《Duality of a Soul》 Prologue A beautiful young woman stood with her infant daughter on a cliff overlooking the vast expanse of the Twilight Forest. Known for its natural wonders, mythical tales, vast abundance of resources and artifacts of ancient designs, the massive forest is situated on the outskirts of the Zan Empire. In a blink of an eye, sixty years had passed and the now older woman traveled back to the same location once again accompanied this time by her granddaughter. They had spent a few days camping and awaiting for something at the same cliffside clearing deep within the forest, surrounded by mysterious rings of overarching crystallized formations that are out of place amidst the natural vines and colossal roots at the heart of the forest overgrowth. As if to signal that the correct time had finally come, the noises of every living things in the forest turned completely silent as slow but eerie high pitch sounds could be heard escaping from the largest, six meters tall singular cyan gem in the center of the altar. Sounds of a soothing melody and the rumblings of nonexistence mechanical gears had seemingly activated the surrounding crystal rings to life, igniting light orbs that rivaled the brightness of the sun.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. And just like that the vibrations and brightness faded away, revealing a naked boy of thirteen standing with his eyes slowly open as if waking up from a deep slumber. Looking at the young man, the older woman reminisced about seeing him for the first time when she was a little girl, here at the very same spot. Little did she know that the scrawny brat that annoyed her to no end from back then would eventually grow up to become the hero and love of her life. "Good morning." said the older woman, eyes full of affection and adoration as she greeted him. The success of their plan will depend on how much he could remember... ¡°...Can you tell me who I am?", the young boy whispered as if it was more of a plea to himself than anything else. With a look of understanding and carefully masked fleeting of sadness that threatened to overwhelm her senses, the older woman instructed her granddaughter to quickly guide them away. The magical anomalies that had escaped from the ceremony had no doubt alerted their location. Everything had been lost to her beloved including his identity, but she was content enough to be in his presence once again in her last remaining days on this world. Because nothing will stop her from fulfilling the promise that they made together during their wedding vows... Chapter 1 Shaky in posture and barely managing to hold myself standing up, I realize that everything is wrong waking up into this creepy looking forest clearing. One moment I was doing... something... important...probably... and the next blink of an eye has me standing here chilling in the nude. Why can¡¯t I recall anything at all? I remember standing in a bright light but that¡¯s all there is to it. Who in the world are these two people approaching in front of me and what the hell happened? Symptoms of memory loss can be related to many things but physically I feel fine albeit a little cold from the occasional shifting winds in the air. No pains in the head area or anywhere on my body so it¡¯s a possible side effect of something else? Maybe? A tired sigh escapes my lungs. Wait why am I naked? A quick glance at my body reveals a gawky frame, approximately one and a half meters in height, tan of color, little muscles and a protruding rib cage that screams of starvation and malnutrition. Not to mention my little dude is tucking itself neatly away to hide from the chilling winds. So far the initial impression is uninspiring to say the least. What¡¯s with all this weird looking smaller circular crystal things and the gigantic rock in the middle? Hmm I seem to recall something from looking at them but now is probably not a good time to deal with this without first knowing what¡¯s going on. ¡°Good morning.¡± A voice so melodically sweet and innately familiar I know instantly that the older woman out of the two strangers have to know something about me. Maybe even who I am! Hopefully she can tell me what I need to know before I hyperventilate myself into a panic mode. So far her greetings seem pretty casual with no titles or suffix so I need to play this safe, no point in making myself more vulnerable as it is. I can understand her words so there¡¯s hope that I¡¯m from around here at least and this memory loss is a short term thing. It¡¯s amazing how a spark of hope for normalcy can make me feel more calm and focus. Alrighty, one step at a time dude and chill out son. ¡°Can you tell me who I am?¡± What describes only as childishly squeaky, hoarse overbearing tone my vocal cords emit a voice that even I, its owner finds to be ridiculously whiny and annoying. My internal self-evaluation seems to be a little bit off as the older woman after hearing my question looked a little bit forlorn, seemingly disappointed in what I just said instead of outright annoyed as she should be. This happens in a split second however as she returns to a wide and inviting smile. Wearing an oversized robe that extends to cover just past the knees, the older woman and her young companion sport the same outfits and hair color with both of their hoods down, revealing luscious silver locks of hair braided into compact curls presenting an overly neat and structured appearance. That is where the similarities ended however. Light in skin color, with a slender nose and high cheekbones, I am instantly enamoured by the older woman¡¯s natural beauty and grace. On her right hand holds a cane or...staff of strange swirling energy concentrated at the protruded tip, revealing a similar crystallized gem that infused itself within the wooden structure of the scepter. Interestingly, her forearms are covered in what I would describe at a glance to be leathered gauntlets of some kind, possessing elemental properties as they occasionally ignited small bluish lightning currents that trace themselves up and down the leathered pieces. Pretty badass looking. On the other hand, her companion sports a darker sun-kissed tan skin, straight nose with all the implications of the beauty she would one day become. With two bright white eyes and silver eyebrows, she seems to be emitting a natural white aura amidst the early afternoon sun rays. In contrast to her older companion, the young girl is armed to the teeth to what seem like every bladed weaponry available in existence attached to her small body. From numerous small daggers to sharp, pointy triangle star-like throwing projectiles, this small girl with the same height as me screams of danger to the common sense and oddly enough, that is something that I¡¯m obviously not in short supply of mentally. Haha go me!Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Probably. Hopefully. Somehow my innate knowledge that exists beside my faded memories enable me to recognize that those shiny objects adorned all across her body are weapons and what their general usage comprised of. To make little holes and cuts out of fleshy things, at a safe distance or up close and personal though I doubt the latter, seeing her tiny body frame. Even her hair pins and earrings look like they are of the same shiny silverite colors so it¡¯s safe to say that her fashion sense are pretty straight one color coded. Self-imposed uniformity at its best. This aforementioned knowledge of weaponry comes to me as easily as breathing. A little disturbing to say the least since I look like a monster¡¯s chew toy...whatever that means right now. If I have to guess I would say that they are in their late forties and early teens respectively. Charmingly beautiful the both of them, they appear to give me time to adjust to my surroundings before approaching slowly and respectfully. How thoughtful and considerate. Like a stealthy predator sneaking up onto a unsuspecting prey thinking that all is fine and good before the eventual explosions of violence, gore and destruction¡­I should prepare to find a direction to bolt out of here just in case- *Ahem* with a slight gesture the older woman hands me a similar cloak that are worn between them and I can not snatch it fast enough to satisfy my respect at self decency. At least the little girl is embarrassed enough to pretend to be covering her eyes while peaking through the gaps and tracing my every movements through that one bright white iris of her... Okay that is one outright scary looking little predator. Best to put these clothes on quickly. ¡°I know you are thoroughly confused,¡± says the older woman. ¡°...scared, angry, and desperately trying to access the situation to the best of your abilities but please trust me when I say that I will tell you what you need know in due time.¡± ¡°There is no need to look so intense and it is best that from this moment on until we reach our final destination you do not wander too far or get away from our company, for that path is perilous and unwise.¡± Yikes. Escape is a no go then. What she says just now sound like a poetically indirect threat to me. Wait hold on I don¡¯t want these people thinking that I¡¯m angry or anything. Silly woman, why the hell would I want to...I have to say something that will mend this situation quick. After all, if they still wanted me dead... ¡°Hmph!¡± I involuntary snort and what follows somehow escape into a low growl. ¡°I¡¯ll Do wHat YoU saY wOMan...foR NOw.¡± Crap. That sentence is way better in my head. Now I sound confrontational and what the hell voice! Trying to overcompensate for its squeakiness from earlier has made it sound like a demonic low rumblings or something. Huh? Demons? Wait...Oh no. No. No. NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! My field of vision shatters. The world fades away. Everything turns into darkness. I am floating in the nothingness of the conscious mind. Endless stars and the ever present emptiness of the void. Then comes the violence. How long have I been fighting? Endless cones of fire engulfing those around me. Their screams of pain terrify me. I am powerless to help them. Corpses and their charred remains mar the battlefields that I walk in. Horrifyingly I recognize these ghastly faces. My brothers and sisters in arms. My friends. My students. My family. They are calling out to me. In their spectacular golden trimmed armors and adorned Elemental weapons. Lips moving in sync while vigorously chanting out my name. Where was I before? Where am I now? A celebration parade? Such happiness. I am so proud of them. I am their protector. I am their champion. My heart is at peace. They kept chanting my name over and over again...What is my name again? Arghhhh I am in pain! A searing pain. My skin is boiling. A pain of the flesh and of the soul. Please make it stop. Please end my sufferings. Please take me away from this agony. Please help me. Anyone... No. No... I know this would happen. I ask for this. It is far too late for me. This is my sin...and this is the price that I must pay... Chapter 2 The bloody images have stopped. I am finally alone with my thoughts again. I can see myself now. This body of mine. Floating in this...vacuum of nothingness. Wherever this place is. A boy barely in his teens. Looking peacefully asleep. With sharp features and a face too young and innocent others can take advantage of. Is this really who I am? No. Weak. Pathetic. Unworthy. Huh? Why did I think of myself that way? I really do need my memories back. I need to know who...I was before.The nightmares seem so real. Are those my lost memories? They better fucking not be! The person that I was in that nightmare think he deserved all those pains that were afflicted to him¡­ Absolutely fucking metal. ¡­ Haha yeah right what an idiot. Who in their right minds would subject themselves to those tortures? Self righteous fool. If those memories were of myself then rest in peace past me. This older brother is now in charge baby...or younger brother whatever. The regrets and betrayal I felt and experienced at the end of that person¡¯s life were circumstantial evidence enough for me to see. Definitely not worth whatever sacrifices that you had made huh? Perhaps it was a blessing that my memories are gone. No more bullshit obligations that would eventually get me to be fucking roasted like that. Hah! Although I need to know what happened so that the past won¡¯t repeat itself... ¡°...¡± Wait. What is that noise? ¡°...¡± ¡°...WAKE¡­.YOU¡­.DAMNED¡­.MAGGOT WHORES...USELESS PIECES¡­¡± A sharp crackling noise pulsates throughout my body as I am electrocuted awake. The smell of death and human wastes engulf my senses. Where the fuck am I? I can barely see anything in this badly lit cave... No. A cage. Hold on to that thought because a massive two meters silhouette humanoid monster stands before me. Even in the dimmed blackness I can make out the four large contours of its horns and the lashing armored features of its tail. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I know what it is. Something deep within me recognizes its savage muscled form right away. A Kroctar. Just a name to identify the monster. No relevant information that followed...Tsk. ¡­ In a flash, the monstrous reptile ignites his Lightning infused elemental rod and used it to zap away at my front chest. The pain is such that I catch myself screaming on top of my lungs until eventually they give out and I am left gasping for dead. What a wake up call. ¡°I SAID WAK¡¯. THE. FUCK. UP. YOU FILTHY SHITS!¡± barked the Kroctar while grabbing my wrist chain that was tied to another prisoner and lifting me up. ¡°WELL WELL WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE YAR ROOMMATE HERE HAD DECIDED TO FEED DA MAGGOTS BEFORE YOU!¡± growled the creature as it starts to poke the body beside me. I am centimeters away from its massive jaw and rickshaw like sharp teeths. ¡°DA LONE SURVIVOR OUT OF DA NEW BATCH OF ARRIVALS HUH? I CAN¡¯T WAIT TO SEE HOW LONG YOU¡¯LL LAST,¡± spits the Kroctar as it rotates my hanging body around like a butcher inspecting his favorite slab of chopped sirloins. A quick glance confirms the corpse that was chained next to me and another one that sprawls nearby. Probably few days old. My stomach threatens to churn up whatever leftover biles it contained. How long have I been held here? ¡°YOU WILL MAKE A FINE FLESH OFFERING TO DA MONSTERS OF BASTION ARENA TOMORROW MORNING¡± snarled the monster, ¡°FEED WELL SO YOU CAN PUT ON A GOOD SHOW LITTLE HUMAN!¡± And just like that the creature unlocks my wrist chains and tosses me head first onto the ground. It exits and locked the massive prison door to my cage while stomping away with the cadaver dragged behind into a large courtyard. Without thinking I lunge forward and devour whatever grainy rock soup that is placed in front of me. The amount is sufficient enough to both quench my thirst and hunger for now. They could¡¯ve been raw flesh covered in shit and I would still eat them. A disturbing revelation... ¡°Mind sharin¡¯ with me some of that food boy? There¡¯s more than enough to go around eh?¡± A gruff voice comes from across the cell and makes me spit all my food in surprise. Holy mother of all that is juicy! I guess one of the corpses is alive after all. Tense seconds tickle away and I can not help but stare at this fellow prisoner. ¡°Ha YoU LoOk likE yOu¡¯re Going tO diE aNy secondS noW old MaN So iT wOulD Be a WaSte oN You.¡± Uhhh whoops. I accidentally said my thoughts out loud in that raspy voice... Damn me and my stupid mouth and now look, the poor guy is glaring murderously at me. I should apologize quick before he will curse me in the afterlife. Dressed in tattered rags and bloodied from head to toe while sporting multiple deep gashes, it is not an understatement to say that this guy is on the last stretch to reaching his nirvana. With a bearded face and hairy crooked nose that only his mother can love, he looks to be more beast than man. ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHA..hahaha...haha...ha!¡± Going from murderous glaring undead to laughing maniac and back to graveyard hobo in a span of a few seconds, the soon to be lifeless corpse does a ninety degrees kick up from his sprawling position and somersaults toward me baring two long sharp fangs at frightening speed. Instinctively something archaic sparks within me and I know what I needed to do. Call it the survival mechanics of a surprised prey reacting to its predator. I close my eyes and pray for a quick and painless death. Chapter 3 ¡°MOTHERFUCKER WHAT THE BLOODY FLYING FUCK ARE YOU!??¡± I scream in bone-chilling terror as the definitely non-human creature is currently crouching and feeding on the leftover foods that it just snatched from my still trembling hands. Still reeling from the panic attacks, I am one step away from going ¡®kill or be killed¡¯ on this fool. Holy shit jingle balls! Sneaky fucker suddenly bum-rushes me out of the blue with his fangs out. I¡¯m so going to... ¡°Another quick lesson then my child,¡± a muffled voice is suddenly heard speaking. ¡°...Whenever you are struggling in combat and death is just a breath away...just condense your frustrations and scream them out...¡± The voice continues to echo in the back of my mind. ¡°...No tangible benefits except the act of yelling will let you to channel your fears into actions and might deter others¡¯ actions against you¡­just long enough for an aspiring future Blademaster like yourself to turn the tide of battle to his advantage...A sort of rally cry if you will. With your innate powers however...Here, let me demonstrate to you so you can understand¡­.¡± Hmm more partial echos of the past? A combat lesson? Blademaster? The instructor sounds like a complete quack. I need to focus on- Wait, what the hell happened?! Sprawling on the ground with his latest stolen grubs foaming out of this mouth, the terrifying food snatcher looks to have...fainted? Blood seems to be dripping buckets out of a nasty long gash just above his right eye...Has that always been there before? A little twitch and spasms here and there confirm that the fiend is still alive. Maybe I should just K.O. this fucker just to be safe... ¡°AAAARRRHHHHHGRRRRRRR!¡± Suddenly bursting forth with a renewed vigor, the mad creature starts to look around in a panic until its frenzied eyes finally set themselves upon me. Tense seconds go by as I ready my sweating body for a final showdown between life and death while tightly pinching my asshole in fear. ¡°A well executed Wind strike to the head without hesitation,¡± murmurs the leaking blood bag in front of me. ¡°Merciless and domineering for one so young...You have my respect and admiration fellow warrior, you¡¯ll definitely fit in well around here,¡± declares the annoying bastard with a double-fanged grin and a light bow. Wind strike? Feeling that I need to say something to rectify the misunderstandings, I stop myself. No point in denying any of the bullshit that this fool just spewed. Somehow I earn his respect and not his sharp fangs to the neck just now...Win-win. ¡°YOu mOve fAst.¡± I guess I still need to fine tune my vocal cords to be at right speaking volume. Oh well might as well get the niceties out of the way. ¡°NamE?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. With his bleeding face tilted on one side, arms scissor-crossed and posture straightened, he answers in a smug tone. ¡°Thanks for the praise eh! I am known as the ¡®Bloody Fangs¡¯ of Bastion Arena, but you can call me...Vinn when it¡¯s just the two of us¡± says the bastard while doing another flexing pose. ¡°And you?¡± ... I hesitate before the simple question. Forgotten. I sadly thought. My name. A name to be called by others. What will it be? ¡°SSSss...Sh...Shin..¡± I enunciate the name slowly, ¡°I Am KnowN as...Shin.¡± It just feels right. Simple. Renewed. ¡°...Shin,¡± whispers Vinn softly. Is it my imagination or was there a sudden flash of alarm on his grinning face just now? After a long pause Vinn finally responds with an even bigger smile, ¡°A truly fitting name.¡± --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°STOP AND FACE ME COWARD IN THE NAME OF ISHA!¡± I cried out in a numbing pain amidst a scorched battlefield. My voice carried all the power of anguish and despair humanly possible towards my target. Bloody scenes in the aftermath of absolute carnage and smoking ruins. Countless bodies littered around me, friends and foes alike embracing each other in the final throes of death.They had believed in me and I sacrificed them all. The ghosts of my fallen warriors are silently judging me. Icould see them waiting...watching over me in the final battle to come. Grabbing a half-ruined tower shield from underneath a singed corpse nearest to me, I advanced toward my nemesis sword and greatshield at the ready with heavy injured steps. My upper armor had been partially melted on top of my skin. Its reinforced runic steel-coating was searing at my charred flesh. The last desperate counterattack had destroyed my connection to Lexxina. My loyal elemental weapon sacrificed its remaining lifeforce to save me from instant death. This magic infused broadsword that I found will have to make do. Once again I gave a silent prayer to the all knowing Being. May Isha protect me. May He give me the strength needed to smite down this evil before me. May He grant me the mental fortitude of battle. Each excruciating moments had led me here, a chance to justify this madness. To stay sane. To stay balanced. Each day that passed I am drowning further into self depression. Into the alluring lullaby that promised the sweet release of pains and sufferings. An ethereal calling to join my fallen brethren in the pilgrimage to the hall of our forefathers. But not after I finish what we had set out to do when we kissed our families goodbye...Iwould see this through no matter what, Iwould save everyone even if I perished here today. For itwas my responsibility as one of the kingdom¡¯s champions. To kill the one responsible. To avenge those who had- ¡°Rayshin...¡± The hooded entity before me turned around and spoke. A voice that I had known throughout my life. A voice so near and dear to my heart I still seek the wisdom in its memories. Tears had begun to form underneath my remaining working eye. My subconsciouswas putting together the implication of this realization. My will to fight had been extinguished. My already broken heart fractured into pieces. ¡°...Why...How...No...YOU?!¡± I called out into the night. Unable to accept the truth before me. ¡°...¡± Chapter 4 ¡°Shin! Shin!¡± Roughly shaken awake by the creature known as Vinn, I yelp in pain as I notice his long fingernails are digging deep into the flesh of my right shoulder. ¡°ArrgGrrr Get yOur BLOODY FiNgerS oFf of Me!¡± I yell while jerking my small body back away from the fiend. That fucking hurts! Ughhh how long have I been out again? These uncontrollable fucking blackouts are going to be- ¡°How exciting!¡± hollers the annoying smelly jackass. I¡¯m starting to run out of names to describe this wild beast. ¡°My beautiful fingers the ¡®bloody fangs¡¯ have garnered such infamy that you¡¯d recognize them right away...Wait, did you see me fight in the arena before? What do people say about me?¡± asks Vinn with his finger ¡®fangs¡¯ flexing in anticipation. There is a dangerous glint in his crazy bloodshot eyes. Hold up...he got his imposing nickname from the long fingernails and not the actual blood dripping canine FANGS sticking out of his mouth?! ¡°WhAt happEned To me?¡± I ask. ¡°...I¡¯m not quite certain what happened but we were speaking to each other for a bit last night and the next thing I know you just blanked out and fell over, like a sack of my mama¡¯s noodles...¡± Vinn replied and I really hope he just described one of his mother¡¯s food produces. ¡°You would not respond no matter how much I tried to slap...ehh stirr you gently awake and you only showed signs of movements just a few minutes ago¡± continued Vinn. ¡°...You were crying and flailing in your sleep¡­¡± Images flashed before my eyes but I immediately shut them out. That shit will have to be processed at later time. I need to get as much information as I can in the present before I lose it. -------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°How many are still out there chasing me?¡± Clara thought out loud as she brushed aside her bloodied strands of silver hair while speeding past the last remaining treelines of the Twilight Forest. Tsk. A shallow cut just above her right ear resulted from a moment of carelessness in combat. She had no one to blame but herself for being distracted when long range specialists are present. Three days on the run with little to no food or sleep had severely weakened her stamina. Clara had almost depleted her arsenal of throwing weapons and very soon she might have to engage her hunters in close melee fightings. The thought sent a chill of excitement in her body. Clara couldn¡¯t wait to see the fear in their eyes as she reaped away their lives for underestimating her as easy prey. That being said, there were just too many of them for her to handle effectively without proper backups. What would her Master say if she was in this situation?The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Complicated strategies were always Clara¡¯s weakness. Master had scolded her for focusing too much on being a martial warrior and neglecting to expand her minds. ¡°There are other ways to defeat your enemies without using your own physical prowess,¡± her Master has lectured. ¡°You need to be more tactful in battle and not lose yourself to its bloodlust.¡± Clara made a note to seek further lessons and read all the dreadful books that are available when arriving back at the safety of her home. Tasked with accompanying her grandmama into the heart of the forest to escort an important guest home, this was supposed to be her first solo mission away from protective eyes. She had questioned about the lack of additional warriors but grandmama had said that this was supposed to be a family matter and secrecy is of the utmost importance. The wild beasts and monsters that prowl in the deep Twilight Forest were of no match for her and were easily dealt with. Grandmama even gave her martial pointers and demonstrated some of the more difficult personal techniques for Clara to meditate over. Their journey to find the ancient temple of the lost civilization deep within the enchanting forest had been filled with absolute joy. Grandmama was a delight companion to travel with as she showered Clara with many enthralling stories of battle and history, love and sacrifices, brave heroes and vanquished villains. She loved listening to tales about the generations of past and current Paladins. Supreme warriors and protectors of Zan who have cemented their immortality status and influence worldwide through immeasurable personal achievements.There are currently six of these legendary Paladins in existence and each is uniquely named after their famed combat masteries. Clara was aiming toward that very same pinnacle of power herself. Apprenticed under one of the current Paladin members the Dragon Slayer Aviel, Clara considers herself untalented and constantly strives to make her master proud. The reminder of her inadequacies ignited a shimmering anger in her chest. The mission that was entrusted to her has turned out to be a total disaster. Grandmama and Clara had decided to split up to throw their trackers off-trail and rendezvous back at their last checkpoint. The person that Clara was supposed to escort safely home aside from Grandmama has turned out to be a boy her age. Mysteriously appearing in a massive echoing ball of light she was baffled at the unexplained phenomenon, no doubt connected to the ancient powers of the nearby crystallized devices. The curious ¡®guest¡¯ was a strange person all together. Malnourished in body and appearing naked from head to toe, the only redeeming quality of the stranger is his somewhat strikingly handsome face. Upon realizing that he had awoken into an unknown place, the skittish boy emitted a terrifying aura rivaled those belonging to expert level warriors. The changes in his voice signified the frightening transformation going from a gentle farmboy into intimidating warrior. It took Clara all of her willpower to withstand the pressure and not collapsing in fear amidst the face of its overwhelming restraints. Then the forest exploded with violence. Hundreds of unknown human assassins ambushed their location. Clara desperately tried to recover her bearings upon the initial confusion of battle to no avail. Grandmama whistled the signal for retreat and Clara failed to locate her charge. He had unknowingly disappeared in the thick of the fightings. She cursed at her lack of awareness and were on the run since then. Ruffled movements just a few meters ahead stopped Clara in her track. The assassins closed in on her from all sides. Removing two short daggers from her belt with both her hands, Clara grinned in satisfaction. It looks like she was going to have her taste of more melee actions after all¡­ Chapter 5 ¡°What¡¯s happening Vinn? I was...brought here, banged my head somewhere and woke up awhile ago...memories a little hazy.¡± I phrase the question carefully while noticing that it is already breaking dawn outside. Shit, did that Kroctar beast mention something about putting on a show this morning? ¡°What happened to your voice?¡± asks Vinn curiously. Oh right the damnable squeaky voice. ¡°Lost my voice...I think, why?¡± ¡°Oh nothing...It¡¯s that now it feels like you really are just a brat y¡¯know? I mean before it was sultry deep and intimidating I thought you were at least-¡± ¡°Yeah I get it ok? Too much screamings will sometime make me sound like this.¡± I¡¯m starting to feel angry talking to this fool. For some reason while dabbing the still bleeding gash above his right eye with a dirty rag, Vinn looks visibly uncomfortable when I mentioned my screamings...¡°Short-term memory loss you said? You want the long or short version of ¡®what¡¯s happening¡¯ to you?¡± he asks. ¡°Make. It. Short.¡± I make sure to enunciate each word out of that sentence. The bloody hobo blabbered on for hours about random irrelevant shit when I tried to ask him a few simple questions out of curiosity. Going on about the changes in the weather, favorite guiding stars, chewing habits, nude modelings, teeth sharpenings and whatnot, it was maddening to say the least. Need to cut the useless chatters out of the way until I can feel safer. ¡°Glorious legends are forged upon the sands of Bastion, in the magnificent empire city of Amset Ra...¡± begins the explanation. ¡°A survival bloodbath between humans, beasts and monsters. Damn this bleeding....Blah blah blah. A battle arena of enormous proportions that can house up to a million spectators, with large viewing crystals for those not within its walls. Where individuals can rise above their stations and pronounced themselves as Gladiators through bloodshed and personal strengths. The Masters are always watching, evaluating potential fighters as recruits. Hey y¡¯know my mama used to...blah blah blah. Anticipated individual fights are usually to the death, with voluntary surrenders accepted if both parties are in agreement which rarely happens. Hundreds die each day with new batches of contenders and monsters arrive daily to recuperate the losses. So I kid you not...blah blah blah. Survive long enough, win as much fame as you can and glory is granted to its champions!¡± ended Vinn enthusiastically. I nod my head. Taking it all in. Hunger for more relevant information. ¡°I don¡¯t understand something¡­¡± I interrupt, ¡°What¡¯s the arena have to do with...prisoners like us? I still don¡¯t know why i¡¯m being kept here to be honest.¡± ¡°Prisoners?¡± Vinn laughs in his annoying voice, ¡°HAHAHA I guess that is one way to describe our current blood trials eh? Why I would never have imagined you to be so dignified with your words young Shin. Yes...yes yes in the end we are all ¡®prisoners¡¯ of our own ambitions and vices but that¡¯s what it takes for true warriors to be born eh? Do not worry if you are uncertain about training here, the arena has served the empire well throughout the years as a battle ground to draw out fighting potential for its gladiators.¡± Huh? What in the devil¡¯s name is this lunatic talking about?! ¡°...Are we not being held in this cage against our will?¡± I question his words. ¡°I told you my memories are a little fuzzy right now.¡± ¡°Huh? Why no. I don¡¯t know about you but I¡¯m a volunteer. This is the fastest route for me to get fame and coins hehe. You either die fast enough or see yourself become recognized in this place...Where are you from that you don¡¯t know anything? Your concussion must be worst than I thought if you are asking these common sense questions¡­¡± stated Vinn. ¡°Wait, are you a slave?! Make a lot of sense now that I think about it...¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. A fucking what? Definitely not the other option like the bloodthirsty fiend as I don¡¯t remember ever volunteering my ass on the skewer to be barbequed here. ¡°I came...from a village...hidden away...in the deep woods¡± I lied. There was a recent memory of me waking up in a forest so let¡¯s hope it is convincing enough. ¡°The deep woods?¡± Vinn questioned with a disbelieving look. ¡°Where are yo-¡± Somewhere I can hear a clunking sound of bell ringings. Heavy footsteps accompanied by increasingly loud growling noises are approaching from the outer courtyard. ¡°RISE AN¡¯ SHINE WARRIORS OF BASTION! DA GAMES ARE ABOUT TO BEGIN.¡± ------------------------------------------------------------------------- After days of gathering sufficient energy force, Rashida had finally managed to slowly crack open her outer layer golden sapphired sarcophagus. With the last bit of her physical strength, she grabbed onto the lid of the coffin and lifted it open into perpetual darkness. Invoking a silent magical incantation of Light, Rashida willed the nearby dusty braziers roaring to life to illuminate her surroundings. Realization struck as Rashida indebtedly recalled the memories of this holy chamber, now half covered in desert sands and left to devastating ruins. The current chamber was one of the many interlocking burial rooms as part of the massive networks of an underground necropolis. Built and magically warded by the great ¡®Dark Lord¡¯ to entomb his fallen warriors and constructs, the necropolis doubled as a military and housing fortress for an occupying army. Although its primary purpose since creation had been to house the bodies and souls of the fallen so that they might rise to serve the Dark Master once again in undeath when called upon. And called upon her service the Dark Lord did. Suchwas the ancient blood oath of loyalty and obedience, acquiescently given by one¡¯s own soul. With an ethereal desire to seek out and answer the commands of her summoner, Rashida hurled herself over the opening of the sarcophagus and onto the marble stoned floor underneath. Her newly awakened body was still severely weakened and it would take a few more hours for Rashida to absorb the necessary magical energy to be fully mobile. Coming upon her image illuminating back on the glossy smooth surface of the golden sarcophagus, Rashida nonchalantly stared at the grotesque mummified face of her reflection, partially wrapped in thick layers of burial linen cloths that are becoming loosely undone. Detecting a faint magical trace of her Dark Master¡¯s power she turned to inspect a familiar likeness of her facial features previously worn in life, sculptured upon a silver linings jeweled mask at the center of the sarcophagus¡¯ cover. Rashida placed her skeletal fingers on the facial mask and instantly an audible *click*was heard releasing the item onto her outstretched hand. Indescribable joy filled Rashida¡¯s whole being as she realized this mask was personally touched upon by her loving Master. Perhaps it was merely a ceremonial gesture to conclude the entombment of her body but the thought of her Lord preserving her looks beyond the mortal life sent a sense of satisfaction and fire burning deep within her. Positioning her body in a lotus sitting posture, Rashida tried to gauge at the distance of her liege with a light sensing spell to no avail. More magical powers will be needed in order to pinpoint the directions of her Master. The long abandoned and ruined state of Rashida¡¯s burial chamber within the sanctum of the necropolis has made her anxious about being awoken from her deep slumber. What could¡¯ve happened to their impenetrable marbled fortress to make it so? Exactly how long has she been gone from the living world? While pondering numerous questions as a way to sharpen the minds during her self recovery stasis, Rashida noticed rumbling movements from above a large opening that was collapsed into her chamber. Something was coming fast her way inside the shifting sand walls opposite of where she was sitting. Violently emerging from the depths of the underground just moments later, three long fangs belonging to a ten meters wide mouth of a Sandworm snapped open. The massive monster had forced itself half way out of the sand walls and issued a deafening roar of challenge toward Rashida. A nice welcoming party back to the lands of the living indeed. Chapter 6 ¡°Who sent you after us?!¡± ¡°Hahaha you think this is enough to make me speak little girl? You have to try harder tha-¡± ¡°Which assassin guild are you from?¡± ¡°I will never betra-¡± ¡°If you talk I¡¯ll let you live, I promise.¡± ¡°I would rather di-¡± ¡°Please? Just tell me already!¡± ¡°NEVER! WE WILL NEVE-¡± ¡°Okay fine!¡± Plunging the rest of the dagger¡¯s length deep into the hollow of her defeated foe¡¯s throat, Clara wiped away with her other free hand the dried bits of gore that have covered her face for the past couple of hours. Stupid crony assassins and their dumb prides, always going on about their different organizations¡¯ creeds and whatnot. Someone needed to take over all the assassin guilds and make them into one organization so impatient people like her could move right into the killings and less talkings. This marked the third uncooperative combat survivor out of thirty total that had tried to ambush Clara earlier. Ah well she wasn¡¯t much of a persuasive interrogator anyways, grandmama will have probably figured something out already. She just needed to rendezvous back at their designated area and follow grandmama¡¯s lead. Clara thought as she yanked away her bloody dagger and kicked the lifeless corpse sideways. Spotting her next target, Clara moved to intercept the last dying assassin that is crawling away with an open slashed belly, firmly trying to hold his slimy guts in with one broken arm while using the other half-severed hand to move. Tsk, thank goodness nobody else was here to see her sloppy kills, trading too many small cuts and internal bruises against low level grunts. This was a small low level clean up platoon, likely left behind by the main attacking force to tie up any loose ends and scout for reinforcements. How humiliating. ¡°Master is so going to scold me for getting hurt again, maybe I should just lie and said that the enemies are around High Disciple level or better.¡± Clara grumbled out loud. She herselfwas one class above Disciple levels, sitting at the Low Master class and more than sufficient enough to deal with any low to high tier Disciple threats. The difference in power between Disciples and Low Masterswere substantially significant. With well executed coordinations, it would take hundreds of Low Disciples or dozens of High Disciples to tackle a Low Master fighter. At five years old, it took Clara five years of backbreaking torturous trainings going from a mere training Initiate to High Disciple and another three years to reach her current level of combat power. Clarawas frustrated at her inability to barely even glimpse at the powers wielded by true Master class combatants at her current level, puzzling at the terms ¡°combat maturity and life knowledge¡± when asked her Master for an explanation. Forget about aiming to be a full Master class fighter at sixteen years old like her esteemed teacher had achieved in her youth, she couldn¡¯t even end these fights properly let alone surpassing anyone noteworthy. Unacceptable performance for the apprentice of the Dragon Slayer Paladin Aviel. ¡°Train as you fight and fight as you train.¡± Clara could just picture Master¡¯s favorite line as her teacherstood with closed hands behind her back, head held high watching Clara endlessly duel with a handicap of some sort against multiple training opponents or monsters while fighting off both hunger and harsh battlefield conditions.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Stopping just a few paces short of the dying assassin, Clara instantly leapt backwards while tucking in her head for a tight dodge. Four finger-sized Lightning infused needles were just millimeters from puncturing where Clara¡¯s head was located moments ago. Upon impacting the ground the needles released foul looking dark liquids that disintegrate nearby plants at a small circle, electrifying the area with its Lightning elemental property. Poison. How despicably unhonorable but expected. Clara smiled. She now had the information she needed in finding out the origins of her defeated foes. All that was needed is for better heads than her to figure out the party responsible for their current death contract, then Clara can have sweet retribution to smooth out her grievances. ¡°Petty revenge is not the honorable warrior¡¯s way, you must hold yourself to a higher standard than that my pupil, now go on and show me how fast you can take out those monsters that attacked us without using one of your hands this time...¡± Oh no. Thank you Master for reminding this foolish student in her time of hardships once again to be principled and forthright like you. Dream big and fly high. I guess I will have to aim higher and get back at the assassin guild along with whoever it is responsible that hired them to kill me. While in mid dodge against the poisoned needles, Clara counterattacked and impaled her latest assailant straight through the right eye socket with her remaining dagger on hand. The force of the throw pushed the dagger etching into the ground with the assassin¡¯s head lodging in between. This should be the last enemy in this area, perhaps she could finally take a breather and find some foods to replenish her energy for the follow up trek above the treelines. A magical circle erupted to life and encircled Clara¡¯s whole body. Chunks of dark obsidian rockswere enveloping starting from her feet and ending at the top of her neck. Clara¡¯s body screamed in pain as she struggled to free herself from the external crushing force. Curses. The enemy¡¯s platoon had an Earth elemental mage somewhere in hiding and judging by the binding power and creation speed, her foe was a Low Master caster at least. The same combat prowess as Clara. ¡°Come to life my summon!¡± Clara¡¯s eyes widened in alarm as a three meters tall humanoid Earth elemental exploded from the ground in front of her with a deafening roar. With three glowing red eyes implanted on its oval shaped head, two cylindrical limbs and four massive maced like arms, the creature¡¯s entire rockhard bodywas held together by continuously drawing on the magical energy power of its summoner who is still out of sight. ¡°Kill her!¡± Upon hearing the command to attack, the Earth elemental smashed two out of its four arms downward to build up the initial momentum for a forward charge and advanced at a steady run toward Clara who was still trapped inside the magic enclosure. Every approaching steps resonated small quakes in their wake. At five paces away from its target, the creature raised all four of its arms upward readying for a destructive slam aimed at Clara¡¯s exposed head. Formed at the speed of thought. Clara¡¯s innate elemental Lightning powers surged into life and formed a protective seven meters tall and four meters wide barrier in front of the charging Earth behemoth. The sizzling vibrations of Earth and Lightning resonated outward onto the surrounding areas as the two forms of magically enhanced nature elements clashed against one another in spectacular brutality. Seconds slowly passed as the smoke cleared away from the impact zone. Cracking open one eye while struggling to lift up her bleeding head, Clara coughed up a mouthful of blood onto her blood-stained chest at a distance away. Her legs, arms and rib cage had been severely damaged by the initial Earth magical trap and if it wasn¡¯t for the Lightning backlash stemming from the explosive clash just now Clara could¡¯ve lost her life by constriction alone. ¡°Lightning is strong against Earth but weak against Wind.¡± Clara had utilized her defensive Lightning technique to counter against the enemy¡¯s Earth attack and it proved to be extremely effective, simultaneously destroying both the creature and trap in the process. And that would be the limits of her power. Clara looked on as ten Earth elementals are coming into form around her battered body. Once again because of her ineptitude in talents, Clara had been defeated with no ways out this time. To die well in battle is the greatest honor a warrior can achieve in life. Clara was saddened by the fact that she had let her Master down, unable to pay back for the teachings and love that were bestowed upon her. At least her final opponent had been a worthy foe, Clara realized the futility of her actions against a Master class caster. She couldn¡¯t even dream of touching someone like this at her full strength. Choking at her own blood, Clara took a final breath and closed her eye before slipping away into oblivion. Chapter 7 Please let this be a nightmare. Please let this be a nightmare. Please let thi- ¡°Hey hey hey we got ourselves here an ¡®unblooded¡¯ boys, just look at how shakin¡¯ happy this little grunt is so early in the mornin¡¯. Smilin¡¯ and readyin¡¯ for battle. *GRRRRRRR* You excited for some killin¡¯ and gloryin¡¯ brat?¡± Goddamned bloodthirsty monsters. Literally fucking oversized, densely muscled, one-eyed, two-eyed, half-eyed, no-eyed wait holy shit I can only see empty scooped out sockets on that one...jaw snappings, tongue lickings, foul smellings, beautiful savage armours, big ass halberd bladed weapons, whoa look at the size of his lashing tail! Well bend me over and...terrify looking, claw flexings, saliva spittings Kroctars. This has got to be the worst living fucking nightmare in the history of nightmares. A lone powerless human baby and his shiny ass delivered on a platter about to be eviscerated by a pack of hungry apex predators. ¡°I cAn¡¯T WaiT tO Wake Up fRoM ThiS Nightm-¡± ¡°HAHAHAHA y¡¯all heard that boys? Da little human couldn¡¯t rest well sleepin¡¯ so now he¡¯s wakin¡¯ up blood seekin¡¯ to fullfillin¡¯ his warrior callin¡¯.¡± The largest one out of the bunch calls out. Thumping in place with a pee-pee like dance a heavily armoured Kroctar answers, ¡°Ya boss I heard it but I think he just stretchin¡¯ so he could be fightin¡¯ for the waitin-¡± ¡°This human smells of bloodlust mixed with fear,¡± the eyeless Kroctar chimes in. ¡°Shut ya trap and keep on smellin¡¯ my farts you blind cripple! How dare ya interrupt my speakin¡¯ to da boss?!¡± ¡°I might be blind but I can see things far better than you vermin.¡± ¡°Call me that again to mah face and I¡¯ll gut ya hide!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even gut a dead corpse properly, my belly is too thick for you to poke through with the stick you call a weap-¡± ¡°HAHAHAHA you boys are always crackin¡¯ me up in the mornin¡¯.¡± At least these creatures seem civilized enough not to chomp at a tiny and frail little human on sight. I wish I can make myself smaller so these jawed heads wouldn¡¯t notice me at all. ¡°Heh I like your attitude kid.¡± The ¡®boss¡¯ Kroctar looks like he could be the biggest bipedal reptile I¡¯ve seen yet. Dwarfing over me in both size and mass, the gleeful bastard¡¯s pointy jagged tail almost skewer straight through my face earlier with a random sneeze. It was a good thing that he missed though and impaled the wooden wall behind my head instead. With a massive meaty left arm resting on my shoulder and the other twirling with a battleaxe, his massive jaw opens in what looks to be a feral grin. My legs are ready to buckle sideways against the vertical added weight of his sturdy arm. ¡°Survive.¡± Well no shit that¡¯s basic survival instincts but thanks for the tips. I¡¯ll be sure to keep that in mind to whatever comes next. The giant brute growls the single word while licking his rickshaw pointed teeths. Letting go of my shoulder, the Kroctar hollers at his goons to break up the nearby ensuing brawl. ¡°Warriors form a circle around me! We goin¡¯ to do some quick plannin¡¯ for today¡¯s games.¡± The ¡®boss¡¯ yells as he waits for the dozen or so of his rowdy subordinates to gather. Wait do they even care about me listening in on their strategic meeting? This is making me feel more out of place than I already am. ¡°Before I begi- Hey! Knock it off you two before I start cloberin¡¯ your heads!¡± roars the ¡®boss¡¯ at the bickering duo from earlier. ¡°Alright before I begin our plannin¡¯ this human standin¡¯ right here is our newest recruit. Try not to let him die too quickly I need som¡¯ more diversity in our team. Count your lucky stars for being paired with us kid, do as I say and you¡¯ll probably live till tomorrow. Drag us down and I¡¯ll swallow you whole, bones and all. Got it?¡± How encouraging. If only I coul- ¡°This new recruit is at your command boss kroc sir!¡± ¡°HAHAHA no need to sound so excited uhh¡­¡± ¡°Shin boss! My name is Shin.¡± ¡°Welcome to the team little Shin.¡± After the said boss voiced his initial greeting, a chorus of grunts and growlings can be heard cycling through from the dozen creatures around:If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Fight strong little childling.¡± ¡°Hey ya da human Shin.¡± ¡°How¡¯s it chewin¡¯?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be useless human.¡± ¡°Hope you can last longer than the last human, human Shin.¡± ¡°Shin Shin welcome welcome, I am no longer the smallest among you reptiles hah!¡± Hell yeah baby! Time to stick it with the big boys for now. I¡¯m ditching these thugs at the first opportunity I see though. Things seem pretty fucked up around here without me being on my own on top of that. I can probably learn a thing or two being part of this group temporary. Yay for simple pack mentality! ¡°HeLLo TeaM.¡± ¡°Alright y¡¯all can introduce yaself later,¡± says the boss. ¡°Today¡¯s gunna be a ¡®survival¡¯ bloodfest. Ten individual teams against incomin¡¯ set monster waves. Numbers could be one hundred, could be one thousand trying to kill us depend on their power and sizes but who cares! We¡¯ll smash all the enemies standing in our way just the same.¡± Wait, what¡¯s up with those insane odds?! Our team has only like a dozen dudes, at least I think all of these guys are dudes since I have no idea about their race¡¯s biology. Whatever. A private question to ask at a later time I guess. These hotheads seem pretty confident in winning, I mean I would too if I have an intimidating body like them. ¡°We form a tight defensive perimeter with me at da center and maneuver as necessary. Shin you just follow what everyone else is doing and do as ya¡¯ told, got it recruit?¡± says the boss. ¡°Aye aye sir!¡± Damn bloodthirsty thing acts like I have any say in the matter. It¡¯d be best to just lay low for now. Based on what Vinn had said before they zapped us out of our cell, this world worships personal strength and thrives in violence. How else would they have a battle arena for fighters to cultivate combat talents? Fucking bizarre and plain right barbaric. Okay so maybe I was the only one that got zapped away since Vinn just stood up and strolled out as soon as the cell¡¯s door was unlocked. Discriminating the newcomers much? Race is probably not the issue so maybe it¡¯s the difference in our status? Vinn mentions there are slaves and volunteers fighting here and based on my shitty luck so far slavery seems like another slap to my hapless, swollen ass. I still don¡¯t have a good grasp of what¡¯s going on but I refuse to roll over and die like a pile of waste being a said slave or not. ¡°Adapt. Improvise and overcome to survive.¡± Damn it¡¯s that muffled voice ringing in my head again. The advice seems plausible in my current situation so maybe I should heed its warnings nonetheless. I¡¯ll take whatever freebies I can get since beggars can¡¯t be choosers. ¡°TIME TO GO TO WORK GLADIATORS AND MAY YOU BE BAPTIZED IN BLOOD AND GLORY!¡± The Kroctar that zapped me awake on my first night here and backhanded me in the face this morning screams as he activates some sort of amber lever switch thingie. Yeah I¡¯ll remember you motherfucker, just you wait. With an audible *click* the current platform that I am standing on begins to rumble and slowly elevates skyward. Gradual sounds of shoutings and applaudings can be heard as each second that passes increase its volume up to thunderous levels. Tucking in a small wooden round shield closer to the chest with my left arm, my body begins to tremble in discomfort. I am having difficulties breathing and there is a numbness feeling in my hands and fingers. Facing the unknown terrifies and excites me at the same time. How conflicting since my senses are telling me to hide but my instinct demands action. There is a dreary sense of deja vu about it all, perhaps a resonating echo of my warrior¡¯s past? I am a fool to not realize what my own body is telling me. An enduring mad craving to destroy and enjoy the sufferings of those who dare stand against me. The thoughts of combat coil themselves around me like a familiar sweet lullaby that I can¡¯t ignore. Call it what you want but this is the correct mindset that I need to adapt in order to crawl my ways out of here. How thought provokingly refreshing to accept the violence that is part of me. As the platform makes its complete stop after an incalculable amount of time I look around in complete silence, mouth hanging agape by the awe-inspiring views of my surroundings. My mind numbs out the deafening roars of the hundreds of thousands of spectators present around us. Humans and beastkinds alike dressed in colorful tunics and leathery robes shrieking in excitements at our dramatic entrance from underneath. There is a light chill in the morning sun as gusts of wind carrying the revolting stench of death permeates the breathing air and covering dried bloody grounds in heaping sand dunes. Scattered pieces of body parts not a few days old in decomposition and broken armaments litter around our standing platform. This is a fucking public killing field and I am to be one of its victims. ¡°ThaT PErsoN is-¡± ¡°Ah a pre-combat ritual to our warrior patron saint? Hey y¡¯all don¡¯t let the new recruit outplay ya lot! Pay your respect properly!¡± barks the boss. At a moment of alarming epiphany I go down to both my knees. My sword arm is pointing at a colossal lifelike statue looming overhead the sandy arena. A human warrior titan sculpted in gleaming ivory so detailed and authentic I had first thought it to be alive. With a blade drawn with one hand in mocking challenge and the other freehand holding a helmet at the waistline, the imposing figure is silently screaming at unseen foes by the end of his sword. I have seen that face once before in my recurring dreams, howling in desperate agony as his skin is boiled and seared alive underneath the very same armors that are embellished on the current figure. A sense of nausea engulfs my senses as my stomach threatens to churn up all of this morning¡¯s contents in recalling the gory images. ¡°Who is that?¡± I look sideways at the boss and ask, finger still pointing at the warrior titan. The other Kroctars are all kneeling down in one knee toward the direction of the ivory statue in what looked to be silent prayers. ¡°Hahaha are ya daft boy? Everyone knows that is the legendary Blademaster Paladin Rayshin, killer of demons and savior of our world!¡± Chapter 8 The Sandworm coiled its body and launched forward at Rashida in a full open bite, readying to devour her whole. Extended out both her hands with a voiceless magical incantation, Rashida began channeling a five meters long Earth elemental lance for a hasty counter aiming straight at the creature¡¯s exposed throat. It was all but a fraction of a second too late however as the monster upon sensing the deadly magical anomalies, curled its body into a twisting protective ball and smashed through Rashida¡¯s lackluster Earth spell that was still coming into shape. Dodging head first and continuing to roll out of the creature¡¯s initial frontal attack, she was violently knocked sideways by the worm¡¯s spinning overlapped scales. Its body gleaming despite the limited light reflected off the nearby chamber¡¯s braziers. With her left elbow bent backwards in the opposite direction and arm dangling uselessly, Rashida¡¯s right hand had managed to shield her body from further damage as she was smashed against a cylindrical stoned column. As an undead Rashida felt no physical pains associated with her damaged body and shrugged it off with a slight bit of annoyance. Without sufficient magical powers, mobility was an issue since her current body continuously drains on spiritual energies in order to be autonomous. Lifting up her undead carcass with a heavy grunt, she prepared to activate another projectile spell but changed her mind at the last second, deciding to save up a little bit more of her magical reserves for another chant instead. A persistent dilemma given the hostile sandworm rampaging nearby. Shrieking as its body began to uncoil after missing the prey that got away, the sandworm turned its massive head toward Rashida¡¯s new location and prepared for another charge. In life she had been a powerful mage. Gifted elemental casters that utilize a different approach to traditional combat techniques. A scarcity in a society of predominant martial warriors who focused solely on physical skills and weapons finesse. It would take normal warriors just one third of the time to reach the same combat powers as mages who diligently practice their elemental powers. The slow results and intense dedications needed to become a decent mage have deterred most but those scholarly in nature who thirst to delve deeper into discovering more arcane knowledge. In a world plagued by perpetual violence and bloodshed, personal strength was all a person has to bargain with in order to protect themselves and their loved ones. As the sandworm began to coil its body to strike out once again, Rashida silently cursed under her breath. She needed to use a bit of the newly gathered magical power to stall for more time. Touching the ground with her working arm, she casted an elemental spell of hardened Earth to restrict the creature¡¯s movements. Upon successful activation, the shifting sands surrounding and within the overlapping layers of the worm¡¯s carapace began to fossilized and stopped the monster in its track. Collapsing just fifteen paces away from her location, the sandworm began thrashing vigorously to free its body from the Earth entrapment spell. Within every sentient soul lied dormant one or more of the five basic nature elements: Fire, Wind, Earth, Water and Lightning. With an additional Light or Shadow manifested in those who have transcended a certain skill cap within their respected nature talents. In other words, those who were classified as powerful Master class spellcasters. Rashida was one of those famed Master mages. The decision to entomb her body after death was a given since only those gifted with large magical energies resulted from decades of arcane manipulations could hope to control and sustain their deceased bodies in undeath. A Shadow technique that was pioneered by the ¡®Dark Lord¡¯ himself after two centuries dedicated solely with experimentations and research in the arts of necromancy, the control of the dead and transcendent magical immortality. The undeads who had once lived as Master mages are able to utilize the same magical properties in life as opposed to revived martial warriors who are cut off from ever calling forth their nature elements. As one of his most loyal followers she was blessed to witness first hand the raw powers and magical innovations of her beloved Master. A never before seen genius mage who was destined to upheave the arcane laws of the universe. Having stopped thrashing its body around, the sandworm laid motionlessly still for mere seconds before opening its mouth for a blood-curdling screech. Rashida¡¯s two glowing orbs of eyes dimmed as she concentrated for a magical spell of great magnitude. Emptying the last of her power reserves, she screamed out a long incantation of immense potency. The words spoken are ancient, bringing forth an echoing winds of magic that vibrated outwards from the center of the burial chamber. She gave a silent prayer with all of her being that the defense mechanisms are still securely hidden away and that her spell had worked. As one of the chief engineers of the necropolis, she played a pivotal role in designing most of the intricate layouts of each burial tombs before overseeing their eventual completions. Her blueprints and ideas were praised by the Dark Master himself after he mentioned to her the outlines that he had envisioned. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not giving you too hard of a task? We must create a plan for unfavorable future contingencies as I have addressed yesterday to the group. Rashida...I trust in your abilities to come up with the solutions as needed. Bring the designs to me for the final approval, use the whatever resources available to you,¡± declared the Dark Lord. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°As you command my liege! It will be *sob* my greatest honor to be of service to you. I am so happy that *sob* you have trusted me over the others with this task! I am...I am-¡± *Ahem* ¡°Alright then...no need to be so dramatic over something like this. I expect great results from you. Just make sure that they are within specifications.¡± Her revered Dark Master had then allowed Rashida free reign to accomplish the assigned mission. After spending many sleepless nights planning and weeks supervising the completed works. Rashida proudly declared during one of her annual reports, ¡°My Lord I have completed the assignment that you had graciously bestowed upon me. Everything is in place for your final inspections and reviews. This is what I have written down for the archives. Thank you once again for giving me this opportunity. Please let me know if they are not to your likings!¡± ¡°Really? My my excellent work Rashida, your reputations as chief engineer are all well deserved. I am very pleased by the dedications that you have shown to our cause. With this task completed you have further fortified our great home against the ¡®enemies¡¯. This is a cause worthy of celebration yes?¡± The memories gave her a renewed sense of purpose and determination. Her Master¡¯s praises were what she had craved most in life and more so in undeath as he summoned her soul back from the abyss. A distant rumbling noise could be heard in the direction of the collapsed entrance, igniting a sense of alarm in Rashida. As the incoming noise became increasingly louder with each passing seconds she realized with a sense of urgency that her current predicaments have become more worrisome. Bursting forth from the underground depths in the same ferocious manner as her previous aggressor, a second identical sandworm appeared. As if knowing the current situation beforehands, the newly arrived monster completely ignored Rashida and instead headed straight towards the still immobilized worm. Understanding occured on her as she realized what it is trying to do. The second worm has started to make circular motions while emitting its own elemental powers around the area of Rashida¡¯s fossilized Earth spell, breaking apart the magical particles that are holding the conjuration together and aiming to free its comrade. Using the precious time alloted to her Rashida began to replenish her depleted magical reserves, probing out her senses for any signs of her past designs activating in response to the previous magical spell. Nothing. Ironic as it sounds but her life was now in peril. Although being an undead spellcaster granted magical immortality and allows one¡¯s soul to cheat death, it was useless without proper vessel bodies. If Rashida had been reincarnated back into the world of the livings without her original body, she would have lost all her arcane powers and instead just exist as a normal summoned undead. Unforgivable for the sole purpose of angering her Master. He had summoned her back to life with a reason and that means her magical powerswere needed in the days to come. How disappointed her Lord would be when he learned that she has failed to live up to his expectations. ¡°For I am useless without my magical powers,¡± hissed Rashida. She startled at her own unrecognizable tone. Gone was the sweet charming voice that had allowed her to manipulate countless others in the past, now swiftly replaced by the current husky and gruffed soundings. She began to smile in satisfaction underneath the silverite reflective mask. Intimidating with a little touch of regality just like how she had pictured it. With the last of the Earth entrapments gone, the two sandworms turned their attentions back toward Rashida. Communicating with each other in forceful shrieks, they broke off and moved at her location at two different angles of attack. Channeling for another spell, Rashida summoned forth an Earth barrier that formed a sizeable dome around her body. Her plan was to escape from beneath the ground out of the burial chamber while the sandworms are distracted with breaking apart the protective shell. She needed to relocate into an area with a wider open space for greater maneuverability and plan her next move from there. Crashing in from both sides, the two monsters used their bodies and long fangs to pry open the erected dome in quake-shattering strikes. Determined to destroy their intended target who had since hidden inside. As the outer layers of the Earth dome began to violently crumble away, Rashida whispered another curse underneath her breath. The monsters were making their ways through and she was not going to be able to gather enough energies for the escaping spell. All of her concentrations were used just to reinforce her collapsing barrier and hanging on to its magic. Am I going to fail Him again in this newly given life like I did in the past? Rashida lamented to herself as she witnessed a large opening fracturing it way down in front. Racking her mind for a solution to her predicament, she contemplated on the loss of her current physical body. How was she to face her Master and bear his wrath? The thought terrified Rashida more than anything this world has to throw against her. ¡°My Lord please give me streng-¡± Sounds of combat broke out from outside her barrier. No longer did Rashida have to withstand the constant bombardments against her protective Earth dome. Reaching out with her magical senses, she sighed in relief at the temporary break in between. Counting with bated breaths, she estimated the chaotic battle to last for about forty seconds before two piercing howls simultaneously echoed across the room. As if returning to the serenity of hours past, complete silence followed if not for the light footsteps gradually approaching and stopped all together in front of Rashida¡¯s obscuring dome. ¡°The threatsss are eliminated. We awaitsss your commandsss,¡± hissed the unseen entity. Deactivating her protective construct, Rashida slowly stepped out to survey the aftermath of the bloody battle and smiled in acknowledgement. Her spell worked, the Tomb Guardianshad successfully been awakened. Chapter 9 ¡°Arrrghhhhhhhh¡± A palm-sized razor spine finds its way past our interlocking shields and strikes at the neck of a fellow Kroctar. Upon seeing this the boss immediately shouts, ¡°Shield walls! Keep ya heads down! Hold the line with ya spears, crossbows get behin¡¯ and start losin¡¯ those arrows. Someone grab him out of da way and fal¡¯ back behind da barricade. Shin, go and cover their retreat! Move move move!¡± Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. With my left shield raising high to block any incoming volleys, I obey the command and slowly retreat backwards to provide overhead cover to the injured Kroctar with his battle buddy, who is trying to take out the lodged black spine and stem the bleeding. Picking up a discarded shield, I use both Fire elemental shields with two hands to further maximize the areas of protection while standing over the two crouched Kroctars. ¡°How much longer do you need before we can move him?¡± I yell at the medic Kroctar named Crikka while shaking my left arm in pain as another volley of two or three spines have pierced halfway through the shields. ¡°We need to start running now before they start firing at us again!¡± ¡°Hold on...almost done...and there! Give me a minute to wrap this up and then we can move,¡± Crikka responds as he throws away the bloody spine, its obsidian black coating gleams in the early afternoon sun rays before softly landing atop the yellow sands. If that shit has hit anywhere on my body it would¡¯ve punctured through skins and bones. Not to mention that the spines are Wind infused to speed up their trajectory even faster. Fucking nature mumbo jumbo magic! I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around the hasty facts given by the boss and the others before the chaos of fightings. Wind, Lightning, Earth, Fire and Water are the other elemental threats on top of other sharp pointy things trying to murder me. I should¡¯ve known better to think everything will come back and make sense in time, now I¡¯m right back at square one in terms of common knowledge. Putting that aside, apparently beside the physical protection, our Fire elemental shields also mitigate any incoming Wind damage. Depending on the different nature elements thrown against us, the shields can change their properties to counteract the magical threats. Well say no more because I¡¯m going to try and turtle up behind these things and leave the fightings to better suited individuals. Monsters versus monsters. Reptiles versus beasts. How fitting. At a short distance away, battle cries mixed with monster howls break out as the boss and our seven-person vanguards are engaging in tight quartered melee fightings against yet another wave of incoming ¡®manticore¡¯. Desert dwelling four-legged beasts that are as large as the boss, the manticores sport yellow-furred pelts, long canine fangs and jacked-up feline features. Muscular front legs with sharp claws and longer carapaced hind limbs bent at the ready to pounce at their victims, these are not the only standout features of the saliva-hissing aggressive beasts. Oh no no no, they all need to also have Wind element spine-throwing, poisonous, curved, hairy stingers as tails on top of all that. Favored by Mother Nature much? Resisting the urge to just run away, I hold my ground while clenching my teeth maintaining both shields up high. Damned things weigh like a third of my body weight or maybe I¡¯m just too fucking weak? ¡°I¡¯m ready to go. Let¡¯s get out of the open so I can concentrate on getting the toxins out of his body.¡± With his tower shield straps over his back, Crikka wraps the comatosed Kroctar¡¯s left arm around his neck and begins dragging towards the safety of our cliffside cavern. The boss and seven others are still locked in combat defending a small rocky choke point below a labyrinthine Earth canyon conjured by magic amidst the center of the arena. The strategy to block the narrowed pathway leading out into the open space seems to be working so far with our limited numbers against the creature¡¯s overwhelming attack waves. Somehow while bolting away ahead of everybody in sheer panic against the a horde of murderous manticores, I manage to stumble upon the cavern as well as identifying the choke point at the front. Deciding that this is the best location to mount our defense, I convince the boss that the best way to survive is to put a small team of defenders at the exit in and keep rotating out as necessary, with no fucking idea if the plan is feasible or not while hoping that it would work. How else am I going explain to everyone the fact that I¡¯ve aimlessly run toward a place with no ways out while trapping us in altogether?This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°SHIN LOOK OUT!¡± Snapping my head back at the sound of my name, my body screams in alarm at the two manticores that have somehow broken through the armoured defenders and are sprinting headlong at my direction. Realizing that a physical confrontation is inevitable and no time to escape, I throw away both the spines-riddled shields and unsheath my blade for the first time today. ¡°GAAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡± My flight or fight instinct kicks in as I scream on top of my lungs and charge at the incoming beasts with blade holds high, my mind drowns out all other thoughts in a moment of sheer lunacy. A surge of cooling energy travels out of my body and slams itself against the leading manticore as I realize the similarities in appearance and sounds of the elemental nature that is being unleashed. Fucking Wind magic. Upon impact, the Wind attack that originates from my voice stumbles the charging manticore head first into the ground as its body pushes itself forward because of the running momentum. Without thinking clearly, my mind is honed in on the unguarded underbelly of the creature¡¯s body as I continue rushing and positing my blade to strike. Before my blade can connect with its target in an overhead slice however the second manticore jumps out into my peripheral vision and claws at the weapon, sending it flying away and out of reach. Still reeling from the collision, I fail to notice that I am clawed a second time and now my body is tumbling away with a bleeding chest wound. Gasping in pain and clutching onto my stomach to put some pressure on the bleeding, I open my eyes to see Crikka locked in combat against the previously downed manticore while my latest attacker is once again charging straight at me, aiming to finish its prey off once and for all. Weaponless and immobilized from the pain, I struggle to maintain my consciousness but my strength is withering away. Time seems to have slowed down all around me and there is a loud buzzing noise vibrating inside my head. A voice. ¡°...Release us Wielder...and we will annihilate your enemies.¡± Without a second thought I reach out to bask in its illuminating essence, my consciousness drifts away into the void as I feel a rush of warmth spreading across my body and soul. ---------------------------------------------------------- *Cough* *cough* ¡°Ah I see you have regained consciousness.¡± ¡°Who are you? I don¡¯t recognize your voice. Am I...dead?¡± ¡°Take it easy now, no need to be afraid. My name is Kiara and no, you are not dead. We are talking aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°...If I¡¯m not dead then where is this place? Why can¡¯t I move my body at all?¡± ¡°All in good time, all in good time. You are heavily injured and must save your strength solely for healings, don¡¯t try to do anything strenuous from now on until I say otherwise do you understand?¡± *Cough* *cough* ¡°Let me give you another change in bandages. Here, have some of this herbal tonic drink, it will help to stabilize your energy and hasten your recovery. It is a little bitter but the drink also helps to make you sleep and its effect will come shortly.¡± ¡°You are called Kiara?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can you tell me more about where I am? I hear voices talking outside.¡± ¡°Why yes sorry about that they are my grandchildren being rowdy as usual. As soon as I finish here I will let them know to quiet down so you can sleep. Don¡¯t worry about a thing, you are safe here in my home. I¡¯ll show you around in a few days okay? After you have a bit more strength. The sceneries are quite peaceful around here. Also, the kids are all curious to meet you.¡± ¡°Yes, that would be nice.¡± *Cough* *cough* ¡°Easy now, easy now.¡± ¡°Wow...you weren¡¯t kidding about the taste.¡± ¡°Haha. Just put up with it for a week and we¡¯ll get you something else a lot sweeter. The ingredients in this medicine are actually quite difficult to find around here so be good and don¡¯t waste any drops okay?¡± ¡°Yes I understand. Kiara, were you the one who saved me?¡± ¡°No. Someone brought you to me a few days ago.¡± ¡°I see. How bad are my...injuries? Can they be healed? Please be honest.¡± ¡­ ¡°Your body was in a precarious condition and I had thought that it would¡¯ve taken you another few weeks to regain consciousness, let alone it¡¯s happening today. Your speedy recovery is nothing short of a miracle and by my estimation you should be able to get out of bed on your own in a few months. Your internal energy has suffered a bit of a setback and only time will tell whether or not it can be fully recovered.¡± ¡°And what about...this?¡± ¡°Oh that...I¡¯m afraid it is out of my megre level of skill. The blood vessels are ruptured and I¡¯m not sure they will heal with time. I will try my best to ask around for help the next time I visit town for resupplies. Don¡¯t lose hope yet my child, a miracle for you like today might happen again.¡± ¡°Clara...My name is Clara and thank you for helping me Kiara.¡± ¡°You have a very beautiful name Clara and thank you for trusting me. I will leave you to rest now.¡± As soon as Kiara closed the door behind her, Clara began to whimper with grief in total darkness. She could feel her eyes were blinking away the tears yet her sight was gone. Instead of dying on a field of battle with dignity and honor, here she was shamelessly clinging on to life as a blind and bedridden cripple. What happens to her from now on? How would she continue to have the will to live? Clara thought as she continued to sob, her body lying uselessly as the physical pains started to fade away with the medicine taking its effect. Everything that made Clara who she was had been stripped away from her. The greatest healers that Clara knew would not be able to do heal her injuries completely let alone Kiara. Her life as a warrior was now forfeit, Clara felt that she had truly died that day in the forest as sleep took over her body. Chapter 10 Ahhh hello darkness my old friend, guess who¡¯s come back to talk to you again? Yup that¡¯s right! It¡¯s your boy, the ONE and ONLY SHINNNN is in the house! How are you doing on this fine day? ... Haha. Ha. Great. I am definitely going bat shit crazy. How long am I going to be stuck here in this god forsaken plane of existence? A voice calls out to me earlier during the battle, I need to- Oh shit the manticores! Common son wake the fuck up Shin so we ca- ¡°Ray¡­¡± Wait what? Is there somebody here with me?! ¡°...fine.¡± Arghhhhhh! -------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Rayshin?¡± ¡°Rayshin?¡± Huh?! Oh great, here we go again. Just another day traversing across time and space I suppose. Anyways, who is this geezer with a big ass jewelry chain around his neck? Wait, this place looks familiar. Where have I see- ¡°Rayshin? I said you look just fine. Now follow along and let¡¯s not be late yes? We still need to walk there.¡± Looking at a figure reflected off a full body sized mirror, I can see a young warrior probably in his mid to late teens staring back at me. With short and neatly trimmed black hairlines, smooth beardless face, sharp eyes and toned muscles, his body sports a healthy glow across golden brown skin. Wearing a darkly trimmed sleeveless white tunic, a half circular golden chestplate filled with different colored gemstones wraps around his neck and extends out to the shoulders, which has a single black pauldron on the left and leaving the abdomen area open. Below his waistline straps on some short of leathery faulds apron-like skirt ending just above the knees. A short curved dagger is positioned securely on an armoured belt. Golden fingerless bracers and greaves with open toed brown sandals complete the look. Whoa! Talk about sweet fashion sense. My body turns away from the mirror and moves on its own along the spacious living quarter after the old man. What¡¯s going on? I seem to be walking forward yet not in command of my body at all. Can¡¯t feel a thing from head to toe. Weird. Ah! My boy Rayshin is in control huh? ¡°...¡± ¡°What¡¯s that? Oh yes everyone is probably there right now waiting for you. I can¡¯t believe that you were late because you could not decide on which colored armors to wear. Hahaha! Don¡¯t think that you can fool anyone...I sense the nervousness in you my young knight, call it the intuition of an older and experienced man.¡± ¡°...!¡± Damn I can¡¯t hear at all what Rayshin is saying but I can somewhat sense his emotions. Hmm the old man is correct Rayshin here is a little nervous, afraid even. But why? Tsk! How frustrating. Oh well let¡¯s see where we are heading to and enjoy the free ride I guess. Exiting the room, the old man leads us down a winding marbled staircase that merges into an expansive hallway plaza. Massive obelisks and columns at least fifty meters high with glowing runic inscriptions of some kind are neatly positioned in the hundreds across the open area. The similar runic symbols are present on every inanimate objects. Granite statues of art in all shapes and sizes decorate the surrounding pedestals. Humans and non-humans walk together in groups here and there. Pairs of heavily armed guards swivel their heads left and right as they patrol the site. Hmm I wonder why there are so many soldiers around? Must be an important place to warrant such security details. ¡°I¡¯m a little surprise myself, the request describes you perfectly down to your rank, looks and nature element but no ¡®name¡¯ is specified, though anyone living in the city could¡¯ve easily deciphered as to WHO they are referring to. I¡¯m guessing YOU have an idea as to why that is hmm?¡± ¡°...¡± Rayshin nods his head as he acknowledges the question. ¡°Hahaha! Fine fine fine I won¡¯t pry further. I¡¯m looking forward to a good show though so don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± Moving through the plaza, the next location we come across is a nature park of some sort with a large reservoir filled with exotic birds and colorful plants at the center. Groves of palm trees surround the stoned walkways across the large public square, with hundreds of bodies dressed in loose clothings hustling back and forth. The sun looks to be at its highest in the sky and the leaves are gently swaying back and forth. As we¡¯re getting closer and closer to wherever it is, there is an increase in the number of uniformed guards patrolling and stationary as well as better dressed individuals. Aside from the standard soldiery getups, the clothing of the other citizens are more vibrant and decorated in design, with lavish jewelry pieces adorned across their bodies. They seem to be exchanging glances and speaking in hushed tones toward our location while avoiding eye contacts as we pass by. ¡°Heh the news travel fast yes? It is an event worthy of gossips and interests after all. My my my I¡¯m afraid your peaceful days are coming to an end, if it hasn¡¯t already been over.¡± ¡°...!¡± Rayshin is annoyed as he responds. ¡°Alright alright, jokes aside you know how it is. Make sure to protect your reputation and don¡¯t give them an advantage over us however small it is, even if everything seems fun and harmless...Bah! Look at me talking like an edgy old sack of bones, just don¡¯t mind too much about what I said and do try to enjoy yourself. I can¡¯t believe that I have to remind you to relax so often.¡± A half a dozen set of stairs and security checkpoints later, my jaw continue to drop at the dazzling display of architectural prowess all around us. Every steps of the way are filled with these moments of awe and respect to the people responsible for the construction of such wonders. Magic or advanced technologies that I haven¡¯t seen yet definitely play a large part here, I mean how can your average Joe or Jane be able to build all this? Totally mind-boggling. There is only one word that I can think of to describe the kind of place that this might be. A palace. A place worthy of kings or those unfathomably rich. Everywhere I (or Rayshin) look there is something to marvel at and it doesn¡¯t help that everything seem to be covered in shiny gold and emerald gems. Man I feel dizzy just thinking about navigating my own ways around this huge place. We¡¯ve been walking for the better half of an hour or so since leaving Rayshin¡¯s room and just now entering the inner sanctums of where we need to be.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Well you know where to go, I need to greet the delegation members at the top and will be watching you from there. Good luck!¡± The old man then leaves to take care of his business. Proceeding onward through another set of stairs, we come to stand in front at a large double doors. With a light nod of acknowledgement, a guard motions us to enter into a meeting room of some sort where there is a large oval stoned table in the center and sitting tools positioned all around. A young human male with shoulder length straight hair and red sleeveless robe approaches from the front. ¡°Ah Rayshin! Come come come we have to leave right away, I was notified just a minute ago that they have arrived and are waiting for us. You couldn¡¯t have left your place a little bit sooner? Jeez.¡± ¡°...!¡± Feeling apologetic, Rayshin looks down to his feet. Leaving the room and circumventing our way through another route, the young man and his two Kroctar bodyguards lead us out of the building and arriving at a large open space location with stepped seatings all around. There is a large crowd of spectators filling in from the sides. A tiny Bastion arena? Here? Although not as impressive in size and scope, somehow I doubt this location is used daily for the same purpose. Even the onlooker humans and non-humans alike are a bit reserved, all quiet and no smiles, taking their seats quickly at an orderly fashion. I notice everyone is well dressed for the occasion. ¡°Alright Rayshin head over to your spot. Wait for the other side¡¯s introduction to begin and then start yours. After that just follow the instructions.¡± As he begins to walk away, the young man turns around and says, ¡°Oh and Rayshin, don¡¯t you lose!¡± Approaching toward the center, at a distance away I notice there is a human figure already standing with arms crossed waiting on stage. Stopping just ten paces short, I observe a female beauty with light amber skin, heavy brown eyeliners and dark shoulder-length braided hair decorated in long golden beads watching us like a hawk. Her makeups add an air of nobleness to her looks. Dressing in leather garments outfitted to cover the better parts of her body, her clothing oozes a sense of sensuality as well as combat practicality. A speedy dagger to the throat type of girl no doubt. Hard to miss the two small pointy silhouettes tucked away at the bottom of her vambraces. How dangerous, better to be care- Recognition and excitement flare up inside Rayshin which trickle down to me. Oh god just calm down fool before you get us both trapped by this chick! After making our full stop, the girl clasps her arms together in a fist with a light bow before looking up and begins to sound off in a sultry voice for all to hear, ¡°I am the Second Princess Shanya of Ranmia, Acolyte, Commander and Chief Ambassador here to request a friendly match against one of Zan Empire¡¯s rising champions. May it foster the spirits of camaraderie and collaboration as well as exchanging dancing techniques between our two nations!¡± Dayum! The girl definitely has the royal cred I¡¯ll give her that. Hmm harmless dancing techniques? Perhaps an exchange in the artistic style of local swings? Engaging lectures about songs and cultures? Hah yeah right if only that is believable with both parties dressed in loose attires and readying to tangle, not the current armoured getups. Are there any other intellectual pursuits other than fightings that the people of this world can enjoy? So far no dice. ¡°...¡± Dang it I want to know what my boy Rayshin¡¯s titles are. Better be more impressive than this little princess! Hold up, the excitement I¡¯m feeling right now is off the ceilings. Don¡¯t tell me that my boy has already been ensnared by the alluring siren before this.... Lowering her voice down to a whisper so that only Rayshin and I can hear, Shanya winks and says, ¡°I told you that if we were destined to meet again I will make you admit to me your given name. I look forward to our dancings once again young hero ¡®Ray.Shin¡¯,¡± stopping short to enunciate each syllables. What in the- ¡°Duelists! Begin choosing your weapons of choice and return at the ready,¡± announces the young man in red clothing from earlier. Standing atop of a podium on the side of the stage, he is smiling from ear to ear. No doubt thrilled by the prospect of the ensuing duel. The atmosphere of the onlookers have also changed with many excited faces exchanging heated conversations amongst one another. Looking at our weapons of choice Rayshin chooses a beautiful steel blade with a straight back on one side and a gentle curving edge on the other, starting with the flat hand guard and ending at a semi-spear point where the central ridge meets together. Beautifully wrapped handle with a stylishly arched groove traveling up the center, I can see our grinning pearly whites reflecting off the blade. Yay for new shiny stabby! Feeling confident in my boy Rayshin for picking a weapon of regality and class, I peek over to our opponent and balls shrivel up in fear. Hidden behind a massive tower shield stands the girl with a big fucking greatsword of the long-ass variety resting over her right shoulder. By the gods! Her head barely leans over the entire height of the greatshield not to mention the other one-handed wielding monstrosity of a weapon, almost three times her size in length. Pretty sure even without our emotional link Rayshin and I share the same dreadful feeling of fright right now. Not looking good son not looking good. Rayshin¡¯s nervousness doesn¡¯t help to bolster any confidence in us getting out of this scotch free. Well I sincerely hope size matters not, in all manners of speaking. With a loud *clang* from a nearby gong, Shanya is the first to strike. Dashing forward with a single step, she closes the distance in the blink of an eye for someone who is holding a greatsword in one hand and greatshield in- Okay scratch that. No longer resembling a separate straight greatsword and shield, they have been pieced together to become an intimidating two-handed double-bladed axe. The first swing comes as a horizontal slash aiming to bisect us at the waist. Jumping up high and somersaulting forward, Rayshin dodges and twists our body away from the impact, avoiding the shield¡¯s sharp edge altogether. Turning her body in response, Shanya stops mid swing and brings the axe back to engage her target. Still holding his blade in a reverse grip, Rayshin arches our head back and slides forward down on our knees while slashing at Shanya¡¯s exposed left calf. Lifting up her leg, our opponent stomps down on our blade and pins it uselessly on the ground. With his right hand still gripping onto our pinned weapon, Rayshin uses his other hand to push our body up for a vertical kick aiming for the head. Wow so far no punches are being pulled, these two are really going at it trying to outmaneuver each other. Knocking away our kick with her own forehead, Shanya brings her great axe in front of her chest. Rayshin uses the momentum to slip our blade free from underneath her foot. Standing just four paces from each other the two combatants stop and hold their postures still, daring the opposite side to start the next bout. A thunderous round of applause resound among our spectators as cheers and whistles can be heard throughout the crowd. Hahaha! This is it. This is what I¡¯m talking abou- Wait, Oh no I¡¯m turning into the same battle maniacs as these people. That aside though it is a fantastic display of combat skills in both parties, I am completely in awe at their physical prowess. Glancing at the vigorous crowd with a snicker, Shanya locks her eyes on us and licks her upper lip. Releasing her shield from the sword with a metallic *click* she throws it rapidly spinning at our location. Sidestepping to the right to avoid the spinning wheel of death, my stomach sinks in as I see Shanya is right there on top of us with a two-handed grip on her greatsword bearing down with an overhead strike. ¡°Gotcha!¡± Raising the weapon up high in a fake horizontal block with both our hands for support, Rayshin instead spins our body at the last second before the collision and parry the greatsword away while body-slamming into our opponent. Grinning while setting back into her stance Shaya yells out two ominous words, ¡°Get ready!¡± With sword in hands, our opponent frowns in concentration as she lowers herself into a striking posture. There is a shimmering orange glow circling her sword as recognition and alarm flash over our body. ¡°Wait! Please don¡¯t be reckles- Quickly, activate the barrier around the stage at once!¡± Someone screams from the audience. ¡°Aaaaaaaaa!¡± Releasing a fiery aura, Shanya launches herself skyhigh while pointing her flaming sword downwards at our standing area. Looking up and preparing to meet the strike head on, a metallic sound of blade spinning makes Rayshin snap our head sideways and dives forward to dodge the boomerang-like shield, barely escaping with our neck intact. Oh shit! I thought that thing gets tossed away earlier. How did it fl- *BOOM* The force of the blow from Shanya shatters the ground underneath as large chunks of rocks and dirt piles are gouged outwards by the overwhelming display of brute strength. A roaring firestorm is quickly sucked away by a blue barrier dome surrounding the battle stage. As the smoke begins to clear out of the way, I see us on one knee supporting Shanya as she lies on her back with her arm around our neck, laughing joyously as she caresses our face amidst the ruined stage. I notice a glimmering blackfire sword in our left hand as well as a vanilla-white blade on the other. ¡°I admit my defeat to you Knight Rayshin of Zan, Wielder of the dual Elemental Blades and Hero...of my heart.¡± Chapter 11 ¡°Rise and report.¡± Loosening her grip on the latest victim, Rashida dropped the desiccated arachnid corpse and turned to acknowledge the kneeling figure in front of her. ¡°The invadersss numbered around four thousandsss strong and are spread out throughout the lower levelsss. We are unable to scout further without the risksss of being discovered,¡± hissed a female voice. She listened to the report made by one of the Tomb Guardians. Soul-bound warriors handpicked by the Master charged with the protection of the necropolis and its citizens in the event of their awakenings. Standing just over two meters tall, these magical vessels controlled by the souls of the deceased were a marvel to behold. Red glowing eyes and obsidian jackal heads adorned with golden armoured ornaments, their features resembled that of a half human and half beast with long canine limbs. Their bodies are dressed in dark gold-trimmed collared chest plates, vambraces, greeves and long loincloths preserved and reinforced in layers of magical enchantments. Each guardian is equipped with a variety of bladed and long ranged weaponry outfitted to honor their chosen combat styles in life. Rashida¡¯s small retinue of five excluding herself only had one long ranged specialist and that one was also the leader of the group reporting to her now. ¡°What is your recommendation?¡± asked Rashida. Even though she had many ideas, as an engineer and administrator by profession she was questioning her strategies of approach. Better to ask for advice in those who were more specialized in this sort of thing. ¡°When in doubt, task it out,¡± her Lord would always say to her behind closed doors. An insignificant remark to others but Rashida knew that it was said as a test to His subordinates, constantly evaluating their individual capabilities and loyalties. Calculative and wise to the extreme, Her genius of a Master had foreseen things that other mere mortals like her could not. How could He ever had not known what to do? ¡°My lady I recommend we find one of the Holy Priestsss to bolster up our numbersss before taking on the Hive Queen. However, in doing so the enemiesss will be aware of our presence and likely send their warriorsss in retaliation.¡± Hmph! Disgusting vermins. These subterranean creatures had desecrated their sacred home with their nestings. Looking down at the discarded corpse, Rashida curled her lips in displeasure at the figure of the Warrior Insect. With four spiked limbs and razor-edged mandibles, their triangular bodies were further enhanced by the Earth element making them naturally durable, being able to withstand heavy amount of physical punishments before going down. If only she could find some Lightning infused equipments to tackle these bugs with. Alone one of these creatures was fearsome enough not to mention the whole nest of them attacking at once. There was a lot to be done and not enough time for preparations, Rashida made up her mind. ¡°Where is the nearest chamber of a Holy Priest?¡± ¡°It isss located eight hundred metersss from our location. I have placed a scout to monitor the enemiesss near the area. We will execute the recovery mission at your command,¡± her guardian answered. ¡°Let¡¯s go then since time is of the essence. We will rescue the Holy One and eradicate these pests. The Dark Lord had entrusted us with the defense of the city and I want to honor his glorious return in splendors and celebrations, with the Hive Queen as an offering to quell his anger. Perhaps then all of our souls can be forgiven lest his ire is insatiable at our failures.¡± All the guardians present dropped down to one knee at the mention of their revered Master. Rashida was glad to see their undying loyalties remained strong as ever mirrored that of her own. It was a shame that only five out of ten of her warrior guardians were able to dig themselves out of their hidden capsules with the rest likely to had their bodies incapacitated or destroyed. Moving through the areas with her protectors, she assessed damages done to their home to be worst than she had feared. Barely recognizable ruins that were once civil buildings and pathways of great grandeur, the arachnid insects and other creatures like the sandworms had made a mess out of everything. Rashida noticed the collapsed soaring crevices around the upper ceilings of the cavern, with evidence left behind denoting large scale battles fought using elemental magic. These creatures could not have done this, just who ha- A hand-signal to stop. Their point man had indicated that something was amiss. Touching the ground with her left hand, Rashida channeled a quick sensory Earth spell and noticed incoming movements from the east. With a hand signal of her own, she ordered her guardians to disperse and concealed themselves in ambush positions around the area. Pointing at a nearby ledge, she turned to her lead guardian and wrapped her right arm around the warrior¡¯s neck. In a quick and silent movement, the female guardian leapt atop the perched vantage point carrying Rashida with her. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. As they waited Rashida noticed her lead guardian had unbuckled the twin curved blades strapping on the construct¡¯s backside and pieced them together to transform into an intimidating elemental bow. Readying a few Earth projectile spells of her own, they focused their attention at the arriving party. Charging forward and leading the group was a Tanker Insect with four limbs and a big underbelly as its abdomen. With heavily armoured carapace along the dorsal sides and dark beady eyes, this caste of insects were feared not because of their physical durability but with the ability to spray streams of corrosive liquids from their mandibles. Black in overall coloring similar to its brethrens, they were usually in command of a small contingent of Warrior Insects numbered around thirty total. Stopping just below Rashida¡¯s current overlooking point, the Tanker lifted its thick head and swiveled around as the other Warriors continued to speed past it. Seconds passed as the creature moved ever closer. Did it notice where they were hiding? Contemplating between ordering for an attack or a hasty retreat, her lead guardian signaled her to wait. Looking down below, it looked like the Tanker had begun to move away from their position after not finding anything alarming and followed after its warriors. Releasing a breath that Rashida didn¡¯t know she was holding, she gathered her scattered guardians and continued forward in the direction of their earlier chosen path. That was a close call. If they were to engage in combat out in the open areas the bugs would be able to slip away and sound the alarm. Rashida needed to accomplish their current objective of acquiring a Holy Priest so that they stood a better chance at engaging the Hive Queen and swiftly end the purge before it could get out of hand. Fifty meters away from the marked location, they stopped to avoid another set of patrols moving alongside the corridors. So far everything had been going smoothly, they were able to utilize the knowledge of the city¡¯s layouts to bypass the troublesome bugs altogether. Rashida could not be more pleased with how they were speeding things through. ¡°This isss the place my lady, please wait while I link up with our scout.¡± Closing her eyes in concentration and taking a seat at a nearby rock, she once again tapped into her sensory spells in order to gauge at the number of enemies in the surrounding area. To Rashida¡¯s surprise, no movements were detected anywhere in the immediate vicinity. The majority of the patrols that they had encountered were moving in the opposite direction toward her chamber. Looking up, she saw her lead guardian returning with agile steps and reported in a respectful bow, ¡°I have confirmation that a large number of the Warrior Insectsss abandoned the outer passageways and moved away. Our scout was unable to determine how many were left behind within the Holy One¡¯s chamber. What are your ordersss?¡± Taking a few seconds to compose her thoughts she responded, ¡°We will proceed onwards. I will take you and one other with me going inside. The rest will stay here and guard the entrance until further notice.¡± ¡°Asss you commandsss,¡± the guardian acknowledged and turned around to relay the orders given. Lifting herself up, Rashida proceeded to move toward two massive obelisks representing the entrance to the inner chamber. The two structures seemed to be intact with no visible damage. Touching the one on her right, she was glad to sense that its content was still safely intact. Light footsteps approached from the rear as her two guardians came up to join her. Their small strike team was ready. ¡°Our objective is located at the center. Kill everything that dares stand in our way. Speed over thoroughness until I say otherwise. Let¡¯s move out.¡± Wasting no time, she quickly briefed the others the general layouts of the chamber and glanced over their team compositions. Leading the way was a double-bladed glaive wielding guardian who was their scout from earlier. With one glowing red eye and numerous missing chunks around the abdomen area, he was overdue for a body reconditioning. Placing herself in the middle of their three-man team, Rashida maintained a distance of ten paces behind the one-eyed construct while her bowblade female guardian stayed close at the rear for additional range support. Ten minutes venturing into the inner sanctum, they encountered small floating Worker Insects swiveling their heads up and down foraging nearby energy nodes. Cylindrical structures that stored magical powers for multiple purposes. Why would the bugs be interested in these? Giving the signal to attack, their glaive-wielding guardian made short work of the dozen defenseless workers. Arriving at the burial room without any issues, a golden sarcophagus laid at the center. Aside from the debris and dust covering it, the coffin was intact and operational. Her Master¡¯s powerful spell of preservation at work, unbroken through time. Only those who had reached divinity in magical powers and knowledge could ever hoped to undo the unique seals and damage the contents underneath. She had yet to meet someone other than her Master who could accomplish such a daunting task. Rashida prepared to gather the magical energies needed to perform the awakening ritual. Just as she was approaching the sarcophagus, a thunderous roar echoed followed by a chorus sounds of storming stampede vibrated throughout the inner chamber. A long airhorn resonated from outside. They were under attack, the bugs had been alerted and were heading their way. ¡°Go and hold them back for as long as you can,¡± she instructed her two guardians. Clasping their hands and bowing respectfully, they bolted off to carry out her command. Standing over the sarcophagus, she began absorbing the surrounding energies into her body. After an unknown amount of time, Rashida began the long magical enchantations of reawakening at her target. At the spell¡¯s completion, a violent gust of magic escaped from the golden capsule and pushed her back a few paces. ¡°Arrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh!¡± Knocking aside the cover, a figure sat up and screamed while emitting a terrifying magical aura. Recognizing the voice amidst the inhuman shrieks and the lingering magical signatures, Rashida rolled her nonexistence eyes. ¡°Quiet down fool and save your energy! We have enemies to deal with,¡± she yelled. ¡°...Arrrrrrggghhhhh...Ra...shi...da?! Praise the Dark Lord the almighty being I have awakened at last hahahaha!¡± Looking around his chamber and back at Rashida the unknown entity continued, ¡°Your welcoming party could use a little work eh?¡± For the first time since her awakening back into the land of the livings, Rashida truly smiled. Chapter 12 Lo and behold I am once again back at it just chilling here inside the empty expanse of my mind. Okay, that sounds totally out of whack but whatever. That¡¯s right darkness ol¡¯ buddy, I hope everyone is hungry because one newly solved mystery dish is steaming hot and ready to eat: I¡¯ve been stuck inside my own goddamn head. Better start chowing down the foods Shin because there¡¯s more where that comes from. A whole lot more in the back kitchen waiting to be served coming right up inside this head of mine! Fun. And apparently I am not quite alone. ¡°We greet the One who gives us strength. May your enemies tremble before our might.¡± ¡°Erm...The pleasure is all mine? We are speaking inside my mind you said? Oh and umm you don¡¯t have to keep kneeling by the way, stand and speak normally.¡± ¡°As you command Wielder.¡± After my brief snippets of skinny-dipping as young Rayshin down the memory lane, I am back to where I was before the consciousness jump...Hmm hold up, wouldn¡¯t it also be my memory lane as well though? Bah! I¡¯ll cross that burning bridge later, no point in worrying about it now. Well at least this is all taking place in my mind if it¡¯s to be believed which begs the question: Why is it so damn dark in here?! C¡¯mon Shin think happy rainbows and waterfalls or some shit, I really need to brighten this place up. Everything around me is blackness except for the a huge bright spotlight shining right over my head. It is so strange but I realize I can see myself both in first and third person, like an invisible spirit floating around while my body chills behind with my field of vision shared between both bodies. ¡°How do I erm...address you and tell me more about this ¡®Wielder¡¯ title thing.¡± Shanya mentions something similar if I can recall correctly. Looking at the...female being in front of me as she stands, I¡¯m surprised by how respectful and docile she seems. I mean, she scares the crap out of me materializing out of nowhere and it doesn¡¯t really help by the fact that she has a gothic, grim-reaper look going on to boot. A young woman with long straight black hair, husky voice, dark lipstick and eyeshadows, there is a glowing red tattooed mark below her right eye. Snow-white skin, barefoot and dresses in a dark velvet gown that exposes her bare shoulders and left thigh, there¡¯s a certain shimmering black fiery thing enveloping her entire body. ¡°...You are our Wielder and thus We, the extensions of your power. You may address us however you wish.¡± ¡°We? Are there more of you?¡± I look around to see if there might be others of her kind just waiting on their cues to jump out. There¡¯re never enough surprises around here as far as I¡¯m concerned. ¡°...Yes Wielder, there are two of us. My brother will awaken shortly but I alone is more than enough to take action,¡± curtsying as she puts her both hands over her heart. Her brother? ¡°Okay...I¡¯m not really sure what you¡¯re on about but everyone deserves a name. We can¡¯t go on talking without me knowing how to address you. Tell me, how would you like to be called?¡± ¡­ ¡­... Silence. Man this is awkward, she¡¯s been staring at me for awhile now with that lost puppy look. Do I have to come up with something for her to get this show on the road? Breathing out an impatient sigh, I rack my brain for a name before asking, ¡°How about X-¡± ¡°Xina.¡± Interrupting before I can finish, she completes my thoughts for me.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Umm yeah. How about we call you Xina? Do you like it? If not you can always change it later.¡± ¡°Thank you Wielder. Xina obeys your wish and is pleased with her name,¡± eyes sparkling as she leans in closer. ¡°Alrighty! I am Shin and now that we are on the topic of introduction...what are you Xina?¡± Please don¡¯t say that you really are a grim reaper or something because you do look the part. Smiling as she settles a hand on her hips, Xina begins to look up toward the bright light and squints her eyes. ¡°I believe that action speaks louder than words. I hope this will show you the answer to your question my Wielder. Please get ready for battle.¡± ¡°What? Oka-¡± A sudden lightning flash disorients me. One second I am standing and talking to Xina and the next I can feel the humid sands underneath my body. My left hand reaches up to grab hold of my hurting stomach while my right is trying to get the dirt out of my eyes. My mind is suppressing the sudden urge to vomit as the glaring sun looms overhead. Coughing up a mouthful of sands, the air around me smells of heat and blood. My blood. *ROAR* In a moment of deja vu, I see the good ol¡¯ manticore closing in with his stinger raised readying to impale me. Rolling out of the way with a renewed vigor, I dodge a follow up tail swipe before jumping away to avoid a bite to the face. Glancing down at my hand, I see my torned tunic soaked in blood. Damn it the pain is unreal. With my adrenaline pumping I doubt this is the full force of it. Jumping backwards I land on my rear, barely dodging the stinger as it aims to puncture right through my crotch. Somersaulting as I dive forward, I begin to run for my life. How I can move around with so much blood loss and not fainting is a mystery to me. Mind over body I guess. Sliding down a nearby narrowed sand slope, I twist my head back to see the chasing manticore hot on my heels growling with its meat-slicer teeths bared. Digging with both hands and feet in the shifting sands, I calculate the distance between our locations and slow my body down to keep a steady balance. With a full body twist, I turn around and face my enemy head on, surprising the beast as it tries to stop its forward momentum with little success. Holding in my breath, I launch myself headfirst with fingers outstretched. Right onto the creature¡¯s back. Wrapping my fingers tight around the beast¡¯s furry mane, I unsheathe a small dagger that I remember strapping on my right ankle and in a quick motion impaling it deep into the creature¡¯s jowl. Well, I was actually aiming for the right eye but my short arm can only reached so far. The beast howls in agony as it tries to buckle me off but with my grip firmly grasped around the handle, I make sure that the dagger is lodged deep enough to withstand the violent flailing. Spinning around in what seems like an eternity, I shut my eyes to drown out the dizziness as the world warps around me. Feeling as though I¡¯m suddenly weightless, I open my eyes to see myself landing face first onto the ground, with the sands cushioning most of the impact. Well so much for that, I hope it did some damage at least. Rolling and jumping around in the sands, the beast tries to dislodge the dagger that is protruding out of its bleeding face. Well that looks like it¡¯s working better than I intended, this¡¯ll stop the damn thing from using its mouth for a while. At least I hope so. Looking around, I¡¯m trying to get a sense of direction to get back to the others before a familiar voice echoes inside my head, ¡°My physical form is now ready to be activated Wielder.¡± ¡°Xina?!¡± Oh yeah I totally forgot about her. ¡°How can I-¡± My right hand suddenly feels like it¡¯s on fire. Looking down in a panic, I see a familiar blackfire sword materializes out of thin air. Realizing that it¡¯s actually not burning my hand into a crisp but instead radiates a caressing coolness, I lift the sword up for a quick look. Obsidian in color and transparent in its physical form, the blade itself is fiery in design with a glowing arrow-head like gem situated near the handle. I can feel the humming magical energies coiling around the edges of the blade and circling at the tip. For some strange reason holding it makes me feel at ease, as if finally finding one of the missing pieces of my heart. ¡°Beautiful,¡± I sigh in amazement, impressed by the power that pulsates throughout my body just from having it in my hand. ¡°Err I¡¯m guessing this is what you meant Xina¡­¡± ¡°Yes Wielder this is what I am. Allow me to demonstrate to you my capabilities.¡± Flicking the sword down, my gaze concentrates upon our wailing manticore friend who still has not been able to get rid of the dagger stuck in his jaw. Dashing toward my opponent I slash at the base of the creature¡¯s stinger tail, severing it right off in one fluid strike. As if someone is guiding and augmenting my movements, my body feels lighter and I¡¯m able to recognize the weak spots all over the beast¡¯s body. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Did you do something to my body?¡± I ask Xina as I make a hard sword thrust deep into the beast¡¯s anus, ramming the entire length of the sword all the way through right up to the base of the handle. Oh man this is brutal! But hey, that is definitely one of the weak spots alright. ¡°Yes Wielder. I am treating the injuries sustained and boosting your combat reflexes.¡± Yelping in surprise, the manticore limps forward and trips itself on the sands. One of the beast¡¯s hind leg is bent as it turns its head around to inspect the gruesome damage. I feel a little bad looking at the blood squirting wounds on its behind even though I¡¯m the one responsible for delivering the blow in the first place. ¡°Allow me to finish this!¡± As if approving my previous action and literally adding fuel to the fire, Xina laughs and ignites the pinned sword, burning the beast with a roaring blackfire from the inside out. In a span of half a minute or so, nothing except for the shadowy ashes of the beast remains as the ever drifting sands blow away all traces of the once mighty creature. ¡°Hahahaha first blood and it tastes so delicious. Let us head toward the main battlefield Wielder!¡± Still cackling in delight I can see an image of Xina¡¯s spiritual form with a wide smile and both hands resting on her hips, eyes glowing bright orange and looking every bit as terrifying as I have feared she would become. Oh great, another battle maniac joins the crew. Running up the slope, I check my injuries and surprised to see that the open wounds have been sealed. The pain is still there but I no longer need to put pressure or worry about further blood loss. Listening to Xina describing how she would skewer and burn every last one of our enemies, I smile at the girlish expression that is plastered on her cheeks. Perhaps it is the thought that I¡¯m no longer alone but I feel relieved at her fiery presence. My new crazy tenant no longer looking intimidating but in fact a little endearing. Whatever happens every cloud has a silver lining, I hope to believe that my lucky break has just begun. Chapter 13 Step. Heel. Strike. Block. Step. Heel. Strike. Bloc- ¡°Rayshin! Rayshin! Come inside the food is ready!¡± ...Okay let¡¯s see how was it again? First is the faint sidestep. Then pivot on my left heel. Then a strike to the h- ¡°Hey! Are you listening to me?¡± ¡°Alright, alright I heard you the first time! Give me a minute to clean up and I¡¯ll be right up.¡± Putting the practice wooden sword away and making sure that it was neatly stacked with the others, I grabbed a nearby broomstick and began sweeping the broken splinters from my training session. Looking at my battered foe, I made a mental note to replace the training dummy later with a new one after lunch. I couldn¡¯t wait to practice that move again. In theory it would help to take care of multiple opponents instead of just one. Perhaps I needed to meditate a little more before committing to the practical exercises for it to bear fruit. Whistling as I worked, I wiped away the sheen of stale sweats that formed across my eyebrows and neck with a wet towel. A gentle breeze carried the scents of earthly lilacs and lavender blossoms trickled across the air. Taking in a deep breath I continued to whistle and stare at the curious green little birds perched atop the tree branches, hopping around and chirping as part of their cute mating dances. It was a lot more blissful here, far away from the glaring desert sands and suffocating atmosphere of the imperial capital. Where every minute of everyday I didn¡¯t have to put on a mask of indifference to those around me. Where I could just be a nobody working toward his own wishes and dreams. Glancing back to make sure that everything was tidied up, I ran up the long rocky steps leading to the outer courtyard. Smelling the thick aroma of food, my stomach growled and mouth watering in anticipation for a hearty feast. Putting a hand on my stomach and massaging it gently, I regretted skipping breakfast this morning and losing track of time. Following my nose and the vivid sounds of laughter I sprinted around the garden and arrived at the dining hall, careful to straighten out my- Oh no. I totally forgot to put on a shirt again. Groaning in displeasure, I turned around in slow and tiny steps before a familiar voice called out from inside,¡°Boy just get your butt over here so we can start eating! I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± Skipping across the room and making my way forward, I stopped and clasped my hand in a forty five degree bow in front of a figure sitting at the middle of the table. ¡°Disciple welcomes back Master from his long journey! I hope everything went well. Forgive me for not arriving to greet you sooner. ¡®Somebody¡¯ here didn¡¯t tell me that you are already back.¡± ¡°Hmph! You were too engrossed in your training to listen to what I have to say earlier.¡± Sticking out her tongue, my martial sister scrunched up her nose as she set up the silverwares on the table, all the while lecturing nonstop, ¡°...and you didn¡¯t even bother to put on a shirt before coming here. At least you remembered to wash your hands and feet this time around otherwise I would¡¯ve made you eat your meals outside. What am I to do with him Master when we have guests visiting?¡± ¡°Ah Rayshin my child it¡¯s good to finally be back. Come come come enough with the bickerings you two and let us begin because I am starving! Oh by the way I brought back a treat for everyone today but only after we finish with the main dishes first alright?¡± ¡°Yes Master!¡± We both answered at the same time while smiling. Everytime Master came back there was always one thing that he would bring back without fail. Taking a seat, I filled our cups with fresh milk before cracking open the wine barrel for Master. How could the adults like this stuff? The smell was already this strong let alone trying to drink it down by itself. I wonder if it was really good for the soul like Master always said?If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Hahaha don¡¯t make that face Rayshin my boy. One day you¡¯ll learn you love it just as I do. It is a fine companion during times of sorrow and heartbreak when you have no one to talk to.¡± ¡°Master! Please be more responsible you are talking to minors here. The last thing I need is for him to take after your bad habits.¡± ¡°Ahhhh mercy sweet girl, mercy. You are becoming too strict for this old man. I can¡¯t wait for you to chase after your own path one day and leave me be so I don¡¯t have to listen to your complaints all day.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even joke about that Master, you¡¯re not getting rid of me that easily and besides, no one would say that you are as old as you think.¡± Smiling at the playful banters, I made sure to put a big piece of meat in my sister¡¯s bowl before grabbing a large serving of fruits and vegetables for Master. A powerful warrior and mage of considerable skill, Master could be given the title of strongest in the empire if he so desired but instead chose to live a secluded life. Far away from the lands of his birth to avoid conflicts and bloodsheds. A handsome middle-aged man with golden-brown hair and muscular physique, his goofy smiles and light-hearted demeanors a complete contrast when it came time for training or fighting. A silent reaper of death and destruction, I hoped to one day earn the honor of learning Master¡¯s past upbringings but great people had secrets that they wished to bury away and I was none the wiser. ¡°Rayshin your senior martial sister told me that you are having some difficulties with your training. Even though I¡¯m not a swordsman in a long time, perhaps my experiences can be of assistance to you,¡± burping loudly while gulping down his bowl of wine, Master placed a large boiled egg on my plate. ¡°I-I-I wanted to figure things out on my own before coming to you but it seems like ¡®somebody¡¯ here didn¡¯t want me to succeed,¡± glaring over the table, I made sure to scrunch up my nose and mimic my sister¡¯s angry face. ¡°I have half a mind to beat you to a pulp right now. Two months of listening constantly to your grumblings and mood swings is driving me into insanity. Just man up and ask Master for help for all our sakes.¡± ¡°Now now Rayshin you should listen to your sister. A man must know his limits and rely on others in times of need. There¡¯s nothing wrong with asking for help once in a while, prideful and talented as you are. Be sure to keep this in mind as you advance through life. I¡¯m sure one day you¡¯ll surpass me in the ways of the blade and have stubborn students of your own. My own Master and I had the same conversation when I was your age and I did not believe her when she told me the same thing but alas, here we are hahaha!¡± ¡°You put too much faith in me Master, I only wish to carry on your teachings and make you proud.¡± Knowing that a touchy subject was brought up when it came to Grand-Master, I quickly asked about the news of the outside world. I wonder how everyone was faring back at home. It had been quite a while since I had left that life behind and embarked on my martial trainings. May Isha continue to watch over them and their loved ones. ¡°...and then I threw that scoundrel out so far it took him a week to drift back to shore ahahaha! Serves him right for mistaking me sleeping with his wife even though I only...Oh that¡¯s right my girl, did you succeed in replicating the seals that I taught you?¡± ¡°Yes Master. I was successful a day after you left and have been integrating miniscule upgrades to the enchantment as a whole. I hope to show you the results later today.¡± Beaming with pride, my martial sister had no problems flaunting her genius wavings around when it came to her assigned tasks. How frustrating to never see her struggle in anything. The world really was unfair. Saddened by the realization, I shoved four whole boiled eggs in my mouth before gulping down the glass of milk to help with the chewing process. With tears in my eyes after struggling to swallow the mouthful contents, I glanced over to see my sister¡¯s disapproving look. No doubt adding table manners to her long list of Rayshin¡¯s sermon. ¡°Wow you must really be hungry my boy. Anyways how are our guests doing? Sorry for the additional chores around the place my girl, I hope they are not giving you two any problems?¡± ¡°No Master they are a weird bunch who kept mostly to themselves. I sense a strange aura coming from their place of residence but someone powerful is nullifying my probings.¡± ¡°Oh dear me please be more courteous to our guests my sweet child. They are probably not used to the green atmosphere around here being stuck working underground for so long. Give them a bit of time and I¡¯m sure you all will get along splendidly.¡± ¡° Master I agree with sister, my warrior senses are telling me to stay far away from them as possible. Just who-¡± ¡°Alright that¡¯s it you two! It¡¯s been only a few days and your attitudes are already like this. We will have dinner with everyone tonight and I will see you two on your best behaviors understood?¡± ¡°Yes leave it to me Master!¡± My sister answered in a panic. The silly girl was never someone who could take well to Master¡¯s scoldings. Following suit, I clasped my hands and nodded in acknowledgement. They are Master¡¯s guests after all and should be treated with respect. As Master¡¯s disciples who were they to doubt? ¡°I think it¡¯s time to move on to our favorite dessert now that the main course are out of the way...Behold a YELLOW melon fruit, nectar of the gods the rarest of them all muahahahaha!¡± ... ¡°EEEEEEEEEK!¡± Shrieking in delight, my sister abandoned all table etiquettes and launched herself across the table, cradling the oversized fruit and began cooing to it like a mama bird grooming her newborn chicks. With a hand covering my mouth, I realized it wasn¡¯t my dear sister that was screaming but instead it had been me. After convincing my sister to let go and slicing the seedless melon open into three halves with his finger, Master handed me a tantalizing slice. Holding it up with trembling hands, I cried a silent prayer once again to the almighty Isha before biting deep into the juicy tropical fruit. Master was right, this was truly the nectar of the gods. Pure bliss. Chapter 14 Waking up with a start, Clara clenched her fingers tight to subdue the familiar panic attacks that threatened to overwhelm her senses. Still coping with the inability to move her limbs around, she felt trapped inside her body let alone the terrors of the induced blindness. Time had lost its meaning to her lying here on this bed. To hear the sound of the morning dawns and evening crickets yet only experience them in total darkness summed up her current life, day in and day out. What was the point of living like this? The singular question kept resonating throughout her waking moments, like a silent plea urging Clara to end it once and for all and join her ancestors in the afterlife. Truth to be told, Clara had no reason to ignore these dark thoughts. In fact, she longed for the sweet release of death. Far away from the limitations of her physical handicap, far away from this prison of the flesh. ¡®You never know what you have until it¡¯s gone'' never rang so true. Wallowing in misery, she forced herself to fall back to sleep. The waking world was a shroud of darkness that veiled over the light and only sleep could shake her off from this living torture. ¡°Good morning Clara, how are you feeling today?¡± Entering the room after several light knocks, Kiara approached the bedside with her medicine kit in hands. Day after day the old woman would make sure that Clara was taken care of by washing, feeding, cleaning and changing the bandages with her grandchild Javi sometimes tagging along to help out. The chatty munchkin was prone to become a talented healer given a decade or so under his grandmother¡¯s tutelage. In addition to being her community¡¯s medical practitioner, Kiara also brought a sense of justice and tranquility to those around her. Many people came daily to seek out her aid not just for the everyday ailments but also resolving personal conflicts. ¡°Hi Kiara. I¡¯m...feeling a little better today. How is Omar doing?¡± Struggling to turn her head, Clara forced a smile to her face and pushed the depressing thoughts away. Pretending to be fine everyday was a tussle in of itself but what else could she do? This was someone who had been trying to help her get better and Clara could not find it in herself to appear ungrateful and lifeless, however much she wanted to. ¡°Bah! No need to worry about that grumpy old bones, just some bruises here and there, nothing too serious. Taming that wild horse was more than he could handle. That¡¯s what he gets for doing things that he shouldn¡¯t be doing at his age.¡± Taking a seat next to the bedpost, Kiara began to wash Clara¡¯s hair while simultaneously stirring the nearby medicine bowl. ¡°I¡¯m glad that he¡¯s okay. I really enjoyed listening to his stories.¡± Clara winced in pain as the bandages started to come off. Her skin felt like it was on fire. ¡°Hah! Exaggerated tales aimed to impress the ill-informed. Don¡¯t take them too much at face value dear.That one has always been mischievous for as long as I knew him. By the way, you have such pretty and bright silver hair Clara my dear. Does it run in the family?¡± ¡°Yes...I was told that my mother and I shared the same hair color. Other than her, I do not know anyone else who has hair like mine.¡± ¡°Oh? The color is indeed a rarity. Some might say that it is a blessing of magical manifestation. In fact, I only know one other person who has a similar trait and she is stopping by my house this morning for a quick check up. Perhaps you would like to meet her afterwards hmm?¡± After helping Clara to sit up, Kiara began to spoon-feed the bitter concoction to her patient. ¡°Just bear with it my dear. You only need to drink this for a few more days before we can start letting you try solid foods again.¡± Smiling in embarrassment, Clara didn¡¯t realize she was making an ugly face while gulping down the bitter potion. According to Kiara, her taste buds would come back in a few days after this current prescription. ¡°Sorry I thought the taste would be bearable after a while¡­and yes! I would love to meet this person that you mentioned. Does she also live near here in the village?¡± ¡°Why yes. In fact she is our village¡¯s head shaman and an old friend of mine. I told her a few days ago about you at our weekly meetings. Come, let us get you out for some fresh air. Lying in bed for too long will do you more harm than good.¡± Placing Clara in a wooden wheeled chair, Kiara put on a light overcoat and wrapped a wool blanket over her patient before taking them both outside. There was a slight chill in the air as Clara took in the smell of the morning dews and felt the warm rays of sunlight caressed across her face. ¡°Ah at last the sun finally broke through the clouds after last night¡¯s rainfall. Still a little bit misty but a beautiful morning nonetheless. I¡¯ll check on Javi and have him accompany you in a minute.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Leaving Clara at the back garden, Kiara went inside to find Javi. Finally alone with her thoughts, Clara began her daily breathing exercises. It was pretty much the only thing that she could do in her current physical condition without upsetting her caretaker. Recalling one of her training sessions, she reminded herself of her Master¡¯s words about letting go and finding the right mental balance: ¡°Empty your mind pupil and find stillness in your thoughts.¡± ¡°Now picture a quiet morning as you float over the clouds and drift across the lake.¡± ¡°Find steadiness by looking at your reflection in the calm water.¡± ¡°Whenever you are ready, try to direct the flow of the natural energies toward your core.¡± ¡°...I was only able to get hold of some of it Master.¡± ¡°Clara...as Martial Warriors we must not neglect our inborn gifts but must utilize them to our advantage. Our senses can be augmented the more skilled we become. You do not need to fully master them like our mage counterparts but just understanding one¡¯s own elements is critical for progress. Go ahead and overcome this natural barrier of insight on your own. This is something that can not be taught but only through experience will your future potentials be unlocked. I know you are ready for the next tier of magic.¡± ¡°Ughhh Master you always said that but how can I overcome such a thing? It¡¯s been years since the incident but I have yet to make any progress. The best I can do right now is erecting basic elemental barriers while maintaining proficiency in my warrior skills.¡± ¡°Oh ho! Listen to yourself berating your own abilities without actually trying. I understand why you¡¯re hesitant about it. Let go of your fears Clara and confront the past. Sometimes we must-¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master. Please forgive this foolish student for disappointing your expectations. I just don¡¯t feel like I am ready yet to pass that hurdle yet.¡± ¡°...We are never truly ready for anything Clara. The best anyone of us could do is to be prepared when the time comes. Now stop fidgeting around so much and concentrate!¡± Sensing the flickers of magic around her, Clara redirected the energies toward the center of her being. It was a lot easier for her mind to notice these traces now that she wasn¡¯t using her physical eyes for sight. But just as before she was doing it wrong. Lacking the finesse control over the floating magical particles, she could see a large quantity of them escaping her body. Manipulating the world¡¯s energies required more than a calm mind and strength of will. At the moment however, Clara did not even possess those two basics of basics. How frustrating. This was the one of the reasons why she had trained in the martial path. It was a lot easier to punch your way through things than spending all that time wrestling with the magical unknown. ¡°Deep breaths girl, deep breaths. Control your wandering thoughts. Invite the magic into your being. Make them feel welcome to be part of you rather than forcing them to do your bidding, for they had always been there alongside you.¡± Slowing down her heartbeats, Clara followed the advice and submerged herself amidst the currents of energy. She felt the elemental magic gathering around her core, pulsating in cadence along with every breath that she took. She could hear the loud poundings of her heart and the circulation streams of her lifeblood. The world around her suddenly became a little brighter amidst the perpetual darkness. Her senses were sharper than ever before with every blade of grass and sounds of the forest bustling with life. Was this the next level of comprehension that Master had talked about? ¡°Amazing feeling isn¡¯t it?¡± Yes. Indeed it was an amazing experience. A tiny flicker of light twinkled in and out of existence in the far distance. With every second that passed she could see it becoming a little bit sharper to define. Every fiber of her being yearned to run toward the luminescence. The tiny ball of light seemed to be hovering ever closer to her location. Reaching out with her senses, she could¡¯ve sworn that it just spoke out her name. There was a foul stench in the air as the light ball increased in speed, shooting toward Clara while emitting a trace of golden dust in its wake. A gentle whisper of words followed by a light wind brushed past her face. Coming back into awareness, Clara turned her head to the direction of the stranger¡¯s voice all the while noticing that the strange light was gone. ¡°Yes. Thank you for providing me with your advice earlier err¡­¡± ¡°I am called Delmira, head shaman and protector of the village. Kiara spoke to me about you little Clara and I was just stopping by to introduce myself. What¡¯s wrong? You look like something is troubling you.¡± ¡°No...It¡¯s just that I felt something earlier. Something that I couldn¡¯t explain. A sort of presence that tried to I don¡¯t know, communicate with me. Is that normal?¡± With a title of shaman, perhaps Delmira could shed some insight into what Clara had just experienced. ¡°Hmm that is interesting indeed. Why don¡¯t we talk more about it after your walk with Javi? Ah, here he is.¡± Running out with hurried steps, Clara could hear Javi¡¯s excited voice as he approached. Breakfast must have had some type of honey again, Javi never failed to mention what his absolute favorite food was in the morning. ¡°Oh hello there head shaman! My grandmother is inside if you need to see her. Do you want to join us for a walk around the neighborhood?¡± ¡°Perhaps another time child. I will see you two when you get back from your walk. I have some things to take care of with your grandmother. Enjoy yourselves now.¡± With her goodbyes, Delmira left to find Kiara. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you around the upper farmlands this morning big sister Clara. My friend¡¯s family has the tastiest of fruits that we can try. Plus, it¡¯ll be good for you to have something else in your body besides that yucky stuff.¡± ¡°That sounds good Javi. Although your grandmother would be furious if she found out that I¡¯m having anything besides the prescribed medicine drink¡­¡± ¡°Bah! I won¡¯t tell if you don¡¯t. I can see that you are ready to move on days ago but grandmother was just being extra safe for no reason.¡± ¡°Thank you Javi. I guess I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± ¡°Great! Let¡¯s head out now while the sun is still cool in the morning. Ooooh I was playing with my friends yesterday and we saw a tiny wild cat in the trees¡­¡± Perhaps it was just her sense of honor speaking but Clara made up her mind to find some ways to repay back her caretakers, and that meant trying her best to live with this broken body. Instead of feeling elated at the realization, she felt a sense of tiredness at her silent oath. A life debt was more than someone like her could give. ¡°There is no rest for the weary.¡± Clara finally understood what the words meant as she dreamed about better days.