The runes began to glow dimly, and the casters began to sweat. It took a huge amount of energy to cast this one spell, especially for only five people. But slowly, the dim light began to grow brighter. Dras and Delene watched dumbly as the light soon became blinding. Looking away, the two could only hear the creature being summoned. There were loud crashing sounds, revealed to be the mountain crumbling when they returned their gaze. But it wasn’t the spell that destroyed the mountain. It was the now awoken Behemoth that had been dormant inside. The creature was massive, head barely meters below where the peak once was. It let out an animalistic roar, shaking the rocky landscape.
    “We can fight now. Blue, Leta, find Juanike again, and kill him while he is distracted with the Behemoth.” Milos ordered, the two assassins quickly scuttling off into the rocks. They ran as fast as the could, darted between and over the rough terrain with ease. The Leviathan was clouded by a huge cloud of steam in the distance, but its glowing red eyes shone through. There were men, tons of them, all armed to the teeth. The assassins ignored them, silently passing through, but one saw them. It was a woman, wearing huge, thick plate armour covered with enchantments, yet not carrying a weapon.
    “Halt!” She called out, and held her hand out towards them. It was decorated fully with runes, the weapon she hadn’t seemed to be holding. The air around her hand suddenly morphed and shifted, like it may in a heat wave. Blue was blasted away a few meters beyond Leta who had managed to dive and avoid the blow. The woman held out her other hand, this time pulling Blue in with her magic. As he came close, she set her first hand alight and grabbed him, smashing him to the ground.
    “Keep going Leta! I’ve got this!” Blue called out, gasping as he was bashed against the stones. The woman looked up to Leta, holding out the hand that had pulled Blue in and repeated the process with her. Leta held her blade pointed towards the battlemage, but it could not penetrate the thick plate armour. Another flaming punch, shattering stones beneath them. Blue shifted out of visibility, knocking the woman in the side of the head with the hilt of his blade. She turned to him, but he had disappeared before she could strike again. Focusing again on Leta, she noticed she had escaped too. She cursed herself for letting the assassins slip away. The battlemage focused, trying to sense where they had gone in their stealthy shroud, but they were long gone, dashing between the jagged stones by the beach. The woman made her way towards Juanike. She was sure that was where they were heading.
It was over quickly, and was nothing truly glorious. The moment Blue and Leta arrived, they drove their blades through the sorcerer’s back. He coughed blood and fell to his knees before slumping over onto his face, his limp corpse frail and pathetic. The battlemage was not yet close enough to stop them, and once the man had fallen, she gave up. The Leviathan was still awake, and no longer under control of Juanike. There was no telling what it would do as the mindless animal it was. It screeched yet again when it saw the now rising Behemoth. The assassins disappeared, making their way back to Milos.
They steered clear of the huge, scaly feet that belonged to the Behemoth, who was charging towards the massive serpent. It grabbed the Leviathan and bit down as hard as it could, but the sea creature bit back. The Behemoth was methodical and efficient while controlled by Milos, fighting better than the Leviathan and slowly overpowering it. But suddenly, it was thrown into a frenzy. The creature lashed out, sweeping its tail across the stones to kill dozens of men who could not avoid the mass of scales. The stones were red with blood, corpses littering the terrain.
Finally, the battle mage arose yet again. Now that Juanike had fallen, they had lost the reins to the beasts. They would have to be put down. She marched through the stones at steady speed. Sometimes, men would attack her, but they stood no chance. Burning corpses were launched to and fro by the warrior, not even succeeding to slow her advance. The sun had fallen, and the fight was in the dark now.
At the magic circle used to summon the Behemoth lay a bloodied mage. White had gotten to Milos, and this is what caused the Behemoth to go berserk. The creature roared into the night as it tore apart an entire mountain, the Leviathan lashing its long tail across the land in a pathetic attempt to stop the Behemoth. The battlemage had reached Milos’ body, agents from the Door surrounded her with weapons.
“My name is Minerva Validus. I can help you stop the Behemoth.”
    Leta stepped forwards, “And how is that? Going to set its toes on fire with your magic?” She sneered at the mage.
    “I carry many enchanted weapons in compartments of my armour.” She explained, pulling out a small metal rod with a tag attached to it. “Climb the beast, dig this spike into it back or its skull, and rip the tag. Lightning will strike down the beast. I have two rods, and I doubt we can kill anything with only one. I propose we use these on the Behemoth, then hope that the Leviathan flees to roam free in the ocean.”
    “It could work.” Blue said. “Who will make the climb?” He asked the group. Delene stepped forwards.
“I will.” She offered.
“I will take the second rod.” said Dras, surprisingly. He smiled, this could be the chance he was looking for today, a chance to appear as David, slaying the evil Goliath, be recognized for heroism. An image could be formed here, allowing him to continue to the next step of his plan.
Delene equipped her climbing claws, and Dras borrowed Blue’s.
“Faeles, Cruor, both of you go as well. Make sure the Rhos are still alive by the time they reach the beast.” Blue said. Dras, Delene, and Minerva departed, the young pair to kill the beasts and Minerva to round up her men in case it survived. Of course, she doubted they could even harm it with their tiny blades and bows.
“Why did you volunteer?” Delene shouted over the wind as she ran with Dras. The Leviathan sent a huge spray of water over the land, slapping their faces and stinging their eyes.
“I could ask the same to you!” He replied, focused on the beast. “Can we really climb that thing? It’s massive!” He shouted.
“We could try to start on the tail if he ever stops swinging it like that!” As if on cue, the tailed loomed directly over them, forcing the two to dive between the stones.
“Maybe if we can get above the tail, we can jump down onto it and go from there?” Dras said.
“I don’t have any better ideas!” Delene shouted back. They rushed to climb a stoney hill, making their way to a cliff, Faeles and Cruor running ahead.
Without warning, a pitch black blade emerged from the dark. Faeles was beheaded cleanly. It was held by none other than the demon child herself, Caedes. Arms bloodied from her previous victims, she held the pitch black Obsidian Blade in one hand and the dim orange Burning Blade in the other. Cruor fumbled for his hook chain, swinging the kama’s blade. But it was no match for the infinitely sharp Obsidian blade which cut cleanly through Cruors ineffective weapon, disarming him. Caedes tightened her grip as she let her magic flow into Cruor. He fell to his knees, agonized, as Caedes set down her pitch black blade in favour of the less efficient, but more “entertaining” alternative. The orange blade ripped his skin again and again, leaving burns within his wounds that stopped the bleeding. In seconds, Cruor had already fainted from pain, only to be awoken again by a quick jolt of magic. He screamed out in pain, but could not fight back. Already, his limbs were damaged beyond use. Caedes held the blade flat against his mouth, steaming as it muffled his screams.
“Quiet now, stupid.” she whispered, lifting the blade to reveal his burnt, blackened lips.
“She doesn’t see us. We should avoid her, take a longer route around the stones.” Dras whispered. Delene did not respond at first, staring in terror at the horrifying scene. She turned to Dras and they went on. Cruors screams could be heard the entire way to the cliff, accompanied by the howling winds and Caedes’ eerie, hysteric giggling. Delene winced every time she heard the demon’s voice.
“Wait for his tail to pass under, then jump!” she shouted once they reached the cliff. They waited for what seemed like an eternity, the bright moon passing overhead, illuminating the field of bloody stones. The silhouette of an absurdly large, rampaging beast brought an element of chaos and surrealism into the image. Screams and laughter blended together like some sort of sadistic circus. The battlefield was a practically work of art.
“NOW!” she shouted, the tail incoming. It was more on level with them than below, but it didn’t matter. Pouncing like cats, they dug their claws between the tough scales of the beast, breath knocked out of them as they boarded the swinging tail. The creature's body was not cool like that of any other reptile. It was hot, burning even. The flesh glowed red between the scales in most places, as if about to burst into flame. They hung in place for a moment, bodies burning, trying to rest before the long climb. Their claws held firm, and finally, they began. Methodically, they pushed their way up the beast, magic spikes held between their teeth. The moon soared above them, a deity laughing at the pathetic ants trying to overrun a large lizard. But they did not stop, putting one hand after the next, they would reach the top in triumph.
Of course, until then, they would be wet with sweat, blood and seaspray. They would be exhausted to the brink of letting go, and they would feel hopeless, seeing the peak of this mountainous monster as if it were as far as the moon itself.
A tidy group was gathered below, Gaelicans under the command of Minerva. The stood, watching the two ants as they scaled the neck of the beast. The sea serpent lashed its tail again, sending a low wave through the rocks. Men were knocked from their feet, even Minerva herself could not stand straight in the torrent. Not even where Dras and Delene clung, just shy of the peak of the beast, was safe from the wide spray of water. By the time they reached the Behemoths summit the moon was low. The entire night seemed to have passed by in one excruciating moment. The pair bored their spikes into the soft flesh between the creature’s scales, flames licking at their fingers. Together, they ripped the tags and fell back, clinging again to the side of the beast as its head was struck by two blinding bolts of lightning. It was a quick flash of blue, pulsing through the scales of the beast. Flames roared from the points the lightning had struck, but these were dwarfed by the deafening howl emitted by the creature itself.
The roar faded, and the beast went limp. In a way that was almost majestic, it fell to the ground, crushing the stones beneath. It had fallen forwards, leaving Delene and Dras safe on its topside. The fire died, cooling quickened by yet another wave released by the now retreating Leviathan.
“Are you okay!?” Dras shouted, prying Delene’s claws free from the titanic corpse. She lay, eyes closed, but continued to breath. She was still alive, to Dras’ relief. Quickly, he scurried away between the stones.
Running like a rat in Geston.

    Quite a bit happened in the next little bit of time. Agents of the Door made their way to the body of the Behemoth, finding Delene, who was unconscious, but Dras was nowhere to be found. After collecting the body of Milos and coming to the conclusion that Dras, Faeles, and Cruor had all died, they made their way back to the Door. Caedes had managed to entertain herself throughout the night with Cruor. When the lightning struck the Behemoth to the ground, she finished him off, collecting her blades and wandering the stones before leaving. She wanted to see what the Gaelicans were going to do. Peaking from behind a rock, she spotted a young boy standing atop a stone and speaking to the soldiers. Minerva stood to his left, and a man in crimson red to his right.
    “White, maybe?” she thought to herself, trying to identify the man in red.
The boy cleared his voice before speaking, “My name is Dras Reyton. I am the slayer of the Behemoth, the one which you worship as a god. Now that I have saved you from the divine punishment he wished to inflict, I ask only that you allow me to take the place of Juanike Dives as your leader.”
“You're just a boy! Fat chance you killed the Behemoth!” a soldier shouted. Almost immediately, he was struck down by Minerva.
“The boy did kill the beast.” she confirmed simply as the man struggled to stand straight again. “And I will follow him.” she continued, rigid as the stones around her.
“What about you, White? You’re the hotshot, are you following him or not?” Another soldier shouted to the man in crimson.
“I will follow the boy.” he responded in his dull, serious voice. He sat down and waited. Men spoke amongst themselves, trying to decide whether or not to follow a mere child. Eventually, they decided to follow in the steps of their leaders. Caedes simply stood staring, jaw dropped to the crushed stones beneath her. She could care less that the boy had just gained control of a small army, and she could care less that he had both a powerful mage and a skilled assassin under his command. She simply heard echoes of the one thing she did care for here, his name.
“My name is Dras Reyton.” he had said, and now it repeated in her mind like an infestation. Memories flooded her, filling her with a sadness she hadn’t felt in years, and a type of excitement different from the cheap, sadistic kind she had enjoyed recently. He stepped down from the stones, Minerva leading him to the men's base of operations. Silently, Caedes followed. Eventually, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She burst from her cover, pouncing on Dras like a cat would on a rat. White drew a short blade, the tip only an inch from her neck, but stopped when he realized what she was doing. Caedes hugged Dras tightly, crying.
“I didn’t know you survived!” she weeped. The demon showed emotions of a human, something few would ever live to see.
“Why would you care if I lived!” Dras shouted, shoving her away.
Caedes looked up, confused, before realizing that Dras hadn’t yet
made the connection.
    “I’m your sister Dras!” she cried out in joy before embracing him again. Suddenly, memories of his youth rushed through Dras. He remembered his parents, and his older sister. She was always teasing him, when things were normal, but disappeared the same night his father died. He recognized her right away, the very same sister he had thought was long gone.
    “Miki?!” he said unsurely. Immediately, Caedes took a step back and slapped him.
    “That name sucks. I changed it to Caedes Pulsus. Sounds much cooler, wouldn’t you agree?” Dras chuckled at this before noticing the two blades she had dropped to embrace him. White had already retrieved the Obsidian Blade, handing it to Dras. The boy smiled, and turned back to Caedes.
    “I can see why you wouldn’t want to keep the name Reyton either, considering who it was we inherited it from.” He said. This struck a nerve. Caedes’ eyes widened.
    “Did you keep the name?” she asked, her voice soft and quiet.
    “Yeah, I never felt the need to change it, I guess.” Caedes hugged him, resting her chin on his shoulder.
    “I missed you… I’m sorry I left.” she said, beginning to cry.
    “Don’t cry. The past isn’t something to dwell on.” Dras said, comforting her. He started to cry too, but held his tears back. He had become to prideful to ruin his image with such petty emotions as sorrow.
    “Sorry…” Caedes mumbled, her voice quieting down. She stepped back and straightened her posture, wiping tears from her eyes. “I don’t know what went over me.”
    “Well, I suppose we should get to business. Tell Kori that the Gaelicans new leader would like to work with him.” he said to his sister, examining the blade. “And thanks for the sword as well.”
    “Kori needs that sword, actually.” Caedes said, though without authority.
    “I doubt it. He doesn’t need most things so much as he wants them, being as wealthy as he is.” Dras argued. “Why do you follow him anyways? If anything, he limits you.” he said.
    “What are you saying?” said Caedes, confused.
    “I am saying you should take over. You are second in command, correct? If he were to mysteriously disappear, you would not only be able to, but expected to take charge.” Dras explained, grinning.
    “I don’t think it is quite my style to be in charge.” she argued.
    “Try it out, I’m sure you will enjoy it.” There was a dismissive tone to his voice.
    “I’ll think about it.” Caedes finally gave in, ending the small argument. The siblings parted, heading their separate ways. Dras’ small group would attempt to set up camp and begin planning their next course of action. Caedes would take the long walk back to the Bay, her ship destroyed by the Leviathan in the battle.

Chapter VIII

    There were few members of the Door left who Delene even knew the names of. Arde, Blue, and Leta were the only ones, and they were all high ranking. She had tried to socialize and make friends with other members, but couldn’t shake the pain from her losses and appeared depressing and detached. After Al, Shiko, Dras, and even Faeles and Cruor were lost, she felt alone. Well, about Dras, she was questioning his death seriously. After arriving back at the Door, she found a note in her cot.
    “Meet me at the war camp one week from finishing the job. -Dras” it read. Of course, he had written this before leaving, and may not have accounted for his own death, but something about the guy just made her think he knew exactly how it would play out. Three days were left until the meeting was supposed to take place, and so finally she showed the note to Arde.
    “What in hell? I suppose he could be alive, we never found the body.” he said.
    “Can I go?” Delene pleaded.
    “Normally I would say to ignore this, but the mages made a nice new piece of a equipment, and I feel like this would be the perfect test drive.” Arde responded.
    “Really? That’s great!” Delene cried out. She was excited to see Dras again.
    “And about this piece of equipment, it’s supposed to let us talk to each other even from great distances. A little mirror looking thing with a small magic quill. It's called a magic glass. You link two together, then anything you write on one will appear on its partner until a message is returned. Sounds nifty, eh?” he explained. He seemed to care a great deal more about the messaging magic than one of his subordinates lives, but Delene didn’t let that ruin her excitement. She agreed with him on the usefulness of this new invention and urged him to let her go right away. It did not take much convincing, as Arde knew if they waited too long they would likely miss Dras’ deadline. On a black steed, which Delene had decided to call Ebony, she made her way back to the far away White River and the rocky fields that lay at the far shore.
Unlike Blue, Delene had no way to defend herself from bandits. Instead, she had to avoid them at all costs. One encounter could easily lead to her death. Weaving through the roads, she moved slower than a more elite assassin would. Every once in awhile, Arde would send her a message asking her location, trying to figure out the range on this artifact.
On the first night, she found herself far from any towns. She lay down under a blanket, waiting for sleep to come. She failed miserably to fall asleep, and instead continued to ride throughout the night. Eventually, she reached a town, Blackwood. It was a small collection of homes, and most of the inhabitants were loggers. It was actually quite like a smaller version of Log Town, which was not far north from it. Perhaps she would visit her home town on the way back from this meeting with Dras.
She began to think of introducing Dras to her family, before realizing the absurdity of it all. They would want to know where she had been, who Dras was and where he came from, where she got the horse from, and so much more. Questions would be endless, and she would not be able to answer a single one. Worst of all, she would have to leave her family again for the Door. After finally being reunited with them, they would be crushed if she simply left without explanation. She decided that she would return to the Door through the same path she was taking now, avoiding Log Town. It would only make things more complicated for her parents and sister. Putting her family in danger was the last thing she wanted, she doubts she could even live with herself if her actions caused their death. She shuddered at the thought of this, her beloved family, gone.
Then again, whose to say they were perfectly safe? Perhaps she should go to check on them? It was an issue, deciding what was the best course, and an issue that she spent much thought on. So much in fact, that she found the second night upon her before she had reached a conclusion. This time, she had no trouble sleeping. Exhausted from two days of travel, she collapsed into the leaves of the forest. The blanket she had brought along was barely enough to keep her warm in biting cold the creeped through the night, yet she still managed to sleep.
Ebony was gone when she woke up. The lead which tied him to a tree was cut, a thief had probably made off with the steed and supplies, leaving Delene with no food.
Luckily, she kept her pouch of coins on her person. She would be able to eat as soon as she reached the final bit of civilization on her journey, Canus City. The streets were busy, not crawling with scum like Geston but filled with merchants and entertainers. Fresh fruits and fish were sold in stalls along the river. Delene purchased only bread and fruit, enough to sustain her but not totally deplete her very limited supply of coins. A boat turned out to be too expensive to afford, even with her careful spending, so she instead stole one off the docks. She was caught, but fortunately, she had already made it a good deal into the river at that point. Men shouted at her to stop, but none followed. They knew very little of what was happening at the other side of the river, but feared it after seeing the silhouettes of the great beasts in the battle days prior. Muscles aching, Delene paddled as hard as she could. Her excitement was growing, but when she arrived at the camp she found nothing. She was disappointed, before remembering that she had made it one day early. Even so, the idea that it may all have been for nothing was planted in her mind. She still wasn’t sure if Dras was actually alive. She was restless that night, turning in her sleep. When she awoke, a man in red stood over her.
“Delene, is it? Dras told me you would be waiting here. He wants you to come this way.” he explained to the half asleep girl.
“W-wait! So Dras is alive? And who are you?” She asked, frantically.
“Dras is very alive. I will tell you who I am when we reach him, as I feel like you may not like to hear it until then.” he answered. The man's voice was soft and he seemed rather detached. “Come now.” he ordered as he helped her up. Drowsy and confused, Delene followed the man. He moved quickly through the rocks, somehow managing to outpace Delene’s jog with his casual walk.
“Here.” he said, simply. Delene panted as she tried to catch up to where he had stopped. It was the now decimated mountain that the Behemoth had emerged from. The ground was flattened, lacking the same tooth-like rocks that covered most of the terrain. Tents were scattered about the area, and a single wooden building was under construction in the center.
“I knew you would come.” said a voice from behind Delene. She turned around to see Dras, smiling. “These are Juanikes men. Now that he has died, they work for me.” he said, a bit too casually.
“That's what happened to you? You ran off and took control of an army?!” Delene asked, surprised and a bit more aggressive than she had meant to be. Although she wasn’t particularly attached to the Door, this just felt like too blatant an act of traitorism.
“Yeah… Kind of what I was hoping to do. I honestly had no idea how I would win these men's honour, only that they would be left leaderless by the end of the fight. I decided to take the chance at winning them over, I probably would have died if I failed.” He explained, “I also got my hands on this nifty thing. It can do some pretty cool things.” He lifted a short sword with a leather grip and no guard. The blade itself was a pure black, unaffected by the sunlight. It was incredibly thin and barely two feet long, looking unimpressive apart from the strange colour of the blade. It almost looked like a hole, peering into some other world. At the very base of the blade were two small runes, one above the other.
Dras swung the blade at a nearby pointed stone, cleanly cutting the sharp top off.
“It cuts through everything with ease. I don’t even need to apply force.” he explained as the stone crashed to the ground.
“That’s… quite the sword.” she commented, more interested in what he was doing with an army, “What are you doing here?”
“Securing power, gaining footholds. Whatever you want to call it. I’m building up a new organization, one that will far surpass the Door, The Bay Company, and even the Government itself. I want you to join me.” Dras explained.
“But… Why me? I’m not exactly the best at much of anything useful.” Delene inquired. Dras took a deep breath.
“Nor are any of the men I have, adopted lets say, from Juanike. Let me try to explain this to you... I was born in a trench. A dark, damp, dirty hole in the ground. I climbed out, and looked at the world around me. What I saw were mountains, endless ranges of them, and atop each one sat a king. Well, each but the tallest of them all, that is.
This is the one that is for me, the one I will scale. I have my wagons pulling my supplies behind me, these are my men, but on this climb I encountered many beautiful sights. From vast valleys to grand, sparkling waterfalls. I saw every form of beauty one could possibly imagine. But the mountain is so tall that the top is covered only by ice and snow, jagged cold. I knew that I would not return to these lowlands, and thought that I may bring some small piece of the awe-inspiring valleys with me. You are no donkey to pull my wagons, you are a flower. A flower that I picked to remind me of my journey once I reach my destination.” He reached forwards, lifting her chin with a single finger.
“Tell me, are you are rose who wishes to shoo me off to another plant with your prickly thorns, or a fine, soft lily whom I can safely carry with me to the peak of this mountain?”
“Umm… I mean… I, I guess I can stay?” replied the confused Delene. Dras chuckled a bit before turning around.
“Delene, good choice. Come with me, now. White, fetch Minerva and bring her to my tent. Actually, you join us too.” Immediately White made off. He seemed to take everything too seriously when Dras seemed to be looking at the world like it was just a joke.
Of course, the world was a joke. Dras saw the many factions, struggling for power over each other. They would shovel pathetic amounts of dirt from another's mountain, shipping it to their peak where it would simply crumble and fall away. It was cute even, as no man ever saw his own mountains progress. It took generations to grow, to surpass enemies. They would shovel away, taking as much dirt as they could to hide under themselves, but when they finally slipped and fell into the very hole they had dug, they realized what it was.
It was their grave.
Dras did not plan to dig himself a grave. He would not be the same as those who he viewed as utterly pathetic. He had finally given up all thoughts of such an end, he knew that he would live forever. He did not know how he would manage this, but he knew that he would succeed.
Perhaps magic was the answer? Although he couldn’t cast any on his own, he could have genious mages cast whatever ritual would be needed. All that really mattered was the end product.
They had made it to Dras’ tent. It was the largest one in the camp, and was used by Juanike before the now demolished wooden structure was completed. It was tall enough for even the towering Minerva to stand straight.
“You three are my executives. I will consult you in my decisions. White, I understand that you prefer to take orders rather than give them, which is why I am ordering you to comply with this position, understood?” Dras explained. White looked slightly irritated, that this child would be so arrogant with somebody who could kill him at any moment.
“I understand.” he said with his soft voice, in complete contradiction to his expression. He was a killer, but he was a loyal killer.
“Now, there are many important things we need to discuss, but I believe that our first priority should be a name.” Dras began.
“A name?” asked Minerva.
“Of course. Something that will strike fear into kings and commoners alike. It just makes things so much easier when we have a name to call ourselves by.” he explained.
“Well, half of us are from the Black Door, maybe we can name it after that?” Delene mentioned.
“Three of us four, actually.” said White “I worked there before I joined Juanike.”
“Yes, Blue mentioned you a few times.” Dras replied, “Back to our name, if we wish to connect it to a door, what do you propose we call it? The ‘Building’, which we entered through the ‘Door’? Sounds rather ridiculous if you ask me.”
“I guess it kind of is. You talked about scaling a mountain before, that could be worth something.” Delene said.
“Not just that, we happen to be sitting where a mountain used to be.” Minerva pointed out.
“So, what then? ‘Demolished Mountain Climbers’? ‘Big Broken Rock Hikers’? I need something cold and calculated. Something that doesn’t make mistakes.” Dras said, fiddling with his sword. He was cutting up a small stone he had brought in with them. “Like the sword. Sharp, accurate, and efficient. It was called the Obsidian Blade, correct?
    “So what do you say, Obsidian Order? Obsidian Clan?” White asked.
    “Hows about the Obsidian Instigation? We’re gonna start something big, so that would make sense.” said Delene. Dras grinned at the name.
    “I like it. The Obsidian Instigation. That makes us the Instigators, the Obsidian Instigators that is.” he said, dropping his sword. The blade slide effortlessly through the ground, only being saved from falling through the ground by the thicker handle. “I need to be careful with this. One slip and I could lose a limb.” he said, lifting the still spotless blade from the dirt. “I’ll have your tent set up, Delene. We are done with the Door.” he said before leaving.
    Delene left as well, sitting in the rocks just outside of the camp as she pulled out the magic glass and quill Arde had given her.
Sure enough, the message “Where are you now?” covered the display.
“I am at the site of the Behemoth’s summoning. Dras is in control of Juanikes army, including White and a mage named Minerva.” she diligently responded.
    A few moments later, her message faded into Ardes reply “I see. Stay there with him. Keep us informed on what he is doing. This is rather strange.”
    “He made me an executive of his group, and we came up with the name ‘Obsidian Instigation’. I should have access to his plans, through my position.” she explained, “That is all.”
    Arde did not respond to this message, and so Delene made her way back into the camp. Dras found her and lead her to her tent, which she quickly climbed into and tried to fall asleep. She wasn’t sure how she felt about these events, or whose side she was on. Trying to choose just tired her out, and she was already exhausted. She would decide another day, for now, sleep.

    Caedes’ arm was bleeding. The trip home from the battle had not been the most enjoyable. Wild animals were drawn to the small, weak looking prey she appeared to be. Of course, they all died moments after pouncing, but one particularly feisty wolf had hurt her arm. The scent of her blood, unfortunately, attracted even more annoyances.
    “Bandages!” she shouted out as she entered the Bay. A mover quickly scurried away in between crates, returning moments later with a long bandage which he helped to wrap around Caedes’ wound. She was not happy.
    “It’s too tight. Go die.” she said, even though it wasn’t particularly tight, and slashed his face through with her blade. He fell into the murky water and drowned. Nobody was brave enough to save him. Caedes would have these outburst only when she was feeling particularly unhappy, which was not often considering the alignment between her interests and work.
    “I’m home, Kori.” she said as she entered her boss’ office.
    “The Obsidian Blade? Where is it?” he asked, in no mood for small talk.
    “I gave it to my brother, as a gift.” Caedes replied, smiling.
    “Your brother? I did not know you had one. Nonetheless, I’ll need you to retrieve it immediately.” Kori replied, irritated. “Sometimes you can be more trouble to me than you are of use. Do you know what I do with trades when their costs surpass the income the provide?” he asked. Caedes smiled.
    “You cancel them. And let me tell you this, Kori. You give me a damn good income, but your cost is a bit too much. I want to take charge now, which is why I’m going to ‘cancel’ you.” her smile had grown so large at this point she felt her lips would split. Drawing her blade, the body guards and either side of Kori burst into action. As large, bulky men, they looked as if they would kill the girl in only moments. They failed, dropped to their knees by small daggers she had thrown, then cut through the throats. She had no time for torture today.
    “Don’t be so stupid.” Kori said, standing up. He took two sai from his desk, thin dagger-like weapons, preferred by him in close combat. However, Kori was a businessman, and Caedes an assassin. His movements had grown slower after years of paperwork. He avoided one thrown dagger, but another skimmed his torso, cutting deep into the side of his stomach. He moved in, catching her large blade in the guard of one sai and striking with another. His blow was deflected by a sweeping motion of yet another of her small daggers. He felt a sudden pain in his arms, loosening his grip. Still, he held tight, focused on ignoring the false pain Caedes was inflicting. But alas, her blade slipped free in his focus, cutting a blackened gash down his chest. He fell to his knees, pain multiplied tenfold.
After about an hour, Caedes left his room with a bag of ashes. No one was the wiser of who had assassinated the leader of the Bay. Leadership was passed on to his second in command, the sweetest and most innocent looking demon on the face of the planet.

Chapter IX

    “We are going to overthrow the king.” Dras said. His three executives sat around him in the tent, listening intently. “Which king, I am not sure. White, as you were once a high ranking member in the Door you probably know more about how the True King works in comparison to the High King. Please, educate us.”
    “It is really quite simple, actually. The True King works exclusively with the High King. Osing is the only one who knows who he is, and relays his commands down to those under him. This way, nobody knows who to assassinate if they wish to end the True King’s reign. If High King Osing is killed, he will simply be replaced with another figurehead.” White explained calmly, “If we knew who the True King was, I could easily kill him for you.”
    “What if he has guards?” Minerva asked.
    “It does not matter. If he is unaware of my presence, I will kill him.”
    “I’ll take your word for that, which leaves only the issue of finding out who this man is.” Dras said, “How hard do you think it would be to make Osing spit it out?”
    “Not at all difficult. The problem is, how would we get a chance to ask him? Kidnapping a king isn’t exactly easy.” Minerva says, “Unless you think you can magically kidnap him just by not being seen, White.” Minerva sneers at White as he chuckles.
    “Don’t be ridiculous. All I need is a moment to kill a man, in and out before anyone knew I was there. Kidnapping is much more difficult. He will shout and scream if you leave him conscious, and will be too heavy to drag through a palace of guards if left unconscious. I am unable to even make him invisible along with me.”
    “What do you think, Delene?” Dras asks. She had been silent the entire conversation.
    “Perhaps we should move slower. Going straight to seizing control of a kingdom doesn’t exactly seem feasible. Perhaps we should work to strengthen our forces first?” she said, unwilling to help but afraid of seeming suspicious.
    “I dislike it. We will grow to be known and be defeated by the kingdoms army. Right now we have a factor of surprise, nobody knows of the power focused here, we are an invisible variable. And in any case, that seems the boring route, I joined Dras expecting him to come up with something a little more… exciting.” White said.
    “I am for the idea of a slower advance. We cannot be sure nobody knows of us yet. What if the Door had sent a spy to confirm what happened to the army? Or what if they are keeping tabs on White’s actions?” Minerva gave questioning glances to the rest, urging them to agree with her. Delene wavered as the mages glance passed over her. Funny she would mention a spy.
    Dras cleared his throat before speaking, “Hows about we form two teams that work separately from each other? One which focuses entirely on securing the True Kings power, and another on increasing our own strength. We will attempt to strike while we still have the element of surprise, but still be securing power in case of failure.”
    Everybody agreed to this. White and Delene would oversee operations to steal the crown, Minerva would would work towards various progressions ordered by Dras. After dismissing White and Delene, Dras gave his first orders to Minerva.
    “We will have our first powerful allies before long, The Bay Company. Bring a group of men with yourself to their headquarters and check whether or not Caedes succeeded in killing Kori. If she failed, return immediately, I doubt we would be able manipulate Kori. If she has succeeded, bring her and as many mages as she can offer to us back. I will negotiate with her on terms of our alliance, and will have a job for you and her mages. Begin preparations for your journey now, I don’t want to waste any time.” With Dras’ dismissive tone, Minerva left. He may have given her orders as what to do if Caedes failed, but the cocky kid didn’t really consider that a possibility.
The battlemage heard a quiet shuffle as she left the tent, but took nothing of it. The camp was crawling with soldiers that had nothing to do but snoop. She barked out a few orders, stirring them into action.
Delene sighed. She had been eavesdropping on Minerva and Dras, and Minerva frightened her when leaving the tent. She was getting too jumpy. Quickly, she made off to her tent and pulled out the magic glass.
“Dras has big plans. He wants to kill the True King, and he is forming an alliance with The Bay Company.” she wrote, hurried. Although Dras took nothing of it, she felt her constant disappearances were a dead giveaway.
“Keep track of him. Continue relaying information until further notice.”
With that, she put the glass away and made off to see if Dras would spar. She was afraid she would need the practice, and doubted she would have much luck fighting the huge soldiers around camp.

“Where is Kori?” asked the cloaked figure. She had entered The Bay completely alone.
“State your name and business, woman.” a guard barked.
“My name is Minerva Validus. I seek to talk with your leader.”
“He’s a busy man, and he hasn’t mentioned a meeting with any Minerva.” The guard said. In truth, he would have likely allowed her through, she seemed harmless enough. The issue was that Kori was missing, the last person who saw him was Caedes when returning from some job. He shuddered. Nobody said it, but the entire company was sure of what had happened to their leader.
“You will allow me through, or I will allow myself through.” The woman said. There was a hint of threat in her voice, but the guard saw no issue. His laugh was cut short as she waved her hand, tossing his body into the rocky shallows like a ragdoll.
    The cloaked woman continued, grabbing the collar of the first man to question her presence.
    “Where can I find Kori?” she interrogated, a hard glare to her eyes. The man stuttered in surprise, but spoke when flames began to lick through the crevices of Minerva’s fist.
    “H-h-he is missing. C-caedes is in charge now.” The woman grinned.
    “Where is she?” The flames around her hand grew brighter.
    “In t-the back! P-past the fancy oak doors!” the man began to plead for release. Minerva dropped him, his chest burnt raw from her magic. She continued through the back of the bay, every guard and mover staring in awe at the intruder. Guards were unsure if they should try to stop her, perhaps she was a new executive put in place by Caedes?
    All they knew is they didn’t want to make her angry after seeing the burns she inflicted on that poor man.
    “Caedes. Dras wants to talk with you. Come.” Minerva said, ordering rather than asking. “And quickly. I dislike this place. Too many idiots.”
    The girl looked up, an excited look on her face. She had been doing paperwork.
    “Thank god you came, paperwork isn’t exactly my thing, but I’ve had nothing else to do since I took over. Odd, not having jobs thrown at me one after another by Kori.” she grinned as she mentioned Kori. “I can’t quite say I miss him, though.”
    “I’m glad you are so eager to come. There is a carriage atop the cliff waiting to bring you back to him. Furthermore, we would like to bring your best mages along.”
    “Whatever gets me out of this boring mess. Hey, Seamore, fetch our best mages, and finish this paperwork while I’m out.” Caedes called out as the made their way out of the Bay. An elderly man, presumably Seamore, sighed before standing up and walking away from whatever he had been working on.
    “So why didn’t my little bro come here?” Caedes asked.
    “He is busy making plans.”
    “Plans? Plans for what?” the demon inquired.
    “He will decide whether or not to tell you. Until then, I’m afraid I will have to leave you in the dark.” Minerva was uptight, and held her head high and facing directly forwards rather than towards Caedes. She felt a cold blade pressed against her throat.
    “Tell me, I don’t want to wait.” the younger girl demanded.
    “The Obsidian Instigation will avenge me if you go any further.” Minerva said, without faltering.
    “Never heard of them.”
    “That is the group which Dras now leads.” Minerva explained.
    “I don’t care. Tell me.” Caedes was stubborn. The mage grabbed her arm, twisting it unnaturally. Caedes fell to her knees.
    “Don’t try anything like that again. I won’t hesitate to kill you.” Minerva warned. Caedes jeered, using her magic to cause a sharp pain in Minerva's leg. The mage didn’t even flinch. As if on cue, Caedes’ mages arrived at the scene, and the girl stood back up, a defiant look in her eyes.
    “Let’s go.” She said plainly, and so they made their way to the carriage in relative silence.

    “It would work. The government works in two halves, and for today's purposes let's call them the light half and the dark half. The dark half is all the government's dirty secrets, like the Black Door, while the light half is what is seen by the public eye. If we attempt to overthrow the light half of the government first, the dark half will interfere, meaning we have to take on the entire thing at once. However, if we target the dark half first, the light half will be unable to reveal their connection to it, allowing us to tear them apart piece by piece.” White explained.
    “But how do you propose we take down this ‘dark half’?” Delene asked.
    “It mostly consists of the Black Door. There are a few smaller, sibling organizations, but they will disperse and deteriorate without the guiding force of the Door. The Black Door itself lacks one thing, and that is man power. They have no army of their own, meaning that even our rather meager force could easily overpower them.” Said White.
    “How large is the Black Door?” Dras asked.
    “It consists of the South Wing and the North Wing. The North Wing is located on the shore of the White River north of the capital, Ivory City. It is where major administration takes place. The South wing is made up of three sectors, each in a different place along the coast of the Ayarine Ocean or in the Black Forest. The Orange Sector, the Violet Sector, and the Green Sector. I would suggest going in order of the Orange Sector, The Green Sector, and The Violet Sector, then moving on to the Southern Wing. If we strike in the south first, their stronger connection with the government means it is more likely for them to warn the other wing of our advance giving them time to prepare.” White sat down, Dras and Delene gawking.
    “Why the order of Orange, Green, then Violet?” Delene asked.
    “Nobody likes the colour orange, so we destroy its relative sector first. The Green sector is the second closest, meaning it only makes sense to follow a straight path and overrun them second. Finally, the furthest sector, Violet, is the only one left, so it is only logical to take it next.” White said, seeming so serious that Dras wasn’t sure whether or not to laugh at his jab to the colour orange. Unable to contain himself, he let out a low chuckle.
    “I can’t argue with that logic. We will first destroy the Orange Sector, then the Green Sector, and finally the Violet Sector. After this, the Northern Wing of the Door will not be a problem, and so we can make our way to the Southern Wing and overrun them as well. A simple enough plan, but how can we ensure total devastation of each sector? I don’t want to leave any loose ends.” Dras said, smiling. Things were beginning to fall into place.
    “We can bring explosives. You have mages coming in from the Bay Company, correct? I doubt creating a few explosives would be much trouble for them, given the right materials that is.”
    “Good. I’ll have preparations made for the campaign. We will march no later than one month from now.” Dras said before dismissing the others. White left quietly, but Delene stayed.
    “Dras, I still don’t understand why you had me join you. I haven’t supplied you with the same useful information as White, nor the raw strength of Minerva. So why am I here?” She asked, hard pressed for an answer. Dras sighed.
    “If you weren’t here, you would be back at the Door. If you were back at the Door, I would have to kill you.”
    “But you’re fine killing Blue? Why didn’t you invite him to join too? Or just stay with us so none of us have to die!”
    “I couldn’t care less for most people, including Blue, and I honestly didn’t believe either of us would survive long working for the Door. So I left, and I asked you too come with me so that I wouldn’t miss you.”
    “Miss me?”
    “Yes.” Dras’ voice was quieter than usual, shyer. Delene looked at him, her face fighting against itself as to decide which of the many emotions she was experiencing should be displayed. She truly had not expected this.
    “I understand.” Delene said before leaving the tent and heading back to her own. She lay down with the magic glass held in front of her face. Staring, she thought about her situation. If she told Arde about Dras’ plans, Dras may be killed. But if she didn’t, everybody in the Black Door would be slaughtered. Of course, agents in service of the Door weren’t necessarily the best people, she often doubted Dras’ ethics as well. It came down to who she would rather alive, Dras, or the members of the Door.
    “Dras plans on laying low for a while.” She wrote on the glass. She had made her decision.

    Caedes was wet and angry. Minerva's men were horrible sailors, and so they crashed the boat into a stone while nearing the coast of the White River. Luckily, there were no casualties. Well, apart from the man who was standing next to Caedes after the fact, that is. He was floating face down in the White River, blood attracting various fish to his buoyant corpse.
    “What in hell was that about?” Minerva shouting, glaring at Caedes. The demon just crossed her arms and looked away.
    “He wasn’t important anyways. I want to see my brother.” She said, ignoring Minerva’s outrage.
    All of the Gaelish soldiers kept their distance from the argument, each hopeful not to be the next one sent to float down into the Ayarine Ocean.
    “Fine. We will go to the camp first, then we can deal with your… Outburst.” Minerva said, stomping her foot. Caedes spit on the mages boots, provoking a low growl.
    Neither woman spoke for the rest of the walk back. Soldiers also remained quiet, but the mages that Caedes had brought along managed a consistent flow of chatter where they discussed various theories. The men were true scholars, curious to their last breath. Dras greeted them when they reached the camp and first invited Caedes to speak with him in the now finished wooden structure. Inside was empty apart from a single table and two chairs.
    “It is good to see you again, Caedes.” Dras said with a pleasant smile.
    “Quite so, though I am dying to know what it is you are planning to do here! That stupid witch refused to say a word.” Dras smiled at this.
    “I’m glad Minerva is so tightlipped, I don’t want word of this getting out. You wouldn’t go spreading rumours, would you?” He asked his sister.
    “My lips are sealed.” Caedes promised.
    “Very well. We, the Obsidian Instigation, are going to take over Ibuna. We will start by eliminating the Door, then move on to seizing control over the crown itself.” Dras explained.
    “And you need me to supply you, I am guessing?”
    “Well, yes. However, I was not thinking of this so much in terms of a partnership or business transaction. Instead, I would like to make you my fourth executive as well as leader of the Bay Company. Said arrangement will transfer control of the Bay to the Obsidian Instigation.” Dras said. This was a very bold statement, considering the power held by the Bay Company and the relative frailness of his new organization.
    “You want your tiny little club here to be in charge of the entire Bay Company?” She asked, insulted.
    “It is to be a symbiotic relationship. You help us gain power, we share that power with you by making you a part of our group. I will be in control, and you will need to follow my orders. Outside of that, you are free to work independently on whatever task you so desire.”
    “This is absurd. If there is to be any sort of ‘collaboration’, the Bay Company will, er, shall be dominant. Your, um, Obsidian Instigation can serve as a, um, a project. A project funded by the Company, not as one which owns it, right?” Caedes said, her voice wavering. She was trying to imitate the same business-like demeanor which Kori displayed consistently, but the words failed to flow from her the same way. Dras held back his laughter. Her attempt at being business-like was cute, but it simply wasn’t her forte.
    “We will go by my rules, Miki.” Dras said. His mention of her real name struck a nerve. She abandoned her attempt at appearing businesslike, going for a more intimidating approach.
    “Do you remember? Do you remember when that was my name?” She said. She was angry. “Back when we lived with our parents. But mother left, too afraid to stay near father. And then father died. And when father died, I left.”
    “I remember.” Dras said, “I remember seeing him lie in his own blood. I remember seeing him go limp on the floor.” He said, memories flowing through him like a mad torrent. He reminded himself to focus, this was what he had planned for, and it is where he would beat his sister at her own game.
    “But do you know who killed him that night?” She asked, “It was me! I couldn’t stand him anymore, so I took the kitchen knife and I cut his throat and I ran away!” Caedes was yelling now, her breathing quick and short.
    “I knew.” Dras said simply, “I watched through the floorboards from the room above. I watched you leaving too.”
    “Then you know what will happen to you if you try to control me the same way he did. You can’t put me back in the cage!” She yelled.
    Dras drew the Obsidian Blade, thrusting it forwards. It cut through Caedes’ shoulder and the wall behind it before he pulled it free. She fell to her knees as he sheathed his blade. Warm, thick blood flowed between his sister’s fingers.
    “You can’t touch me. I have Minerva at one side and White at the other, as well as the Obsidian Blade in hand. You will follow my rules, and I will allow you free roam. All you must do is relay my every command to the Bay as if it is your own. Understood?” Dras said authoritatively. Caedes gripped her shoulder, grimacing in pain. She stood straight and stared down her prey, sizing it up. Blood dripped from her injured shoulder, and like a lone foolish wolf, she backed off from the bear she meant to kill. Dropping to her knees, she tightened her grip on her shoulder. The bleeding wouldn’t stop.
    “Your rules, Dras. Now help me.” She said, looking down to avoid eye contact with her victorious brother.
Dras called for a doctor to be brought in, who then stitched Caedes’ wound. Luckily, Dras had not cut low enough to damage the tendons in her shoulder. He then called for Minerva and the Bay Company mages to enter the building. With a humble gathering of cloak wearing, staff wielding men in front of him, Dras made his absurd proposition.
    “I have gathered all of you genius’ here to ask you for one thing, immortality. ” He said, provoking many gasps from his audience.
“Now, has anybody got any ideas right off the bat?” He asked.
One man spoke up, “Immortality is quite simple in essence. All you need is a constant supply of life magic. Although this won't stop death from something as direct as a stab wound,” he glanced over Caedes as he said this, “it will allow such wounds to heal quicker, as well as stop your aging and give you an immunity to sickness.”
“Why has it not been done?” Dras asked.
“Oh, it has. Many mages have lived upwards of two hundred years by infusing their own life magic into their flesh. Unfortunately, they all ran out. See, the aging will come back all at once if the supply of life energy is ever broken, meaning somebody who has lived much longer than they should have will die instantly if they run out of life energy. All the disease and decay of a hundred years hitting them at once is quite deadly.” Another man explained, “Of course, an uninterrupted source of life magic could be supplied by an Infinite Excel rune in combination with a Life rune. The only problem is, this rune will destroy anything you activate it on unless the Infinite Excel magic is actually present.”
“Where can we find this ‘Infinite Excel’ magic?” Dras inquired, his interest piqued.
“God knows where. I’ve never actually heard of anything containing it outside of myths and rumours. Supposedly, Kori was after a sword containing it before he disappeared.”
“Do you have any information on this sword?” Dras asked, excited. Suddenly, everybody was staring at the man who had spoken. He stuttered before he spoke, nervous from the many pairs of eyes which studied him.
“I think he called it the ‘Obsidian Blade’.”

Chapter X

    “Exactly sixty-five men.” Minerva reported.
“And the explosives?” Dras asked.
“Ready. Ven is ready to let them blow at any moment.”
“Perfect!”
It had been about three weeks since the merger between the Bay Company and the Obsidian Instigation. In this time, Minerva had gone to the west and rallied as many Gaelicans as she could to their army. Furthermore, most of the Bay Company had returned to their headquarters and begun shipments.
Ven Effecci, the mage who had explained Infinite Magic only a few weeks earlier, had joined Dras’ ranks rather than returning to the Bay Company. He was a young man, no older than twenty, with short, fair hair and bright blue eyes. These features were rare of the normally brown-haired, brown-eyed Ibunians, though this was explained when he shared that he was an immigrant from some country northwards. He stood just short of six feet in height, towering over Dras and Delene yet still dwarfed by the monumental figure of Minerva, and was somewhat of a young genius. Even the battlemage herself recognized this man's gifts in magic.
Sixty-five, the number Minerva had reported to Dras, was the number of new Gaelican soldier added to their armies. In addition to the original eighty-five survivors of the Behemoth battle, Dras held one-hundred-and-fifty men at his command. The number may not be impressive in comparison to the thousands who fight for the Crown, but was nonetheless capable of overrunning the Black Door’s feeble bases of operation.
Dras had given his Obsidian Blade to White as to ensure the assassin’s victory over any who may be considered his equal, such as Blue. Minerva, as always, would a be titan on the battlefield. Armoured heavily, she would blast multiple foes away at once with her powerful, battle-orientated magic. The strength of the battlemage could be compared to that of a small army, and so Dras was incredibly glad to have her on his size. She was likely the largest variable to have been in his favour throughout his entire plan, cementing his victory.
Now, they sat on the rocky coast of the White River, a large ship branded with the Bay Company’s logo sat before them. Dras, Delene, White, and Minerva climbed aboard the ship to find the fourth executive of the Obsidian Instigation waiting for them.
“I trust you have collected the soldiers?” Dras asked his older sister.
“All fifty of them.” She responded sleepily. All of the recent travelling had put her under the weather, especially in combination with the blood lost last time she spoke with Dras.
Now, the army had reached the height of two-hundred men. On Caedes’ command, sailors flew into action. The skies were clear as they glided atop the green-blue sea, so no sailor had expected any trouble. However, the events of Umbra Mountains were not yet common knowledge, so a single variable remained unknown.
The panic began when a soldier saw a massive, scaly fin cutting through the sea, moving quick enough not only to keep pace with their ship but to pull ahead. The appendage itself was longer than the boat they sailed, but only the topmost point was revealed from the ocean. Some sailors urged that he was just seeing things, but attitudes changed when Dras learned of the sighting. Immediately, he ordered that they make their way to landmass as soon as possible, but the sailors argued it was not possible without a dock. At this, Dras simply urged them to move as quickly towards the closest dock as possible. Caedes’ recognized a fear in his eyes that she had only seen once before, instilled by the only beast she knew of equally terrifying as the Leviathan. This was the fear of their father.
Broken, Caedes hid in the cargo bay of the ship. She was injured, exhausted, and scared. Recent events shattered the girl, tearing away the psychopathic visage she once donned. Now, she was young again, hiding in the dark and fearful of what was to come.
Dras remained on the deck as long as he could. The Leviathan had been peaceful at first sighting, and even now did not seem to be directly targeting their ship. Nonetheless, as the colossal beast surfaced and re-submerged it blasted waves against the oak planks of their ship. Massive waves rocked the tiny craft, tossing crates about in the cargo where Caedes hid. She cried quietly, head between her knees so she could ignore the mayhem that surrounded her. With little warning, waves began to climb over the side of the ship. Water flooded the deck, dousing the crew with seawater. Soldiers took to the pails and attempted to keep up with the water flooding the pathetic vessel they rode aboard. Sailors rerouted to land without care for the crash that would ensue if they did so. Crashing into the shoreline and evacuating the ship there would be far safer than attempting to survive the vicious maelstrom which the sinking craft would cause out in open sea.
The Leviathan drew dangerously close to the ship, panicked men steering the clunky vessel as far from the beast as they could. Suddenly, the entire world flipped. The beast had made contact, and the entire ship fell on its side. Wood splintered, blasting sharp debris. Men screamed and shouted as they fell into the black sea. Utter chaos had erupted, brewing a storm greater than any hurricane.
All of this was caused by one creature, the Leviathan, which had disappeared as quickly as it destroyed the army. In the water floated were nine survivors of the hundreds who boarded the ship. Dras, Delene, White, Minerva, Caedes, Ven, two soldiers, and one sailor clung to the debris of the shattered craft. Using broken planks of wood as paddles, the survivors spent the night making their way back to land.
Finally on dry land, Dras took his sword back from White. In frustration, he knocked down as many trees as he could before he grew too tired to hold the blade. Delene watched him silently as he cut through the thick, overgrown vegetation. She still had the magic glass in her satchel, and it wasn’t too late to switch sides, but at this point she saw very little threat in Dras anyways. Both soldiers and the sailor quit, marching onwards to find the nearest town. White, Ven, and Minerva discussed the issue, far calmer than the rest of the crew. Caedes had fallen fast asleep, looking so peaceful that Delene nearly forgot what she hated her for. It was odd, seeing a murderer so frightened, somebody who had once instilled such fear and anger into Delene was suddenly broken herself.
Dras dropped himself to the ground, exhausted from his rampage. His blade lay next to him, flat side towards the ground as not to sink into the dirt yet again.
“This will not stop us. We sleep tonight, and tomorrow we make our way to the Bay Company headquarters. We still have Caedes’ and therefore still control the Bay. With a new army of mercenaries, we can try again.” Dras ordered, drawing the attention of White, Ven, and Minerva. He turned, looking down at is broken sister.
“Thank god you made it.” Delene heard him mutter under his breath. For a moment she wondered whether this expression was genuine, or if he simply required her as a way to control the Bay.
It was late, and the rebels were tired. Shortly, each member had fallen asleep under cover of improvised leaf blankets, save for Delene. The girl simply could not sleep, instead she stared at the band of rebels. She had a knife with her, and could simply slit the throats of each conspirator, she could end the Instigation all at once with such ease. Yet she didn’t.
She couldn’t bring herself to end the life of the peaceful Caedes, despite what demonic qualities she had displayed. Now, asleep in the dark, she looked like a frightened, hurt child.
Delene could not bring herself to kill the tall and proud Minerva, nor the genius Ven. They had so much to live for, so much they could accomplish even if under Dras’ rule.
Then there was White, the enigma. He dressed in crimson red, hood raised to cover his face whenever possible. The man’s features were sharp, his eyes cold, yet she still felt there was a warm flame in the blood red of what draped over him. He was bored, he was heartless, but he was loyal. Puzzling then, what had driven him to abandon the Door.
Finally, was Dras. He slept silently, exhaled slow calm breaths that would not disturb even a leaf. She could not place a finger on where his heart lay, what he truly valued. On one side, he may be a sociopath, willing to kill anyone to get what he wishes. Yet, sometimes, she sees a heart. Somebody who cares too much for appearance, too much to look strong, that he sometimes forgets of the emotions he is hiding. A boy in eternal conflict, a war against himself to decide whether the heartless efficiency of an assassin or the warm, touching heart of a lover should reign his body. He was more thoughtful than she first imagined, at the Door he seemed cold and creepy, calculating anything one would do. Yet now, he showed weakness, thrown into a fit at the crash of their ship and the loss of their army. Looking closely, Delene realized something.
In the corner of the heartless killers eye sat a single, shining tear. It had not yet fallen to the forest floor, and instead sat stagnant on his features. She smiled, finally assuring herself of who Dras was. At this point in time, she held the knife in her hand, ready to end him, but at the sight of the tear withdrew her blade. He had contained his emotions too long, and finally sprung a leak.

Dras woke up and wiped his eyes with the back of his fists. He turned to see the rest of his crew, save for the ever vigilant Minerva, asleep.
“Wake them.” he ordered, though rather half-heartedly with his weary condition. Minerva did not shake or yell to wake them, but instead tapped each on the forehead with her index finger. Each tap released a blue spark and caused the effected to quickly be jolted back to an awoken state. It happened to be not only the same type of magic (mind, on a smaller scale) as that which had awoken the Leviathan and Behemoth, but the same which Caedes used to keep her torture victims conscious. The drowsy individuals rose on their sore limbs to assemble themselves in a neat semicircle around their leader.
“We travel along the coastline until we reach the Bay Company Headquarters. There, we reassemble an army and reverse the order which we strike down the Southern Wing. Aside from this, our plan remains the same. Appear from nowhere and quickly overpower them. Is that understood?” Dras shouted out sternly. On his face lingered anger from last night's rampage.
“I wouldn’t be doing that.” said White calmly.
“And why not?” questioned Dras. Although there still appeared to be some level of irritation in his voice, he had certainly begun to calm down.
“The Violet Sector is located along the coast. I suggest we avoid that as long as we don’t have an army, for risk of somebody being captured and information being leaked to the Door.”
“They would think nothing of us, just travellers!” Dras replied.
“No, Caedes and myself are well known among the ranks of the Door. They would recognize us.” White stared down Dras, piercing through the boy's frustration.
“You’re right,” the leader responded, finally free of his vexation, “We will travel through the forest and avoid the Violet Sector altogether.” he announced. “First, however, we should eat. White, go hunting. The rest of us will gather food. Return here in… an hour let's say.” He waved his hand dismissively, a gesture that his followers already knew all too well.
    The Instigation stirred into action, White gone in an instant. However, a certain purple-haired individual refused to budge. Caedes sat still, arms and legs crossed and with a stubborn look on her face.
    “Caedes, get moving.” Dras ordered. The rest of the group, save for White, had halted their activities to observe this confrontation.
    “Not helping!” the girl yelled out. She lay down, legs now stretched as far as they could reach but her arms kept crossed. “You can’t make me.” she continued recalcitrantly.
    “Why not?” Dras asked, more curious of her stubborn behaviour than he was upset to be short a hand.
    “Because I don’t want to. I am tired from travelling and would like to rest here.”
    “I’m afraid if I allow this I will grow into the habit of making exceptions for you, just as Kori had. You need to learn restraint and maturity.” her younger brother explained.
    “Dras is right,” agreed Minerva, “we can’t have you killing our own men just because you’re upset. It only makes sense to become stricter.”
    Caedes jolted upright.
    “It’s not like you’re in any place to order me around, Dras!” she shouted, “I’m the older sibling! I’m the leader of the Bay Company! And I am… I’m…” she began to cry before she could finish her sentence.
    “Perhaps you shouldn’t be so austere with Ms. Pulsus. To have lost so much freedom so quickly must be quite depressing.” Ven offered, his voice quiet and unsure.
    “I’m not moving!” Caedes yelled out again. Dras kneeled over next to her.
    “Very well,” he said. “you may rest while we gather food. Then, you may eat with us.” Caedes continued sobbing, but did not complain.
    “After this, you are to come with us back to the Bay Company where you may rest again.” Dras concluded, “Is that understood?”
    Between sobs, Caedes managed to croak a quiet “Yes.” The other four split into two groups. One of said groups consisted of Dras and Ven, the other Minerva and Delene.
    “So where are you from?” Ven asked, trying to make small talk as they dug roots from the earth.
    “Geston.” Dras said plainly.
    “Ah, a big city. I come from up north, past the White River. If you go far enough, you’ll reach the country Heretae. The land is beautiful, snow covered and mountainous, but even a native like myself can see the inhabitants are barbaric. I came south to study the arcane and live a far more civilized lifestyle.”
    “You have already explained this.” Dras complained, still staring down at the root he was prying from the ground.
    “Apologies. I only meant to start conversation.” Ven continued warily. “Why is it that Minerva and White follow you? You are still young, even more so than Ms. Pulsus, so it is hard to see how you made it to such a position of power.”
    “I was a hero, people follow heroes.” Dras explained.
    “Yes… I heard the story about the Behemoth, but if they follow you because you have slain the beast, why do they not consider Delene your equal? She was just as important in killing the monster as you.” Ven inquired.
    “Delene is no leader. She is too indecisive, and only a fool would follow her. If we put her in charge, we would all be dead in a year's time.”
    “That is quite the conclusion you have come upon. What makes you oh-so accurate a judge of one's person?”
    “You are treading on dangerous ground, Ven. Do not insult me.” Dras spat back, his hand touching the hilt of his blade.
    “Apologies. I am but a curious academic, one whom there is no need to enact any degree of violence against. I will take greater consideration with my choice of words in the future.” Ven replied, a modest panic to his tone. Dras pulled his Obsidian Blade free from its sheath, Ven backpedalling in a mad attempt of avoidance. The boy simply used the weapon to cut a root free.
    “Wild turnip.” he explained, tossing the vegetable to the flustered mage. Cautiously, Ven returned to foraging with Dras. Not a single word was spoken.

    “What do you know of Caedes?” Minerva asked Delene as she plucked a fruit the younger girl was struggling to reach.
    “Well… She is the leader of the Bay Company, as I’m sure Dras has told you. Apparently, she is also his sister. But…” Delene spoke quietly, intimidated by the battlemage.
    “But what?” Minerva insisted, unintentional aggression lacing her voice.
    “I don’t believe that they are related. Caedes is… she is a demon. She kills just to kill, enjoys death. She seems to be normal, like she did around the camp, until you put a blade in her hand. Two of my friends from the Door were killed by her.” Delenes voice trailed off in unsureness.
    “Yet you just work alongside her anyways?” Minerva questioned.
    “Well… I don’t really know what else to do. I don’t really fear her anymore, she just seems so… so broken. Do you know what I mean, Minerva?” Delene explained.
    “No, I haven’t the slightest clue. To me, she just seems like a whiny, irresponsible, and utterly psychopathic brat. I’m not sure how you feel any sympathy for the demon.”
    “Perhaps I’m overthinking it, but I am sure she is more complicated than that below the surface.”
    “Then what did you think of her fit today?”
    “I think she is tired, and I think she is scared. She killed her leader, took over the entire Bay Company, was stabbed by her own brother, only to head back onto a boat that was sunk by the Leviathan. That’s a lot to take in all at once.”
    “Are you saying you haven’t been through a lot?”
    “I don’t know… I haven’t had much to do with most of what happened, other than the Behemoths death that is. I have mostly been a bystander.”
    “Maybe you should change that.” Minerva offered. Delene looked up, surprised.
    “What do you mean?”
    “We follow the slayer of the Behemoth, Dras. But he didn’t beat it alone, and with all that’s going on in your head, I feel like I would prefer you as a leader.”
    “I’m not fit for that.” Delene argued.
    “I’m just saying, if you ever do decide to take over, count on me to follow you against Dras. You may need me if White tries to stop you.”
    “What are you talking about! I don’t want to take over, and I don’t want a mutiny! I just want to get all this over with and let things settle down!”
    “You really think things will calm with Dras at the top? The boy wants war. He wants to conquer and grow, something you are required to support him with. You have come too far to turn around now, so if you just tried to leave he would probably kill you. Revolt, defeat him, and be free.”
    “Free?”
    “Yes.”
    “I can go back to my family?”
    “Yes.”
    “But how? Wouldn’t White just kill us both if we tried? Even Dras could, with the sword he has.”
    “I’m disappointed in you. You know exactly how you can ruin Dras’ plans.” Minerva said, smiling. Delenes eyes widened.
    “How do you know about that?!” She exclaimed.
    “I pay attention, girl. Pull out your magic glass, inform them of your plans.”
    “But… I haven’t yet decided. I may want to side with him.”
    “Choose quickly. If you turn now, an army will be assembled to stop him. You, myself, and Ven can make a break for it before the battle.” Minerva explained, “You can visit your family.” she added, now aware of what Delene longed.
    “Ven? He knows about the glass too?”
    “We are mages, adept interpreters of magic signals. That device is the complete opposite of quiet, littering the air with loud signals.” Minerva explained as Delene pulled the glass out of her bag.
A message sat stale on its portal, reading “Where have you gone?”
“They checked the camp!” Delene exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.
“Now would be a good time to come clean. I’m sure they can track down the signal from the mirror.”
“I will decide soon. I’ll drop the mirror before they can catch us… By the time we reach the Bay I will have decided.” Delene lifted and dropped the heel of her foot to creating a satisfying and decisive thud. She would not discuss the matter any further.
“Very well. Though I will let you know now, myself and Ven have decided to follow you rather than Dras. We will not do so if you refuse to take charge and defeat the boy. A good piece of advice, by the way, when two powerful mages offer you their abilities for no cost, accept it.”
Minerva snapped a branch from the tree Delene was picking fruit from. With it and all its bounty, she made her way back to the meeting spot.
“It is about time we return.” she called back, prompting Delene to scurry after her.
The group ate silently for a while, but Dras soon noticed Delene’s uncomfortable fidgeting.
“Is something wrong, Delene?” he asked.
“No… Well…” Delene spoke awkwardly and unsurely, “It’s nothing, really.”
“Oh just spit it out.” he exclaimed.
“How do we know that we are going to catch them by surprise? I mean, we don’t really know if they know about us. Even if nobody came to check out the Umbra Mountains while we were there, they probably have spies in the Bay Company who we are connected to.”
“That is why we have to move quick. The longer it takes, the more likely it is that we won’t catch them off guard. This will be a risk, and there is no avoiding that.” Dras explained.
“That’s it? I almost expected you to have some grand plan that would absolutely guarantee victory!” Delene responded, genuinely surprised.
“You can’t guarantee victory, you can’t guarantee anything. It just isn’t possible. You have to increase your chances of winning more and more, then pray that luck is on your side.”
“Dras is not wrong,” White calmly agreed, “he is wise to understand the impossibility of perfection.”
“Nonetheless, it is time we move on.” Dras ordered the group to make haste. They travelled quickly despite the burdens that filled salvaged leather bags slung over their shoulders. Somehow, knowing that there was no absolute insurance only motivated them further to succeed.


Chapter XI

    The forest had grown thinner from the dense brush which the tiny group first camped in. Now, rays of sunlight hit almost as much ground as was kept in the shade of the trees. Bushes were further apart and ferns and grasses grew low. This made it easier for the group to travel.
    “We are nearing Coastwood Town.” White said matter-of-factly. Nobody questioned how he knew where they were in relation to such an obscure town when they did not even have a map, White simply seemed to understand some things better than anybody else. Coastwards, the trees grew even thinner. Not far from them was the rocky coastline which they travelled away from. White had explained that the Violet Sector was located just beyond Coastwood and had a strong influence over the town.
    “Stop.” White ordered, almost entirely out of the blue.
    “Why?” Delene started, but was quickly shushed by Dras. The entire group stood silently, backs against each other and looking outwards in a circle. Those who still carried blade drew them from their sheaths.
    Nothing came.
    “White, what was it?” Dras calmly questioned, the point of his blade ready in the air. White raised his hand in Dras’ direction in response. The message was clear: Do not speak.
    The foliage rustled slightly, Caedes’ blade flew through the air the moment the movement began. A small mammal fell from the tree, bloodied. The group relaxed.
    “Worked up over a squirrel, are we White?” Dras said disapprovingly. The glare he received in response was deadly.
    “Stay cautious” the assassin simply advised, “I still hear it.”
    “What do you think it is?” Ven asked.
    “I’m not sure. I’ve never heard of bandits who stalk their victims before they rob them.” he said.
    “I’m sure it is just your imagination, White.” Minerva decided. Nobody was convinced.
    The coast was well out of sight when a large blur fell from the tree’s. Immediately, it rolled over and ran away.
    “Get him!” Dras yelled as he started to run, and the others followed not far behind.
    The figure was quick and nimble, jumping and darting throughout the trees like an animal. Even Whites agility was put to shame by this mysterious figure.
It leaped and bounded through the dense bushes, always keeping just ahead of its pursuers.
“They are leading us somewhere!” White shouted, but the others were too caught up in the chase. Frustrated, he split from the group and continued the chase from denser brush. As he travelled alongside the pursuit, he watched intently. It was not long before the nimble fugitive tripped, landing hard on the ground. Suspicious it was, thought White, that there was nothing which the tripped on. They simply fell, sliding a few feet before coming to a dead stop.
“Got you!” Dras shouted in triumph, his pace slowing as not to trample the fallen runaway. His progress towards the absconder was suddenly halted by a heavy net dropped from the foliage. White let out a deep sigh as he watched his leader and comrades become trapped.
The runaway, now identifiable as a teen girl, jumped to her feet with a wide grin on her face.
“Done just right, Synn!” she yelled into the trees. A boy, only slightly older, dropped from above. He landed feet first with a thud, snapping twigs underneath him.
“Augh!” he cried out holding his leg as he fell to the ground. The girl slapped him on the back, laughing.
“Learn to fall!” she teased.
“It isn’t funny Rynn, I think I’ve sprained my ankle.” he complained. The girl continued laughing.
“Don’t be such a baby!” their captors looked similar to one another, both with short, brown hair. Rynn’s hair dropped nearly to the level of her chin around the back and was neatly parted in front. Synn’s hair on the other hand only nearly reached the level of his earlobe. Both had sharp, green eyes and small features. Once Synn stood up, it seemed that they were equal in height. Really, Synn’s height was cut short by his slight hunch while the overexcitable Rynn often stood tall as she could. They both wore thin leather boots and cloth shirts and pants, as well as a pair of deep green gloves on Synn and a bright red scarf worn by Rynn.
“So who’s in charge here?” asked Rynn, leaning down in front of Ven and Minerva who lay under the net, bellies down.
“That’d be me!” shouted Dras from behind them. Rynn looked up in surprise.
“You’re just a kid.”
“One you shouldn’t mess with.” Dras grinned as he pulled the Obsidian Blade from its sheath and cut cleanly through the thick ropes that held him down.
“What in hell!?” Rynn yelled out, “Synn, the crossbow!” she shouted back to the boy, only to see White holding a knife to his throat. One by one, Caedes, Minerva, Ven, and Delene crawled out from under the net. Dras’ sister, angry as she could be, pulled loose a set of her favourite knives as she walked towards the terrified girl. Rynn cried out in pain as she felt the effects of the demons magic, falling to her knees.
“That will be enough, Caedes.” Dras instructed to keep his sister from slitting the girls throat. Rynn looked up at Dras, eyes wide, as he approached her, “Now, what was that all about?” he questioned the girl kneeling girl. When she failed to answer him, he stepped on her head grinding her face into the dirt.
“Stop!” shouted Synn, only to receive a blow to the head by White. Dras moved his foot aside, freeing her head from the earth. She gasped, struggling to catch her breath.
“Tell me now, what was that all about?” Dras was almost shouting now, his voice heavy and threatening.
“It was a trap, we meant to rob you…” Rynn said, her voice lowering to the volume of a murmur as she mentioned her crime.
“You don’t seem the best at choosing targets.” Dras said.
“Nobody has been through here in a month! We had to try for you guys.” Synn called out, still recovering from the brutal blow he had received.
“Why haven’t people been passing through?” Dras questioned.
“There has been a demon-snake in the waters around here. Scholars called it the Leviathan. It causes tidal waves and crushes things on land with its huge tail. Anybody who has the money has already travelled far inland.”
“The ocean isn’t even visible from here.”
“If you go on ahead, about a half hours travel, you’ll see how far the waves reach.” explained Synn.
“So why did you set up your trap here?”
“We can’t travel. Our mother is sick.”
“I see now? You siblings seem a clever bunch, mind showing us your mother?” Dras said.
“What the hell would you want to see her for?!” Rynn shouted. Ven whispered into Dras’ ear and pointed at the girl's hand. Dras noticed what interested Ven, who was now whirling his hand around a ball of white light he had conjured up, making his way towards the siblings.
“Myself and Minerva over there are skilled mages. We may be able to help her.”
“And why should I believe you?!” Rynn continued, angry.
“Relax, Rynn. This may be our only chance to help her.”
    “I don’t trust them!”
“It’s not like we have much of a choice.” Synn said before turning and switching his attention to Dras, “I’ll lead you to her.”
“No!” cried out Rynn, but her cry was cut short by Caedes’ sharp kick to the ribs. Dras whispered something into Ven’s ear, to which the mage nodded.
“Respect our superiority, and we will help your mother.” Dras said to Rynn. Silently, the girl nodded. The group followed Synn through the forest, eventually reaching a small cabin. Half of the cabin had been completely crushed, the missing portion cut off by an improvised wall of branches and mud. The cutoff point of the cabin was roughly in line with the treeline of the forest, beyond it lay a massive field of crushed debris.
“What in hell did this?” Minerva asked.
“The demon-snake. It lifted its tail out of the water and beat down the town. Priests say we committed some horrible sin and the gods are mad at us.” explained Synn, “They said that's why our mother is sick too.”
“The priests made a mistake. The Leviathan was unchained by the sins of another. It will rampage until slain, and that may not happen for decades.” Dras explained, “Now, I assume your mother is inside?”
“Yes, she should be resting now.”
The group entered the building one by one. Excluding the improvised mud and stick wall, the building was well kept. The old, motionless woman stood out harshly in the spotless environment. She lay on a low mattress, eyes closed and face upwards. Her face would have once had wrinkles, but they were stretched and lost by boils and swelling. Sickeningly, pus leaked from many point on her bloated, disproportionate face. When she heard the group enter, she awoke and opened the only eye which had not been sealed shut by dried sleep. She attempted to sit up, but her frail body was to weak. Instead, she simply tried to speak.
“Rynn… Synn… Are these your friends?”
“No, but they have a doctor among them, mother.” Synn replied. Ven opened his mouth to correct him, but was stopped by a sharp glare from Dras. Instead, he simply walked to the side of the elderly woman and wave his hand only inches from the shiny boils of her forehead. A dim light glowed between his hand and the woman’s head, fading in moments.
“We can save her, however, we do not have what we need.”
“What do you need?” Synn asked.
“A medicine made from a root that grows in my homeland. If you join us, we will help to find it.”
“We can’t leave her alone.” Rynn countered.
“Than I will stay.” said Synn, “What can I do for her while you are gone?”
“Nothing but keep her cool. Don’t worry, as long as she eats well she should live long enough for our return.” explained Ven, “We leave now.”
As Rynn and Synn gave their goodbyes, Ven made his way to Dras and whispered into his ear.
“She will be dead within a month. My homeland is but a year’s travel away, and the root does not exist. The only possible way she could live is with a shard of the Obsidian Blade, though I doubt you’d find it a good use of the weapon.”
“Well done Ven. The mother will die, and the girl will help us. That works out quite well.”
Along with Rynn, the group began to travel across the vast field of debris, each individual careful not to trip over the many obstacles they navigated through.
“So why are you here, anyways?” asked Rynn as they left.
“We are rebels.” Dras said simply.
“What!? Rebels? Why in hell are rebels running around!?” she cried out in surprise.
“To create a rebellion. See, the government has lied to us the whole time it existed. Some of us had been recruited into an underground organization run by the Crown, but we left in order to fight against it. We are going to make our way to the top, and overtake the government from the inside out.” he continued. Rynn stopped walking, mouth gaping in disbelief.
“You are insane. That is impossible.” she said.
“No, it is very much possible. You have heard of the High King Osing, correct?”
“Of course.”
“He is not in charge, but instead follows the orders of another man behind the scenes. Our aim is to kidnap and kill Osing, but first interrogate him to learn the identity of the True King, the man behind the curtain, and kill him as well. The government will replace Osing on its own, but we will take the place of the True King. With Osing, the only man who knows the True Kings identity, out of the picture, nobody can prove our man is not the True King.”
“And who will ‘our man’ be?”
“Me, of course. I am the leader after all.”
“Go to hell.”

Chapter XII

    “Home sweet home!” sang Caedes as she danced along the edge of the cliff.
    “Remind me why we needed to go to the Bay Company Headquarters.” said Rynn.
    “We need an army to eliminate the underground organization, the Black Door, before we execute our plan.”
    “This plan isn’t exactly thought out by you. How do you expect to kidnap a king? And how do you know it really is just Osing who knows the True Kings identity?”
    “I don’t know, and this entire plan is quite the gambit, but somehow I know it will work.”
    “Like hell it will. How do you even expect to get an army from the Bay Company?”
    “Caedes over there is in charge of the entire company. It isn’t very difficult.” Rynn’s eyes widened in surprise.
    “This is beginning to seem a little bit more… possible. Having the entire Bay Company under your command is quite an asset.” Rynn admitted, “Say, wouldn’t the Bay Company have the root for my mother?”
    “No. It lasts only two weeks after being pulled from the earth, they would gain no profit from it.” Ven said, stepping between the two of them.
    “I see… tell me, where are you from again?”
    “A country to the north.”
    “But the name?”
    “Harestein.”
    “You don’t look Harian, you look like an average Ibunian.”
    “Yes, my mother is from around here.”
    “Cut the bullshit. If you can’t save my mother, I’m leaving.” Rynn turned around and stomped away.
    “Stop!” yelled Dras, drawing his blade.
    “We can save her!”
    “Let me guess, there is a magic herb in your motherland?”
    “No, no. There is no medicine this time, just the sword in my hand.”
    “How do you cure somebody with a sword?”
    “It contains a rare, originally thought to be fictional, aspect of magic. Infinite Excel, is what it is called. In this blade, it is used in combination with the Sharp aspect in order to cut everything, but Sharp can easily be replaced by the Life aspect, therefore giving infinite life to its bearer.”
    “You would give something that important in order to have me join you? I’m nothing more than fast, you know.”
    Dras hesitated. She was smart, and knew how little reason there appeared to be in him trying to keep her with them.
    “I’m afraid you don’t have much choice but to believe us. That way, your mother has at least a chance of survival,” Delene said, “and truly, I hope for her to live.”
    “Why should I believe that would work anyways? You could just as easily be lying to me again!” Tears were forming in the girl’s eyes, dripping down her rosy cheeks and drowning the once dry, dusty ground.
    “Rynn, come here…” Delene said, holding out her hand, “Dras would never give you a piece of that sword, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take it. If you help us, I will help you steal the sword. I’ll run away from them with you too, and help you save your mother with it.” she whispered.
    “Why?” sobbed Rynn, “Why would you help me? You’re lying!”
    “Because I feel sorry for you, and I too am afraid for the lives of my family. I never really wanted to join this, well, this rebellion. I was forced into it by fate, a fate that I truly despise.”
    Rynn’s sobbing began to quiet, and after only moments she reached out and embraced Delene.
    “I trust you.” she said, simply, and wiped her eyes dry.
    “We have an army to raise, Caedes.” yelled out Dras, “Let's get to work!” The group rushed down the rickety stairs mounted along the side of the cliff, Caedes in the lead. Sand was kicked into the air upon their arrival to the coast, Caedes sang a cheery song.
    “I’m home!” she called out as they entered the cool, dark cove. Guards turned to face her as she passed, allowing those her followed her past without question. Ven let out a long sigh of relief. He too was happy to be back.
    “Seamore, oh where are you Seamore?” called out Caedes, ducking her head into as she danced along the dock. Finding a door in the stone of the wall, she opened it and ducked in, “I need you Seamore!” An elderly man, the same that she had dropped her work from before onto, walked out with dark bags under his eyes.
    “Yes, Ms. Pulsus?” he asked, drowsily.
    “Another army, asap!” Seamores eyes widened at this.
    “We can not afford that, Caedes. You are over exhausting our resources. What happened to the men you brought before? Besides, what did you plan to do with them anyways?”
    “The ship sunk and they all died. As for my plans, I am in a collaboration with another group. Question me once more and lose your head.” The bloody image was more than convincing enough for the old man.
    “I will… I will gather the men, though we must focus on our assets after this project of yours.” he sighed.
    “Whatever.” Caedes said, irritated.
Dras stepped towards her to ask a question, although it was stated more akin to a demand; “I assume the Company has room for us to sleep, as well as warm food? I think we are all quite weary from the travelling.”
“Of course! Follow me, we have a dining hall. I will call for a feast to be prepared.” Caedes led the rest of the group up the stairs on the cliff. At the top sat the warehouse, which the second floor of turned out to be home to not only the massive dining hall, but also a plethora of living space.
In the bright light under  crystal chandelier, one would almost forget about the massive stacks of cargo hidden away in the damp, musty lower chamber entirely. Here, they feasted on turkey, goose, lamb, and pork. A thousand different cheeses lay spread across the table, accenting the flavours of the many breads, fruits and vegetables that occupied various platters across the dining table. The ravenous consumers generously piled delicacies on their dishes, gluttonous in their rapidly dissipating hunger.
“Rynn,” Dras started between wholesome mouthfuls, “I noticed the tattoo on your hand. What is that about?” Ven immediately turned, interested.
“I really don’t know. Mother told me it was a birthmark, but I always thought it looked odd, and always imagined it could be something else.”
“I see. Ven said he recognized it from some of his studies. That’s why we were so adamant with keeping you with us. I hope you don’t mind if he takes a closer look?” Dras continued. Rynn allowed it, and so she and Ven sat down at a small round table after the dinner. The girl lay her hand palm down on the table as Ven examined it, a tiny white flame hovering over it and illuminating it perfectly.
“There is something about you Dras.” Ven said, turning away from Rynn “It’s like you are a magnet to myths. First, the Behemoth and Leviathan, then the Obsidian Blade. Now we’ve found an X. Deonatus.”
“How do you know my full name?” Rynn asked, sitting up and wide eyed.
“Because your a living legend, little Rynn X. Deonatus. Ex Deonatus means ‘Of God’ in the Old Irien, a language often called the holy tongue.”
“Irien? That was the old word for Ibunian, correct?” Rynn asked, intrigued by her newfound identity.
“Yes. They followed a religion that died out over a century ago, and believed that their God would bear two children every hundred years, marking them with the name of X. Deonatus.”
“What does that mean for me?”
“It means that you are either a demigod, or the child of an Irien enthusiast. We can check by activating that rune on your hand.”
“What will it do when we activate it?” Rynn asked.
“If the myths are true, and with the luck that follows this kid I’m sure they are, it will make you better. Essentially, activate you godblood and allow you to be, well, more than human.” he explains.
“What if the myths are false?”
“Severe burns, loss of sense of touch, brain damage, and death are all likely symptoms.” Ven said, only to receive a jab in the side by a disapproving Dras. He was scaring Rynn away from trying to activate the rune, which was the only reason Dras was interested in having her with them.
“Does your brother have the same mark?” the young leader inquired.
“Kind of. His is a little bit different.”
“That is to be expected, no two X. Deonatus are meant to have the same abilities, and thus their descriptive markings will be different. For example, you are marked with a rune for the element of Speed.”
“I can run rather fast. Is that from the whole ‘X. Deonatus’ thing?” Rynn asked.
“No, that is just a coincidence. Your power will not kick in until the rune is activated, and you will just be a normal person until then.” Synn explained.
“How is it activated?” she asked.
“You have to send its matching element through the rune, meaning either you will have to release Speed through the back of your hand, or allow me to channel it into your hand. The release is much more difficult for you to achieve, seeing as there are no release points located in the back of the hand.”
“I think I get the gist of that. You said I could be injured by it?”
“Well, yes...” he admitted, subject to Dras’ harsh glare.
“I don’t want to try until after we cure my mother. I need to make sure I can actually get the cure for her.”
“Fair enough. However, I’m afraid we can’t cure her until we finish our job, and your power may help us complete the work much quicker. Time is your enemy, wait too long and your mother may die before you get a chance to cure her.”
“I’m not changing my mind.” Rynn spat, crossing her arms defiantly.
“You are dismissed. Go figure out where you’ll be sleeping.” Dras said, waving her off as he left the room with Ven. Rynn stubbornly marched off, unhappy with the outcome of that discussion.
“Ven, what more can you tell me about the X. Deonatus?” Dras asked.
“Well, I think to explain them properly, I have to first explain what your sword is.” Ven started, motioning towards Dras’ scabbard. “That sword appears to be an ‘Artifact’ spoken of in the same religion which teaches of the X. Deonatus, the old Irien religion of Yomism. I could go through the entirety of their mythology with you, but I doubt that’s what you’re interested in. Instead, I will get straight into the X. Deonatus family and the Artifacts themselves.” Dras nodded as Ven spoke, listening intently.
“There are supposed to be seven Artifacts, each holding a different element. The first is the Obsidian Blade which bears Infinite Excel, arguably the most flexible of elements, seeing as it will simply take on the ‘Infinite’ form of any element which it is paired with. Opposite to the blade is rumoured to be the Cobalt Mail, a blue chain vest enchanted with Infinite Reverse. This enchantment will take on an infinitely negative version of whatever element it is paired with. For example, pairing it with Sharp like your blade would make it too dull to cut through anything, even air or water, and would therefore become immovable unless in void.”
“Can it be made useful?”
“Of course. For instance, pairing it with Break would make it indestructible, except, perhaps, to the Obsidian Blade.”
    “Good. That would be ridiculously easy to abuse, correct?”
“Assuming we are lucky enough to find it. Anyways, four of the five remaining Artifacts are rumoured to hold the base elements, Earth, Fire, Water, and Air, but it is unknown what the effect of these Elements really is when put to the infinite modifiers is. The last one is spoken of as a very powerful crown, but its element is unknown.” Ven explained.
“I see. It’s certainly tempting, but unless you know where to find any of these, I would much rather put our efforts to taking out the Crown.” Dras said, waving his hand to dismiss Ven.
“Hold on now, who said I don’t know where?” the mage interrupted, a wide grin spread across his face.