《The Demon King Shall Save The World》 Prologue The Demon King Shall Save The World. Prologue Somehow it was fitting, for these to be his final hours upon the earth. A sigh escaped his lips, eyes pointed downwards towards the battle field, to the tides of men and beasts below. They had made it into the fortress, the armies of man, dwarves and elves; all had rallied against him ¨C perhaps that would be consolation prize? Either way, when your opponent was the combined might, of three races backed by the gods; defeat was simply a matter of time. But still his men had stood beside him to the bitter, bloody end. He shook his head, turning his gaze backwards; she had arrived. Behind him the doors burst open, clattering to the ground free of their hinges, a deep gash marring their¡¯ surface, as she strode forwards to meet him. She was beautiful even now; her hair was scarlet, cut short at an angle, the stroke that had severed it leaving a faint scar behind upon her nape. She was slender and sweet, and clad in heavy armour, enchanted to the limit of endurance, while behind her trailed an immense blade as tall and wide as a man, lacking a point, but with a guillotines edge. She was bleeding badly, her left arm a visceral mess, one eye shut and smeared with blood. It seemed that Nabb had done her job well; he supposed he would soon meet her in the hereafter. This was the first time they had met, the Demon Lord Gorren, and the Hero Alda. He gave her a bitter smile turning to face his old foe, cape thrown backwards in the breeze. ¡°Just... Give up.¡± She panted out those words with what little strength she had, the first words to pass between them, ¡®give up¡¯. His lips coiled tighter their¡¯ corners turning. ¡°You¡¯ve lost this fight, give up... there¡¯s no point, anymore.¡± She hefted up her blade resting its guard upon her shoulder. Even now, weakened as she was, she possessed incredible strength. ¡°My, I didn¡¯t know heroes could be so cruel. Where¡¯s the rest of your¡¯ party, dead?¡± Gorren questioned, with a sigh turning his back upon her to return his gaze to watch as the tides of battle slowly turned below, as his forces were crushed and his city razed. ¡°They¡¯re keeping your¡¯ general distracted. Now surrender, we both know how this will end!¡± Her voice rose into a desperate plea her hair spilling forwards to cover her face. She truly was naive, a kind hearted fool if ever there were. And slowly from the depths of his chest, laughter sounded out, causing the air to shake, the deep rumble of magic striking his tower rising up from below to join him. ¡°Surrender and be slaughtered, how inhumane, no how human. We¡¯re not animals, we¡¯re not monsters; no matter what you say. How can a hero be so cruel ¨C take life so wantonly.¡± He smiled rising up to mount the parapet facing her down with deep black eyes that had held a contempt born from two decades of strife.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done how are you not monsters? Do you know how many people have...¡± She stepped forwards, the tower beneath them quivering and cutting her off. And in that moment, He cut in ¡°I once promised an old friend, I would find a road towards peace, that I would stop the needless violence. But it was you humans that denied me this; it was you that drove us to war. For each one of you we have killed, hundreds, thousands of our kind have died before. If we are monsters, then we are the monsters you make.¡± He laughed staring down at his opponent, now fallen to her knees as the very foundations of the spire trembled. Gorren paused for a moment his laughter dying low, a heavy strain entering his voice; ¡°it¡¯s a shame, really it is. I couldn¡¯t keep my promise. With this war the final chance at peace is extinguished, I always think ¡®what if I had found another way?¡¯ but it¡¯s pointless now. When this city falls the species you refer to as monsters will be hunted down, slaughtered; every man, woman and child. Congratulations Hero, you won.¡± He smiled then, it was bitter and sad. The smile of a man that had reached the end of a road not worth walking, and no choice but to go back and try again, and so he did; he fell backwards, and he fell down. A wave of magical flame engulfed the tower, dragging it down with him, the final blow to the Ren kingdom, as its first and last king plummeted to the earth. But before he could fall any further, before he could join his old friends beyond, he was stopped in his tracks, by the woman who had come to kill him. She was latched onto his ankle, her sword tumbling down below, as with her one good hand she held him in place. ¡°You don¡¯t get to die like this!¡± She yelled, a single light blue eye staring daggers. ¡°I don¡¯t understand a thing you just said, but you¡¯re human right? I¡¯m not from this world ¨C I don¡¯t know how it works. But I can promise you this I¡¯m going home with a clean conscience!¡± She yelled, pulling him upwards towards the light, and the dawn rising in the distance. ¡°I make you that promise, so pull yourself together. Get up here, and I¡¯ll hear you out. If it turns out your not mad or stupid, then I¡¯ll help you: I¡¯ll help you save your people. We¡¯ll do it together, Promise.¡± Her face was strained but he knew the words she spoke were true. A small smile crept across his face, and for the first time in a long time it was honest, the honest smile of a dying man. He reached up seeking for her hand, she released his leg and before he could fall grasped out to reach it. She was grinning down at him now, bloody and beaten, but grinning. And that was when he noticed it, the stones crumbling away beneath her. He reacted on instinct he supposed, drawing in magic and blowing it away, he threw her backwards as the stones collapsed forcing him down, once more towards the earth. He fell at last and for good. And everything went black. But then slowly colour once more colour pervaded his vision. It was hard to tell at first, the way the black slowly faded into shades of brown and gold and blue. But soon a hazy image appeared as if viewed through watery eyes. He could feel the wind upon his cheek, hear her voice calling out to him. And that was when he realised, he stood before his home, in shock awe and fear. For he knew what he was seeing was not a dream, nor some grand delusion. He was standing in the body of his four-year-old self, atop a hill blooming with lilies; his house sitting below, and his sister by his side. ¡°Go are you okay?¡± Chapter One: Home Again Chapter One: Home Again In the year 748 by the new-Calain calendar, The Demon Lord Gorre was born. He was a human, of the village of Dogshead, of the Ulgon kingdom under the Elliene Federation. It was during the spring of the year 778 the village was razed to the ground when Gorre (full name Gorren Taross) ordered his beasts to march on his former nation, many such villages were trampled, his home town no exception... As he looked out the window he couldn¡¯t be sure why that report came to mind, he¡¯d seen the ashes of his home first hand; when his army had marched had laid siege to Ulgon. He¡¯d paid his respects to the graves of his mother, his father and his sister. But there were no ruins now, the town sat just as it had, nestled tightly within a bend in the Tamara river. There was no sign of ash, or ruin or death, old men fished up and down the rivers length as if nothing had changed, women washed their¡¯ clothes, and children played within the shallow water, as if those horrific years had never come to pass. It was almost as if he really was in the body and time of his four-year-old self. The river ran wide and deep and spanned by a single wooden bridge, that connected one bank to the other, the village to the wilds. The town was surrounded by a palisade of wooden stakes, treated to last, and proofed against fire, much like the miniscule fortress that sat at the villages centre just before the church and acted as guild hall, council house and the mayors abode. It all seemed so perfect and so impossible. ¡°This isn¡¯t real.¡± His voice was a mere whisper, as he pressed his face against the shutters. He¡¯d watched his home town burn long ago, and yet here it was. His sister was alive, his mother to. There house was standing still, he¡¯d always regretted his failure, not protecting them, but maybe now he could make it right? If what he was seeing was real, if he truly stood in the body of his four-year-old self. It felt all too surreal, but when he touched his face, he knew it ¨C smooth features and sleep filled eyes. He¡¯d grown rugged in his former life, he¡¯d become ragged and thin, with heavily matted muscle, and a tangle of hair tied behind his head. But his cheeks were smooth and his hands small and weak. In the corner of his room a wooden sword sat, covered in dents and marring scratches, from half hearted practice and play. His ragged patchwork blanket was pulled up to his waste, and his lumpy bed lay beneath him just as he remembered it. Still it didn¡¯t feel right being back after all this time, it made no sense. There had been no magic involved, no gift from a god, not even the desire to return. He had accepted his fate, given up his life to save another. And yet he was living and breathing, the scars that had once crisscrossed his body had faded. But something deep within him felt strange. Mana, he¡¯d grown his mana pool over decades, strengthened it to be unrivalled among humans, he had been the world¡¯s strongest mage. Even then his magical power could barely be compared to a lower class dragon, but its adaptability allowed him to face foes that many times outreached his strength. But now his mana was gone. If he had to guess he¡¯d say it was even lower than it had been originally, a tiny flickering flame within his body, it would take him years to rebuild it to its former state, even with his perfected regime of training. But the magic he had once mastered was still close at his finger tips. Gorren reached out opening his palm upwards towards the ceiling channelling his miniscule power outwards as from the tips of his fingers, strings of dark flame emerging and converging before him forming a single orb of flame. He snapped his fist closed over the fire, extinguishing it, in a display of manual dexterity that seemed unbefitting for a child. He nodded to himself ¨C he may be weak now, but he was far from helpless.
The prognosis was dire. At least from where she was standing it seemed so, the obnoxious bundle of energy and sarcasm had vanished and been replaced with a near toxic mix of melancholy and gloom. Her younger brother had always been weird but Gorren seemed more so now than usual. ¡°Go, are you sure your¡¯ okay, you need to come out of your room some time.¡± She yelled pressing her face against the gap between the door and the wall, peeking inside. The boy was just sitting there staring out of the window as if lost in thought. She had no idea what was going on inside his head. At this time of day he should have been pestering her to let him help with the chores, which he would inevitably bungle. Or he¡¯d be running off in the woods or bothering the town guards. She had no idea what was going on with him but she was fairly sure he was too young for puberty. ¡°Weird kid... I should just drag him out of there.¡± Livita pouted marching away from her brother¡¯s room to take a seat at the table. Ever since she had come back from the fields two days ago he had been all mopey, the day before he¡¯d been flying about the house going on about finally being old enough to attend school. Ah to follow ones dreams. The knucklehead wanted to be an adventurer; maybe he was just getting cold feet? She was clueless, ¡°Children are a pain.¡± She lowered her head down onto the table a groan seeping from her lips. Her mother chuckling from within her room ¡°Gorren¡¯s just on edge, you were the same when you first went to school... well maybe he is a little worse.¡± The woman smiled from where she sat wrapped within her bed, her hands moving deftly, to make up for the mobility she had lost. It looked like she was preparing some formal wear, either it was for them to wear to the spring festival or it was for them to sell at the festival. She didn¡¯t really care which as long as they didn¡¯t have to pay. To humble farmers such as themselves, a copper held the weight of gold!Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. She tilted her head to look towards the door, taking in a deep breath. She needed to do something and do it fast before her brother became a shut-in. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m taking the runt to the market, we need to restock the bread, and I want to claim the best spot for our stall.¡± Livita grumbled her mother just nodding as she continued her work. She looked back to her Gorren¡¯s room, on a normal day he¡¯d be out of the door in a flash to yell at her for using his least favourite nickname. She supposed that wasn¡¯t going to happen... Livita rose to her feet, her face taking on a slightly red hue before marching towards the door to her brother¡¯s room. Gorren was still wrapped in his blanket staring out of the window, his expression somewhat grim. He hadn¡¯t even noticed she¡¯d barged in. A firm hand shot out grasping the back of his collar and hauling him out of the bed. ¡°We¡¯re going to town!¡± Livita humphed pulling the young boy along. Gorren just stared up at her with a somewhat confused expression as if he failed to understand what was going on. She then forced him into his shoes and out of the door, leaving the two of them standing on the roughly beaten path aiming straight towards the village. Livita reached down and grabbed Gorren¡¯s hand leading the sullen child away. His eyes remaining cloudy as if he were lost in his own little world. She looked back out of the corner of her eye and couldn¡¯t help but wonder what he thought.
The village hadn¡¯t changed, he could remember it every detail, every blade of fresh green grass, each face they passed by on their march. In the distance on the opposite bank, the farmers worked, they checked the crops, spread fresh manure, and worked long and hard to feed the village and themselves. Dogshead was a happy place, idyllic in a sense, just so calm, just so peaceful. Even before a big festival there was a sense of ease in everything people did. It may have seemed frantic and forced but there was a complete lack of worry. Gorren stared wide eyed, he watched people come and go before him, they laughed and smiled, even if to him they were all long dead. It was almost nauseous, it just felt wrong ¨C to be at peace. He shook his head slightly as they crossed over the bridge, his sister leading him by the hand. She was just like he remembered, kind supportive and a little insensitive, she could only ever see one path ahead of her, and she chased it for all it was worth. Unfortunately her current path seemed to be focused on having him act like a child again. He was thirty-years old, he had no idea how to act like a child anymore, he couldn¡¯t remember what being a child was like. He¡¯d been different back then, back before he tried to become an adventurer, back before they¡¯d met, back before he lost her... His mind went blank for a long time, the aura of gloom surrounding him growing thicker with each passing second. His sister staring down at him, a look of mixed irritation and worry on her face. Not that he¡¯d noticed They crossed over the wooden bridge that rose above the stream below and began skirting their way towards the field outside of the town, following alongside the high wooden fence. The tents in the distance slowly coming into view. The Festival, otherwise known as the talent fair. It was a yearly affair where a member of the royal knights would visit their humble little village in order to take notes on any young individual with promising skills, whether it was in magic, crafts, or swordsmanship, as well as to update the id¡¯s of Dogshead¡¯s residents. And if he remembered correctly this year would be his turn, of course his meagre talents would leave him without a backing from the kingdom that the most skilled recieved, he¡¯d sulked for a while before school began and applied himself with a passion that could only be called mania (although his fervour only lasted for two weeks). He smiled slightly a wave of nostalgia hitting him full force. His sister smirking down at him and dropping his hand walking in front and leaning forwards until they met eye to eye. ¡°I¡¯m heading off for a bit, gonna buy some stuff, set a marker for the stall. Look around have some fun ¨C make nice with the village kids, those self-righteous bastards. Well see you in a bit.¡± She laughed stepping backwards and hopping away. It was all very like her. Gorren gave a weary smile before casting his gaze about the stalls once more, he had no idea what he was going to do, everything that was going on around him; not just in the village but the wider world, he knew what was going to happen in the coming days but what was he supposed to do with that knowledge? He¡¯d seen every tragedy, and caused many of them himself, perhaps that was the reason his time had been rewound, perhaps that was his reason for being. Stop it, stop it all and save them all men and monsters alike. That was the only conclusion he could draw, he¡¯d find a way to reach peace between humans and monsters, he¡¯d bridge the gap that had spanned centuries. It was an impossible feat, but that had never stopped him before. But first, first he had to save her. He had sixteen years before then, how he was supposed to do that he did not know, his path was unclear, but he¡¯d decided on his destination. All he needed to do now was lay down the ground work. And that was when he noticed it, the spire rising upwards, above the wooden wall, standing near the centre of the little village - The Dogshead library; he could start there. Gorren nodded to himself breaking out into a jog running towards the library. It felt weird somehow, his body. He was bursting with energy, he felt like he could run for miles, climb walls and swim across seas ¨C and still he was barely moving. His arms and legs were short and skinny, while his face was lathered with baby fat, it just felt unnatural. He shook his head clearing away the thought preparing to dash his way through the crowd. Whether he liked it or not his youth was catching up with him. And as he stared into the dense mass of people, the way suddenly parted. People stepped back hurried, as a dark sharp looped over them all. ¡°Outta¡¯ the way runt!¡± a heavy voice yelled, a brawny man carrying a gigantic slab of meat on his shoulders marched forward, the towns butcher following besides him. The Blacksmith and the butcher forced their way through the crowd, the former was a heavily muscled man, a black beard covering his jaw, while his head was bald a ring of runic tattoos covering an otherwise gleaming scalp. On the other hand the butcher could best be described as non-descript he was a gangly youth with shaggy brown hair and an overall calm yet sharp appearance, and it seemed he¡¯d employed the blacksmith to carry his produce to his stall. And they were both lumbering towards Gorren. They passed him by, an onlooker dragging him by the collar out of the way, the blacksmith shooting him a toothy grin. Gorren had always hated that old man. The two met gazes, and for a brief moment, gloating pride touching against an unhinged killing intent. The butcher froze for a moment before brushing the sensation off, ignoring the frost that had just crept its way down his spine. Gorren humphed turning away and making use of the path the two had just cleared and made his way to the libraries front doors. Chapter Two: Hidden In The Pages Chapter Two: Hidden In The Pages Dogshead library was an old building, it had been in use since the founding of the village, and the ruins it was built on had existed long before that. The library took the form of a gothic tower, that was probably the best way to describe it, its windows were arched as were its doors, all reinforced with steel bars. The stone was old but had a warm colour, while a number of gargoyles sat atop looking down from the spire, mounting the building more comical than frightening. In Gorren¡¯s opinion they left a far more comfortable impression than their real-life counter parts. He never had managed to convince the gargoyles to join his cause. He paused for a moment, he couldn¡¯t let himself drift off track, not when so much was at stake¨C first he needed to confirm that he was in the world he knew, that was where the library came in; if the history recorded there matched the one he knew then he could proceed as expected. He¡¯d perform research on monsters, just a preliminary, but he needed an argument to denounce the classification of the races called monsters and their legalised slaughter, if he had failed both to make peace and war, then this was the only avenue left unexplored. Of course some species did deserve the rank of monster, though foul magic often came into play in the creation such cases. Gorren closed his eyes and steadied his breathing; he couldn¡¯t afford to be a child now. All the strange sensations that had been welling up within him recently he had to put aside ¨C he would find a way to make everything right, to reverse the suffering he¡¯d caused. That was his resolve. He marched forwards his hands shaking ever so slightly as he forced the doors to part throwing them aside and pushing his way into the library. It was one of the few places in the village he had not been, or at least he hadn¡¯t been often enough to remember it. Dust hung gently in the air along with the smell of old paper, there were four floors, each slightly smaller than the one below. The basement served as storage and the living quarters for the librarian he believed, while the top floor was a belfry, Dogshead church lacked a bell so when the time came for congregation it was the library bell that they rung. And the middle two floors those were the library proper, hundreds of books, possibly thousands, they came in forms no thicker than his finger to those broader than his chest. The centre of the building held a single support column that doubled as a flight of stairs spiralling upwards towards the roof, and the walkways of the second floor. But before Goren could gain access to any of that he would first have to face the guardian of Dogshead library; Luciel Barron. She was tall, lanky and thin, her eyes were set deep in her face giving her the appearance of a corpse, while thin lips were pressed up in a sneer. She had taken over the library a year ago after the old man that had run it prior passed away. Gorren believed she had only done so to boost her own ego and because it involved a lot of sitting around. It really was a shame, Gorren had liked Old man Nemuth. Although he always had been a bit senile, could never get his name right, still even in his age his eyes shone bright ¡°What do you want?¡± The question was pointed, snide and full of acerbic mock. Luciel hadn¡¯t changed, she was just as he remembered her; high pony tail, thin smile bent into a permanent smirk. An aura of poison about her that warded off even the thought of human kindness, sitting by her desk placed just before the entrance. ¡°I want to look something up.¡± The woman turned her nose up at his reply, ¡°can you even read?¡± in all honesty he couldn¡¯t remember, of course in his current state he could read, but when he was four? Livita had been trying to teach him ( as preparation for school) but he didn¡¯t think he could read, well maybe a few words and letters, but the books he was looking for were a completely different story. But with current circumstances being what they were, did it even matter? Right now, he supposed not and just gave a curt nod of his head, looking the young woman in the eye. Luciel snorted pushing back her chair and dragging a book down from the shelf. She pointed the spine towards him a sickly grin quickly establishing its dominance across her face. ¡°Read this¡± she slammed the book down on her desk in front of him before dropping back down into her chair adopting her classical smug expression. Gorren sighed grabbing the book and looking over the name written on the spine, of course she chose something needlessly complicated, he paused for a moment ¨C it would probably seem more normal if he struggled. ¡°Professor Gedan¡¯s natural history... of primitive biology¡± He spoke reading from the script printed in miniscule writing along the leather spine before pushing the book back to her. Luciel shot him a glare grabbing the book and looking over the spine, as she slowly began to grind her teeth. Gorren took it as her permission to enter and began to wander along the rows of shelves. It would be easier finding what he was looking for if he were to ask Luciel but there was likely no point in that endeavour they never had gotten along. Gorren sighed and began skimming over the bookshelves arrayed before him; chances were it was going to be a long day.
Nothing, the library was a complete mess; as far as he could tell everything was just put back at random. Some shelves were near empty while others were packed tight ¨C it was as if someone had done it on purpose. So far he had come across everything from a catalogue of local flora to a guide for fending off monster invasions. Actually now that he thought about it most of the books he had seen could be deemed as practical knowledge for everyday life, there were instructions on simple crafts and hobbies collected next to immense guides on the basics of every trade imaginable. Still there was nothing close to what he was looking for, not a single academic subject seemed present, but he specifically remembered there being a large collection of books on magic when Nemuth had run the library. So he had to be looking in the wrong, place; it was time to check the second floor Gorren left the ground floor ascending up the staircase in the centre of the library emerging out onto the walkways above. The second floor, held a considerably smaller number of books than the floor below. They were placed on well made shelves that ran along the back of the wall, while the banisters of each platform were lined with desks. The room was divided into eight platforms one in each of the cardinal directions, each was interconnected by a stone walkway that ran alongside the wall, a banister of twisted iron periodically mounted with enchanted lamps providing light that mingled with the thin arch windows above. And it was clear within a glance this was what he had been looking for. Compared to the books down stairs, most of which were simple leather covers and parchment sheets bound by twine, the tomes in the upper section were professionally crafted with actual paper. Most of them were likely replications of actual books rather than the guides, notes and diaries located below. A grin slowly crept across his face, he had always felt remarkably comfortable in libraries; well after he turned twenty-five at least. He took a deep breath and prepared to throw himself into his work, a sharp glint catching out of the corner of his view That was when he noticed her, a pair of bright green eyes fixing him in place from across the room. For some reason he couldn¡¯t recall having seen her before ¨C She was older than him, probably by a year or more (at least going by appearance). She was short and quiet, a meek person; you could tell that just by looking at her. She was dressed reasonably well, in a white dress draped in a light red shawl that contrasted hair of faint blue a shade of lightning, all settling down across a gentle face with lightly tanned skin. But something about her just seemed to throw him off, and he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it. No matter, he had something he needed to do; there was no time to waste dithering on inconsequential ¡®feelings¡¯, it wasn¡¯t like her presence changed anything. He moved without reservation removing books from the shelves to check their names before returning them to their former positions. It seemed each row on each shelf had its own designated topic, which would hopefully cut down the time it would take him to find a suitable book. Any history book would work, if it matched with the version of history he knew he would confidently say he remained in the same world as he had been born in, otherwise he had been brought to another with world much like the heroes that had once been sent to fight him. Still no matter the answer his goal wouldn¡¯t change, even so he had to knowStolen story; please report. Gorren moved along each shelf, he movements were methodical, he would pull several books down to confirm the topic of the shelf and failing to find what he was looking for returned the books to their places and moved on. Near an hour passed like this, and still nothing ¨C not a single article on the history of the Ulgon kingdom or the Elliene federation. This was starting to frustrate him. He grumbled to himself moving on towards the next shelf. There was no point in stopping now, he¡¯d go around all the shelves if he had to. If he couldn¡¯t find anything then perhaps he should give up, but not before. Gorren sighed side stepping and reaching up to touch the highest row of books, his hands reaching nothing but thin air, the books had been removed. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Gorren froze a soft voice blowing against the nape of his neck, an almost ethereal presence resting behind him, going unnoticed until it was far too late. Gorren leapt aside releasing a small scream facing the young girl who had been sitting at one of the desks all day... She was staring at him, with doll like eyes. ¡°What book are you looking for?¡± She repeated the question, tilting her head slightly to the side, and at last she blinked. ¡°Uh, a book on the history of Ulgon,¡± Gorren gave a hesitant response the young girl nodding and gesturing for him to follow. She led him towards the desk she had claimed as her own, the little corner of the library falling directly under a beam of golden light from one of the arched windows above, while a pile of books lay on the floor beneath her table. The girl took a seat withdrawing a book from the middle of the pile, looked over its spine to confirm the title then handed it over to him. ¡°Sorry, today¡¯s history . Please bring it back when you¡¯re done.¡± She gave him a little nod before going back to her work. Gorren gave her a short glance, she was strange ¨C her personality seemed dull but fell short of monochrome. No it was more like she was detached, someone focused on a goal not because it was what they desired but because it was what they knew. Gorren looked down at the book that had just been pushed into his hands and took a seat on the next desk over from the girl and began to read. The Abridged History of Ulgon from 348 NC, it looked promising, well there was no reason to stop now Well it seemed like all of the facts matched up, the dates as well; chances were he was in the same world he had grown up in. That was good, that was really good ¨C it meant it was possible; he could see her again, and this time he would protect her, whatever it took. A small smile won its way across his face as he closed the book and moved to return it to its former proprietor. The sun had started to sink low now, but it was probably best to go home. He turned on his heels, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and made to leave, but as he did a sharp tug came from the back of his neck. He started again leaping away from the girl that had just yanked on his collar. This was weird; she was weird, that was not the way you got someone¡¯s attention, what was he a dog? She really was strange, you don¡¯t do that kind of thing to a stranger, oh that was it... He had no idea who she was. He knew everyone in Dogshead, down to the last child. There were perhaps five people in the town his own age, six if you included the outlying farms, but he¡¯d never seen her. Maybe she was in town for the festival? ¡°You¡¯re the boy who pushed Marcus in the well.¡± The girl declared locking her eyes with his. Well it seemed that theory went up in smoke, she obviously knew him, but he had no idea who she or ¡®Marcus¡¯ was. Had he pushed anyone into a well? He might have, that was the kind of thing he¡¯d done when he was four. Oh yeah, it was the blacksmith; the old man had kept calling him a runt so Gorren and pushed him over (he never actual fell in the well but he did trip over it and came out of the whole ordeal with a fist sized lump on the back of his head), he¡¯d gotten scolded for that one, even his mother had joined in. He remembered that clearly. ¡°So you mean the blacksmith?¡± The girl nodded ¡°father came home yelling about it.¡± For a long moment Gorren¡¯s brain blanked the girl just staring up at him in complete silence. She called her father by his first name... Her father was the blacksmith... Her father was that jackass! Gorren stood stock still, when it became apparent he wasn¡¯t going anywhere soon she reached down and grabbed another book shoving it towards him. ¡°I¡¯m Eitta Calga¡± she gave a diplomatic nod and returned her attention towards her own book. ¡°I¡¯m studying to gain entrance to the Elliene academy ¨C I plan on studying a magic course. Why are you here?¡± she laid out the question perfectly, it didn¡¯t even feel like he was talking to a child, although that was probably for the best. ¡°I just wanted to check something.¡± Gorren smiled deflecting the question and looking down at the book in his hand, maybe she wanted him to stay? He really didn¡¯t get what was going on. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you can read, you didn¡¯t seem like the type.¡± The girl laughed smiling up at him Gorren meeting her gaze, she really did look cute when she was smiling... Did she just call him dumb?
¡°Thanks Jean, it¡¯s a big help.¡± Livita grinned patting the empty stall set up just off of the main event square. Members of the merchant guild from the capital had already set up their own stalls claiming most of the best spots by virtue of having the best merchandise or attractions leaving the entrepreneurs of Doghead to scrape by. No one really complained about it, it was the only chance they got to buy goods not made and sold within the village. Maybe it was a little pricier than what most were used to, but both the quality and variety were worth it. ¡°It¡¯s no problem.¡± The young man laughed eyeing over the arrayed merchandise, ¡°your mother really is something, the embroidery on these things is incredible.¡± He held up a hair ribbon, a long-dragon embroidered across the red silk. ¡°She got that design from an adventurer friend of our fathers, she has a whole outfit to go with it; but she hasn¡¯t worn it since Go was born.¡± Livita sighed thinking back to her mother lying at home, it was probably painful being alone. ¡°Speaking off the little creeper¡¯s been acting really weird lately.¡± Livita leaned against the stall looking upwards towards the setting sun. ¡°Weird how, he¡¯s always been a bit off?¡± Livita crossed her arms, her brow knitting tight, ¡°It¡¯s kind of like he just got depressed, he¡¯s been acting a little dull for the past few days, like some old man.¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably just going through a phase, thinks it makes him look cool. Or who knows maybe he was a girlfriend.¡± Jean poked a jab towards her, Livita smirking at the thought. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even have any real friends, too busy running wild in the woods.¡± They grinned to one another before a brief shout rose above the crowd. ¡°Sounds like the mayors calling us in.¡± Livita rocked forwards marching towards the direction of the shouting, Jean following in tow. Dogshead was a village that consisted of around sixty families, it was a large village; but without any form of industry or more than basic education it couldn¡¯t quite be called a town. Still with the better portion of the village gathered, in one place, it provided a smothering feeling as everyone clambered to get a better view the mayor standing atop a small stall waving what appeared to be a letter in his hand. Dereich Heada, one of the descendents of Doug Heada founder of Dogshead was a plump man, he was stocky and short, with a ruddy face; his cheeks shaved clean in attempt to hide his dwarven heritage (although everyone in town already knew). ¡°Hey, we¡¯ve got big news!¡± The man laughed shouting over the low mumble of the crowd. ¡°This year the royal knights will not be performing the talent on our village.¡± The mayor paused a grin on his face. The news silencing the crowd a sense of unease and confusion working among their ranks. ¡°Instead the party of the former hero Taiva Orwich will be arriving tomorrow!¡± The mayor slammed his fists down laughter rolling from his deep gut Silence reigned over the quiet little town, the sun set far to the west and a once pale moon grew clear in the sky, as a chill wind blew in from the north. And following this silence a storm swept in. Laughter broke out among the crowd moving in ripples of sounds and clapping. The previous hero had been called in by the king of Elliene; pulled from another world, and with his help the warring kingdoms were united in order to fight against the threat posed by the growing number of monsters and the ever encroaching empire. Then rather than returning home to his own land the Hero chose to remain. The fact he was visiting a town so far out in the sticks was nothing short of a miracle. ¡°Ha, can you believe this?¡± Jean laughed looking to Livita, she shook her head grinning. ¡°Who knows maybe this will lift Go out of his funk.¡± And at the point her stomach dropped. ¡°Crap, it¡¯s way too late for him to be out alone! I¡¯ll see you tomorrow Jean¡± What followed was a raucous chase through the streets of Dogshead. She checked the usual locations where the runt should have been hiding to no avail. He wasn¡¯t under the bridge, by the well or in the woods. He wasn¡¯t hanging around the guard station or near any of the recently set up stalls. At last a tip came in from Marcus the town blacksmith that the kid had run off to the library which made near to no sense. Gorren could barely read and write his own name, he hated learning and he hated sitting still, the only reason he¡¯d go to the library was to cause trouble, at least since Nemuth died, still it was the only lead she had. What she found in the library was in no uncertain terms disturbing. He was sitting there, he was just sitting there reading a book; as if it were natural! And besides him was a young girl maybe a little older than him if she had to guess. Ha, he really did have a girl friend... Chapter Three: The Human Sea Chapter Three: The Human Sea It had failed, he had failed ¨C he came to parlay peace but in the end all he received was death, bloodshed and a declaration of war. Still he was alive; it was a mixture of luck and fate that had won him the day, and struck first blow in the second demonic war. But he could take no joy in his victory, not with the carnage that lay about him. The royal guard¡¯s burnt, ancient pillars of marble stone cracked, and tapestries that wove the Federation¡¯s history went up in flames. The house of Elliene¡¯s royal family returned to brick dust and corpses. The princess, prince and their guards had all escaped having never attended the meeting in the first place, but the king and the queen lay immolated in the flames they had begun, still sitting high upon their¡¯ thrones. His magic was worthless, it could not stop the flames, it could not heal their wounds, it did not hold the power to save, it could only destroy. That was the nature of a curse, curse based magic could only ever serve death. All his efforts seemed to be in vain. He¡¯d established himself in no-man¡¯s land gathered the individual clans of monsters and rallied them into a kingdom inadvertently placing himself atop them all. He never wanted to lead, just to create a haven for those persecuted as monsters. And when it came time to announce his presence to the rest of the world, what met him was scorn, dejection and an assassin. Gorren pulled his cloak tighter walking through the flames pushing his way beyond the veil of smoke towards the doorway and his escape. ¡°Stop!¡± the voice was clear and pure, breaking through the chaos, a dark figure stained with blood, facing him down. This was the man they¡¯d sent to kill him, this was the man known as Hero; Taiva Orwich. His armour had been charred black, his face covered in burns, dark magic flickering from a ruined eye, a sword; its edge ragged and broken, clasped tightly in his hand. He was hero in more than just name it seemed. Even as his friends and family lay dead he stood to fight ¨C it was an admirable display if nothing else. He nodded a bitter smile making its¡¯ way across Gorren¡¯s face, as he dipped into a ceremonial bow towards the hero that even now drew closer. And from the folds of his cloak Gorren produced a knife wrapping the weapon in dark magic until it elongated into a spear and was pointed clear at his foe. ¡°All I wanted was peace¡± Goren spoke and his words shook the air, a mixture of anger and hatred flickering to life within his eyes and mixing with the flames. Taiva smirked lifting his head upwards, his one good eye shifting in his skull. ¡°I¡¯m aware... you¡¯re just a fool corrupted by the darkness and clinging to the light. I¡¯m old now, older than anyone has a right to be ¨C but I¡¯ve done my duty and trained my successor. She¡¯ll come for your head Demon King!¡± The Hero smiled then, he knew he was going to die. And die he did. Gorren screamed, his voice was high and wavering splitting the calm of the night. He was sitting in his bed, back in the town of Dogshead, but the dream wouldn¡¯t leave him. Not when two years after his death Gorren would meet Taiva once again. But he just couldn¡¯t shake the image, burnt it into his head, that day he¡¯d skewered the former hero alive and left him to die. It had hurt him, the man he¡¯d long looked up to, his idol; slain by his own hand. Fate had a cruel sense of irony. And then came the pounding off footsteps, the darkness fleeing as she appeared before him. ¡°Go, what¡¯s wrong?¡± a light spilled into his room the door cast aside as his sister stepped in. She was dishevelled clad in a dressing gown, hair wild and eyes confused. Go saw her there, bathed in the light; alive, she was alive and it was like none of that horrible nightmare had ever taken place. And in the warm light of the candle, fresh tears fell slowly down his face. Livita smiled, laying the candle down upon his bedside table and drawing near sitting at the foot of his bed and pulling him close besides her. ¡°You¡¯re okay now.¡± She smiled when she said it, she had no idea exactly what was going on, but her words were honest, honest and true. And even as she spoke, Gorren felt his eyes close, a sense of peace he hadn¡¯t felt in nearly fifteen years welling up within him. And ever so quietly he fell back to sleep.
Gorren blinked, he looked first to Eitta and then to his sister and then to the blacksmith ¨C something was definitely going on. Night had closed, the sun fading far into the west, the last hints of light dying out while the moon shone above. Several weeks of preparation had led to this. Hundreds of stalls where vendors shouted, and children ran now littered the once empty field outside Dogshead. Deals were struck, and bargains made, the entire scene suffused with a gentle shifting light the vibrancy of youth in full wing. Not that any of that reach him. ¡°Livi.¡± He shot his sister a glare, the young woman just smiled waving at him. He then turned his glare to the blacksmith, who was glaring down his nose at him, a mixture of pride and mirth on his face. And then he turned back to Eitta who just tilted her head at him in question. She clearly had no idea what was going on. How could it be he was the only one in Dogshead with half a brain? Gorren sighed, Eitta had been shoved into an exquisite dress, well at least he thought so; he couldn¡¯t claim to understand fashion. The dress was coloured pale cream at the top but as it fell down it turned a shade of deeper orange, images of butterflies having been dyed on the cloth in green and blue. But other than that dress her arms and legs were bare, she was probably going to freeze. He looked back to his sister, the young woman just smiling at him ¡°You have three silvers, buy anything you like.¡± She gave him thumbs up and skipped away, the black smith just grinned down at him (for some reason Gorren felt fathers were meant to be more protective than this), that old man really was annoying. Well they were only four; exactly what was it he was going to do anyway? He grumbled quietly beneath his breath holding his hand out to Eitta. The young girl just stared at him for a long moment before looking turning her pointed gaze to his hand, ¡°do you want something?¡± she tilted her head in genuine question. She was utterly hopeless. Her father burst out in laughter jabbing a finger at the pair of them; Eitta¡¯s face contorting into a mask of ill-suppressed rage. Gorren decided that the current scene had gone on long enough grabbing hold of Eitta¡¯s hand and marching away from her father towards the outer ring of vendors and hopefully a bit of peace. The Talent Festival was held in the field beyond the village, it was far enough away from farmland to avoid the smell and a good distance from the river to prevent any poor inebriated soul from meeting a watery end. At the centre of the celebration was a large empty ring in the centre of which stood a dais where the testing would be held. In short six simple things would be tested; strength, intelligence, speed, agility, endurance and magic. Those six ¡®stats¡¯ would be used to create a personal id, with which it was possible to travel anywhere in the Elliene Federation, and it was demanded by law for said id to be updated annually. As for why they held a fair to celebrate this he had no idea, he knew there was a story about it ¨C he just couldn¡¯t quite remember. The duo stopped arriving at the farthest ring from the centre, just to the left of the road that bisected the festival and headed straight towards Dogshead. The blacksmith left far behind Gorren¡¯s nerves were eased slightly, though the question of what he was going to do now remained unanswered. This whole event, his time being rewound, seeing people he¡¯d known were long dead, it was wonderful, and terrifying and more than anything: exhausting. This issue really had begun to stress him. He shook his head the pressure on his hand growing tighter Eitta staring at him. ¡°What now?¡± Her question floated upwards, he really did have no idea what to do. He wasn¡¯t cut out for festivals or fairs or happiness in general, he had no idea what to do at a festival. What did normal people do? ¡°What do you want to do?¡± He questioned hesitant, Eitta staring off into space briefly before pulling him along by the hand. It was somewhat dizzying, the lights the sound the music, it was a barrage against the senses almost like a battlefield of sorts. Lanterns of every shade hung on ropes strewn above, bunting strung alongside them, while sweet and savoury aromas drifted from the food stalls scattered here and there, it would be the one time of the year the youth of Dogshead had a chance to sink their¡¯ teeth into sugar and other rare delicacies. The testing was but a part of Festivals charm, they were selling everything from trinkets to trumpets and from that grand selection Eitta chose one stall in particular, he really shouldn¡¯t have been surprised... Books, that was the girl¡¯s only desire; books and stationary. Eitta dropped his hand and ran forwards to drool over the stall, a young man grinning down at the two of them with an eager expression. ¡°Now, young sir, madam is there anything you¡¯re looking for in particular?¡± he executed a polished bow before standing up to rub at a shadow of a beard reaffixing the bandana tied about his head. Eitta ignored the man rummaging through his merchandise piles of thin books the pages pure and white ranging in grade from poor to average. There was no way they¡¯d be able to afford an actual book even on their combined wealth of six silver but a note book was within reason. ¡°It seems she knows what she wants, what about you lad. Or are you just accompanying your little girl friend¡± the man snickered giving him a grin. Gorren shook his head, his cheeks having turned slightly red. Why was he behaving like this he was thirty years old!If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Maybe it was hormones kicking in or the lack there of. ¡°These.¡± Eitta lifted up three items, a slim booklet, a steel tipped quill and an inkwell. ¡°Two-Fifty Geld.¡± The Vendor nodded taking the items and slipping them a thin plywood box before wrapping a ribbon around the bundle, Gorren had to admit it was a nice touch. Eitta moved without hesitation passing the three silver coins (each worth one geld*) to the vendor and took the box with palpable glee. She received a large copper coin in return (each worth fifty gild; half the value of a single geld), this put their combined wealth at three and a half Geld. Gorren felt his stomach churn slightly looking down at the coins lying in his palm, one side printed with the image of a unicorn the other the face of a wizened man, who happened to be the old king of Elliene. Coins with the face of his son were currently in circulation in the capital but the face on the coin didn¡¯t change the value of the coin itself.
They began to drift after that, wandering from stall to stall pausing every now and then to spend a few coppers, picking up something to eat or playing one the games the towns folk set up. At some point he¡¯d actually started having fun. ¡°So where to next?¡± Eitta asked with a small smile gazing about the stalls. ¡°I want to drop by my mother¡¯s stall and check out the popular stores near the centre.¡± Gorren replied directing her down one of the busier pathways. They took a meandering jog Eitta trailing slightly behind coming up towards the row of stalls leading towards the centre of the festival, his mother sat down before her own stall, articles of clothing from the mundane to the fine, arrayed on a wooden table before her. ¡°Hey!¡± He called out waving to his mother, the young woman waving back to him as they drew close. Gorren supposed he looked like his mother, they shared the same black hair and dark eyes, they were both slender, though he just appeared skinny; and they had a fairly similar temperament. On the other hand his skin was darker and his features more blunt unlike his mother. ¡°Go, it¡¯s good to see you¡¯re back in high spirits. And this must Marcus¡¯ little girl, you¡¯re Eitta right?¡± His mother laughed moving from behind her stall with a smile, Eitta gave a little nod her eyes quickly focusing on his mother¡¯s wheel chair, the device creaking as she moved forwards. Gorren looked away slightly his mother pulling the young girl into a hug. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you¡¯ve finally made a friend and with such a cute girl too. And thank you Eitta for putting up with Go, he can be an idiot sometimes but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll protect you.¡± Was it just him or did it seem like his mother was signing him onto something he¡¯d never agreed to? ¡°It¡¯s about time for the testing so you¡¯d better get to the main plaza, I¡¯ll join you when they make the announcement.¡± His mother smiled before pausing for a moment looking Eitta up and down, ¡°before you go take this, you look cold.¡± She smiled wrapping Eitta in a long white coat, with a pair of tails and oversized sleeves. The young girl grinned turning to face Gorren, he gave her a little thumbs up before she took his hand and they began to run towards the main plaza. Of all the places in the fair the plaza was by far the most crowded, it reminded Gorren of one of the big cities. he¡¯d attended the Talents Festival in Tonsan, the capital of Ulgon once in his adventuring days, it gave off a similar feeling. It was amazing although the heat and the lights had started to become a little dizzying. Eitta picked up on this directing the two of them towards a stall selling a large variety of skewers, the each ordered whatever caught their eye; Gorren went with wyvern while Eitta chose chicken. When he asked for Wyvern, a family of dragon that could range in size from that of a small bird to ones the size of a house (though they were unable to breathe fire or use magic like their true dragon counterparts), everyone who heard gave him a strange look, even the man selling it seemed ill at ease. Wyvern was a fairly common meat, the issue was you needed to build up a tolerance for the food first, since as a relative of the dragon it was poisonous, barely so but still poisonous. It could make young children sick. A little touch of magic could fix it up fairly easily though. He ate heartily the two moving from the skewer stand to drop themselves on a set of nearby benches waiting for the testing to begin. ¡°Hey Gorren!¡± A young boy shouted pushing through the crowds to stop before their bench. Lorris; he was the son of a farmer, Gorren could neither claim they were close or distant but they did enjoy spending time together on occasion. If they lived closer together they would probably be friends, their strongest bond being their hatred for the ¡®Town Boys¡¯, who believed just because their parents lived within the towns walls they held some status those who lived in the countryside did not. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± Lorris tilted his head slightly looking to Eitta. The young girl drew back slightly shuffling towards Gorren. ¡°Her names Eitta I met her yesterday at the library.¡± ¡°You can read?¡± the question came again. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t believe that¡± Eitta whispered looking up at him. Perfect it seemed he was already branded an idiot, well hopefully tonight would prove them wrong. With his body exchanged all of his stats should have changed as well, all but one; the stat; intelligence, made up from a mix of traits namely: memory, reaction time, wisdom and knowledge would be mostly unchanged. Of course his old intelligence had verged on two-hundred, it could cause problems And as this thought rushed through his head he heard it, a voice that had haunted him for years calling out across the fair ¡°The testing is ready to begin, can anyone who wants their stats appraised gather in the plaza, we¡¯ll start with the children then move on to everyone else. Skill tests will be held later!¡± Gorren looked up over the crowd and sure enough there he stood Taiva Orwich. His hair was grey; he was old ¨C in his mid fifties if Gorren¡¯s math was correct. His forehead was covered in wrinkles, contrasting against pale white scars that accentuated his face. But even at such an age he wore his armour with ease, he moved with the efficiency of a soldier, and a skill that time could not erode. He was one of the few lone humans that could have defeated Gorren in single combat, of course that was back when he had his full powers. Now he was little more than helpless. Not to mention besides Taiva his party stood, three individuals whose strength could not be understated fulfilling the ranks of tank, mage and archer. They were a fearsome force in their heyday and even now should not be underestimated. Eitta tugged on his sleeve pulling him out of his reverie and dragging him towards the back of the dais. One of Taiva¡¯s party members; their tank Juna Gorwich (his wife) began lining people up at the back, starting with the children then the adults. This was their one opportunity to update their id without a trek towards the nearest town which was five days away by cart. This year it seemed like four children would be receiving their id This time it was Lorris, a young girl from the village and daughter of the tanner, followed by the carpenters son, and of course Gorren. The two inhabitants of the town seemed to be going to extreme lengths not to be near the ¡®country-dwellers¡¯ going so far as to complain before being shot down with a light tap on the head and a serious glare by the imposing woman overseeing them. It was roughly six minutes before the testing began, and before the dais a sea of people gathered. Gorren remembered this day clearly, he¡¯d been terrified standing before that crowd, but now it barely worried him. He¡¯d stood before armies once upon a time. ¡°Okay, now let¡¯s begin the annual testing!¡± Taiva laughed ¡°And to start with a brief introduction. I am Taiva Orwich retired hero, today four young individuals are receiving their ids, this will be the first time they learn of their statistics. But I implore you to keep in mind, raw power means nothing. For humans to face off against monsters, races possessing ten or twelve time our physical and sometimes mental abilities, we must hone our skills as well as our stats. No man can stand on one leg alone. And with that in mind let me call out our first examinee; Anna Selban!¡± The young girl stepped forwards to a round of applause. Taiva knelt down withdrawing a steel card from his pocket along with a small white ball. He muttered something to her beneath his breath and dropped the orb into her hands. He waited a short moment as the milky white turned to a pale green and he placed the steel card atop it. The metal itself then adopted a faint green hue before Taiva stood and prepared to read the results aloud. ¡°Anna Selban; age four, speed four, strength six, intelligence thirteen, magic fourteen, agility fourteen and endurance sixteen!¡± He read in ascending order his voice growing louder with each announcement There was a short round of applause as Anna grinned taking back the card from Taiva¡¯s outstretched hand her father waving from the crowd as she rushed forwards to meet him and the carpenters son was called up. It was fairly impressive getting four stats over ten at her age, but something was nagging at him. He could feel it something was off, he hadn¡¯t noticed it before but now, it was on the tip of his tongue. Lorris jabbed him in the arm knocking him forwards and forcing him up towards the stage Taiva gesturing for him to come it seemed it was his turn now. Gorren nodded slightly a mix of fear and guilt welling up within him. Even if Taiva was alive now it hadn¡¯t changed what he had done. He fixed that thought firmly within his mind as he faced his hero. ¡°Good luck.¡± Taiva smiled holding out the crystal its colour slowly fading from the previous red from the carpenters son. Gorren took the orb firmly in hand well aware of the colour it would turn: oily black like the darkest night. He released a pent up breath closing his eyes and clenching his fist, he stood like that for a moment and when he looked down at the sphere it was almost like a cloud of blight had gathered there Taiva¡¯s expression becoming strained. The hero shook his head slightly and tapped the card down watching as the steel was dyed black and pure white writing appeared across its glossy surface. ¡°Gorren Taross Magic two, endurance four, strength six, speed seven, agility nine, Intelligence.¡± The Hero paused swallowing hard, Gorren closing his eyes and waiting for his peaceful life to be thrown to ruin, ¡°fifty-two.¡± Silence fell over the scene, a mixture of disbelief and confusion rising in the hearts of all. Chapter Four: The Long Road On Chapter Four: The Long Road On Frantic, panicked and rushed; the palace was in an uproar. It wasn¡¯t abnormal, not by any means; people were always rushing about, whether it was to prepare a ball, ready a meeting, or to greet some new diplomatic envoy. And as the daughter of the king she was left firmly out of it all. Clover pouted staring down from between the banisters, if she had to guess whatever this new catastrophe was it involved the church, at least there seemed to be a lot of clergy men rushing to and thro accompanied by the castle staff, armed members of the royal guard and troops from the Elliene order of knights. ¡°Out of the way miss!¡± one of the maids shouting from above before rushing past, arms laden with what appeared to be Clover¡¯s old clothes - things were just getting stranger. The young girl gave a humph stepping aside to let the maid pass before trailing along after the departing servant. Her frown grew more porminent as she went, her family had probably deemed her unfit to know about whatever new calamity assailed them, that or they forgot she was there. Until she turned fifteen and was considered a legal adult she¡¯d really only be a diplomatic show peace, and afterwards a political bargaining chip. Although as future heir to the throne she had a little more say in the matter than most. Even at four years old she was very much aware of those facts, her tutors had made sure to go over them thoroughly. She trundled along following after the maid drifting into one of the kitchens before slipping out of the backdoor, Clover going pretty much unnoticed. That was one of the gifts of being no more than three feet high; it made being ignored a lot easier. She slipped after the maid, who was currently jogging through the garden, cutting across the lawn, Clover tailing behind as she drew towards the chapel. The building in question was about the size of a normal church, miniscule when compared to the cathedral that rested in the centre of the city. It was used mainly for the small religious functions of the royal family and served as the place where they had laid their dead for over eighty years. And it seemed said chapel was at the centre of this commotion. And there her father stood before the open doors, his arms crossed and brow furrowed, and while he was not dressed in his full regalia, he exuded the aura of a king. He turned as soon as the maid approached, the young woman slipping into the dark building leaving Clover to face her father. The king gave her a small smile opening his arms. She rushed forwards into her father¡¯s embrace as he scooped her up and faced back towards the church lifting her up onto one of his shoulders. It seemed that whatever the issue was, it was neither official nor dangerous, otherwise he would have sent her away in a heartbeat. ¡°Where¡¯s Taiva?¡± The king enquired looking to one of the guards accompanying him. ¡°He¡¯s away sir, to perform a testing ceremony at an outlier village in Ulgon.¡± The king¡¯s face crumpled up as a heavy sigh escaped his lips. ¡°Then has the arch-bishop arrived?¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± the cry came from behind them, a young woman jogging forwards waving a hand through the air; her name was Oluva. Oluva was to put it frankly, a scruffy individual, she had ragged brown hair and wore her robes loosely; it was a truly unbefitting state for the head to clergy in Elliene. ¡°So what is it, your¡¯ messenger said it was an emergency?¡± The priest panted attempting to straighten her ruffled robes the King shaking his head in exasperation Her father took in a deep breath looking around as if to confirm no one of importance was in range before he spoke; ¡°a hero has been summoned.¡± A moment of silence fell upon the courtyard any unaware pausing and turning their heads upwards in a mix of awe and fear. ¡°Ah, how bad is it?¡± the bishop questioned tentative, her smile wavering. ¡°A blessing from all of the gods with the exception of Fion¡± the bishop¡¯s face went pale at the reply. The more blessings they possessed the more powerful the summoned hero, the more powerful the hero the more dangerous the threat they would fight that was the general rule at least. ¡°That¡¯s not the biggest issue at the moment.¡± The king sighed waving the young woman off, ¡°The problem is, the hero that was summoned this time is only four years old¡± The king jabbed a finger towards the church, from which a pale blue glow issued forth the concentric lines and runic glyphs belonging to a magic circle within highlighted. And from the ring of light, a young maid carrying a child sallied forth; the girl screaming as she was brought into the light. The archbishop gave a wan smile, ¡°well this certainly is a predicament.¡± ... Fifty intelligence; to put it into context the majority of full grown adults who had received proper education, in a town or city, would average at around that number. On the other hand a child is likely to have an intelligence score of ten or below, with proper study and education fifteen, someone with natural talent twenty. As the child grows up it is expected by the time they turn ten their stat will have had a minimum increase of fifty-percent. A four-year-old child possessing fifty intelligence without an education was bordering very close on the impossible. On the other hand a thirty-year old with the same stat was no more than average. In fact prior to the event Gorren had had a total intelligence of two-hundred-and-four, of course the better portion of this dropped as only his memories were carried over; his skills would be rusty, his reaction times dulled, when his time was rewound much had been lost. Of course the crowd did not know this. What they did know was that Gorren Tarros spent most days playing in the woods, running through the trees and rushing into town when the sun began to set. There was no round of applause when his score was announced just a hesitant sea of murmurs as Lorris was called to take the stage next. Gorren walked off of the dais looking about the crowd, there had to have been a better way with dealing the situation. There was no point in thinking about it now, what was done was done. He turned his gaze upwards to see Livita waving out to him from the side lines a forced smile on her face. Gorren jogged over, and as soon as he was in arms reach Livita grabbing him by the waste and hauling him up onto her shoulder carrying him like a bag of flour and marching away. ¡°Hey what are you doing?¡± He questioned glaring down at his sister, only just noticing Eitta following besides them face contorted, in something that settled between irritation and unbridled rage. The duo marched him through the street with no undue ceremony, drawing strange glances from the nearby crowd. Gorren was only released upon approaching his mothers stall; well at least one person didn¡¯t seem to be angry with him. Livita dropped him onto his rear snatching his id from his hands slamming it down on the table, ¡°How in the hell are you smarter than me.¡± Gorren just shrugged looking away, the whole situation had started to feel uncomfortable, there was no way he was going to be able to explain this. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean, what you too smart to explain, huh?¡± Livita grabbed his head pulling him into a hold before dragging her knuckles across his scalp repeatedly. Gorren struggled against her grip as the pain slowly began to intensify, ¡°Hey let go of me!¡± his cries went unheeded, until at last a sunny voice put pause on his abuse. ¡°This is brilliant, with these stats you may even be able to attend a school in the capital, no maybe even an Elliene Academy!¡± His mother laughed taking up the small black card. ¡°No way, this little punk is that smart, he can barely even read!¡± ¡°Let go of me already!¡± Gorren began struggling against his sister slamming the heel of his shoe into her foot eliciting a sharp cry before her arms loosened and he leapt away from her coming face to face with Eitta. ¡°This is unfair.¡± She crossed her arms turning away from him. Great it seemed he¡¯d managed to make himself public enemy number one. ¡°What¡¯s your intelligence then?¡± Gorren grumbled, brushing himself down and attempting to neaten his ruffled hair while his sister stood back grinding her teeth. Eitta spun away to avoid him, her face slightly red, ¡°thirty-five¡± She muttered glaring at him from over her shoulder. Gorren had to admit he understood where she was coming from, and it was slightly unfair, but with her already ridiculous intelligence she really shouldn¡¯t complain. Ugh, he was in desperate need of a break. ... The Tamara River bent around Dogshead it was fast flowing, clear and pure. With the well no one really needed to drink from the river, so most people just chose to wash their clothes or themselves within the current they fished from the bridge and children played in the water, it had become an integral part of their lives. Gorren left the festival far behind as he dropped down onto the river bank, the cold air comforting against his face. He really did feel tired, everything that had happened, the past few days; the past few years. His memories, no one shared them, no one would understand them, now more than ever he was alone, still even now there was a ray of hope. Gorren yawned closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, she was alive; out there somewhere, alive and suffering, he knew that ¨C he¡¯d saved her then as much as she had saved him. He could see it, her face beaming so proud, the sound of the trees and the touch of the grass as he had stood within that field of light. Those days had been perfect... Dogshead despite the bizarre name, was truly an idyllic countryside village, so peaceful so beautiful, of course the people were another matter. A short shout came from a little ways behind him filled with malice and vitriol, ¡°how did you do it you bastard!¡± Gorren turned to face the owner of the voice, it was the town boys three of them to be exact. And leading the pack was Doreen, the boy who had taken centre stage just before Gorren. ¡°What do you...¡± Gorren¡¯s question was cut short as the boy rushed forwards planting a kick in Gorren¡¯s back sending him sprawling forwards. ¡°You cheated, you¡¯re dumbass, and everyone knows that. I¡¯ll tell everyone you faked it, and they¡¯ll cart you off to one of them big cities to stand trial for your¡¯ crime!¡± The boy shouted pointing an accusatory finger grinning with an almost maniacal light sending yet another kick Gorren¡¯s way. He¡¯d been taken by surprise with that first strike that had tumbled him down to drench his clothes in grass stains and water, but multiple attempts on his life had at least taught him a necessary lesson ¨C how to avoid an assassins blade ¨C a four-year old with an anger issue was nothing by comparison. Of course Gorren wasn¡¯t in his old body either, he stepped aside; the kick just grazing past his elbow before a half hearted punch was thrown towards his face. He moved to block it, but he just lacked the strength, the blow deflected into his shoulder forcing him to stumble backwards into the grass. He really should start exercising whenever he had the chance. Gorren kept to his feet staggering slightly, irritation sparking to anger. He considered using his magic for a brief moment, but in a fight against children it was completely unnecessary, there was no reason to escalate things to that point. And as he tossed that idea aside the two boys who had been standing on the side lines moments before came into play, they were each older and stronger than Gorren coming up behind him to grab him by the arms while Doreen marched forward preparing to deliver a flurry of blows. Gorren took the opportunity presented to him, jabbing out sending a foot upwards between Doreen¡¯s legs.Stolen novel; please report. What followed was a sharp squeak, one of the boys holding him chuckling slightly at their leader¡¯s obvious predicament as a fist came down from above. Gorren swayed slightly stepping back from the trio, his head somewhat clouded and his vision blurred. He turned his head upwards glaring down at the group that had assaulted him, a sickly silence falling on the scene. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for that you bastard!¡± Doreen wheezed rising to his feet before rushing forwards. But before the next strike could land a powerful voice split the air ¡°Stop this!¡± He¡¯d appeared out of nowhere, and came to stand in a beam of moonlight. Gorren stood still for a moment stepping back as the world seemed to pause and Taiva Orwich stepped forwards. The kind light within his eyes was gone. Neither age nor time seemed to slow him down as he drew his sword from his hip, silver steel bright as day. Doreen froze his friends coming to their senses and slipping backwards away from the approaching hero. ¡°There was no mistake with his id. I assure you of that unless you think he is a more powerful mage than I am... Are you aware assault is a serious crime?¡± The man stepped forwards pointing his sword towards the children watching the trio scatter to the hills, a small smirk appearing across his face. Gorren sighed falling backwards into the grass, staring upwards towards the sky. He had just been saved by the man he¡¯d killed, fate sure had a twisted sense of irony, he really couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°You okay?¡± Taiva questioned with a little laugh sitting down beside him looking up to watch the stars as the river gurgled on by. ¡°I hate it whenever I have to put up a front, but it isn¡¯t like I could just haul off and punch them.¡± Taiva leaned forwards pulling a thin wooden pipe from his breast pocket and a packet of tobacco. Something about this situation just felt wrong and now he knew why. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Gorren questioned Taiva igniting the end of his pipe with a burst of magic from his index finger taking in a deep breath and blowing out a ring of smoke before giving his reply. ¡°You of course, fifty-two that¡¯s one hell of a high intelligence for someone your¡¯ age! Schools will likely try scouting you when I give my report in, so I felt like I should make my offer first; how would you feel about joining the Royal Elliene Academy?¡± Taiva grinned looking down at Gorren it wasn¡¯t the kind of offer you refused. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant.¡± Go stared ahead, looking down to the river, ¡°I knew that much, what I mean is why are you in Dogshead. Why send a Hero here when you should be patrolling the cities, your normal circuit should put you firmly in Firnia at this time of year.¡± Gorren turned to face the hero their gazes locking. He¡¯d been a fool for not noticing it earlier; Taiva was never meant to be there, not originally. A heavy groan escaped Taiva as he shuffled slightly crossing his legs before he replied; ¡°you really are smart huh... It¡¯s pretty simple really; a member of my party Canna sensed an intense pulse of magic from this place around five days ago. Enough magic to destroy a small city, summon a hero, or contact a god. So we decided to investigate and felt the festival would be a good cover.¡± He shrugged returning the pipe to his mouth watching Gorren from the corner of his eye. Five days huh, that was about the time he¡¯d returned to Dogshead, the day of his rewind. He gave a short nod, Taiva sighing puffing out another ring of smoke, ¡°it¡¯s still nowhere as good as a cigarette, way too woody.¡± ¡°Cigarette?¡± Gorren paused at the unfamiliar word. ¡°Ah something from my old world, you wrap tobacco in paper and smoke it, I¡¯m just no good at making them myself and there¡¯s no where to buy them here.¡± His face screwed up slightly as he spoke, a small smile appearing on Gorren¡¯s face. ¡°Earth right, do you miss it?¡± Taiva nodded in stoic silence for a moment before he spoke ¡°Of course I miss it, how could I not... But this is my home. One day I was summoned and ordered to help save the world, brilliant way to start a relationship by the way. Well it took me five years and the help of many people to accomplish my aims and be given the chance to return home. But I couldn¡¯t just go back into my old body and pick up where I left off. After everything I¡¯ve seen, all the horrors, all the wonders, I wanted to stay here so I could actually help people make sure my sacrifice wasn¡¯t for nought.¡± He laughed for a moment rising to his feet. ¡°Think about my offer, I had better go back, we¡¯ll be holding an event for the children in a minutes, I¡¯ll await your¡¯ response then.¡± ... Gorren Tarros... He was certainly interesting individual but something about the child was disconcerting; something in his eyes. When most children looked to Taiva he saw awe, wonder, inspiration, admiration and a hint of fear; swirling about within their eyes ¨C Gorren had none of that. Gorren spoke like he knew Taiva, like they¡¯d met before, like old friends. And when there gazes met he saw nothing but sadness and regret, and occasionally a hint of bloodlust. Those compressed emotions, a brilliant intelligence and the elemental affinity darkness; he would need to be watched closely. Attending the academy would do just that, although forcing him would without a doubt end badly for all involved. ¡°Hey you did well!¡± Gillan laughed shoving Taiva slightly and breaking him from his delusions to greet the hunting party that had just completed their teast. ¡°Thanks!¡± The head hunter laughed holding out the set of three Ids for them to edit while Juna grabbed the corpse of the hellhound that had been their trial enemy for their advancement to D rank. A hunting party composed of a tank, archer and a halberdier, their¡¯ team work was impeccable and for men so young they would undoubtedly become a great asset for the little village. ¡°The next event,¡± an old voice rasped Canna (their mage) leaning forwards, ¡°it¡¯s the children¡¯s battles. We¡¯ve collected a couple of slimes from the forest and the gear from the guards; I¡¯ll go tell Gillan to bring it up.¡± Canna nodded marching off without a reply. The old woman leaning on her staff as she walked approaching the ranger. Taiva shook his head approaching the centre of the stage, he needed to focus. The crowd that had thinned out by roughly half at this point, the sun turning the pitch black of night into a hazy purple. ¡°Dogshead, for our final event we will see a grand battle between the town¡¯s youths and a horde of horrifying monsters!¡± Taiva called out the crowd turning their¡¯ gazes towards him, ¡°monsters known as slimes!¡± A low chuckle rolled out through the crowd as a sea of children began running forwards pushing towards the dais Juna quickly hurrying back after disposing of the hellhounds remains harrying the children towards the back of the platform, and in their number he saw Gorren being pushed forward by a young woman he assumed was his sister, a little girl with blue hair in tow. Taiva glanced back out of the corner of his eye towards the other side of the stage where Gillan stood a crate carried in both hands his old friend giving him a thumbs-up. It seemed things were good to go. ¡°Now I assure you the children are in no danger, we have guaranteed there are no dangerous species of slimes and the children will be well equipped for battle.¡± He gestured to the side where the children were being dressed in heavy chain main shirts, given leather helmets and wooden swords. This was only meant to be a fun little event there was no reason to go overboard. They waited for a short moment as each child was helped into their¡¯ gear until at last a wave came in from Juna, it seemed the children were ready. Taiva raised a hand to signal Gillan jumping down from the dais to stand just before the crowd ¡°Now let¡¯s meet our brave warriors!¡± And so said warriors began their haphazard march. Juna walked along side them providing an example, the children attempting serious faces as they went, sending parents to cooing at their darlings and in one case bursting out in raucous laughter. But amid there number was one soldier who stood apart, Gorren¡¯s expression had turned dark bloodlust and murderous intent floating along his aura in tidal waves. Taiva could pick up on it relying on instinct and gut feeling, he had no real ability in detecting auras but Canna on the other hand, her eyes were fixed to the child in a mix of awe and fear. Taiva put it from his mind; this was supposed to be fun! ¡°Now, release the slimes!¡± He shouted, Gillan returning a nod before upending the crate filled with the gelatinous creatures each the size of a small dog. The forests outside of Dogshead were a prime breeding ground. Most considered slimes no more than pests they destroyed crops and made a mess wherever they went. Of course this often led people to underestimating the monsters that could thrive in every environment on Issen. Powerful slimes could give whole armies reason to pause, of course the current garden variety were little more than moving targets. And when the army of children stepped forwards chaos ensued. It was actually rather entertaining watching the children laughing and screaming as they rushed back and forth swinging their weapons at the monsters scurrying about before them. It had been a good idea to have Canna set up the barrier preventing the slimes¡¯ escape. But for some reason amid the confusion two children barely moved, Gorren and the young girl standing beside him. The former simply held his eyes closed and little fist clenched while the other swung wildly at any slime passing nearby refusing to leave the boy who seemed anchored in place. Soon the tide of battle ebbed away only a few slimes left the children exhausted and grinning. Of course it was still far from over, they¡¯d prepared a little something extra beforehand. ¡°Now with the enemy horde in tatters it is time for the final fight to begin¡± Taiva called out startling the parents in the crowd. ¡°Behold the enemy general!¡± Gillan stepped forwards hefting up a small pink slime the size of a loaf of bread, ¡°now don¡¯t be fooled this creature is fast, and the child to defeat it gets five small silvers.¡± The children perked their heads up Gorren at last opening his eyes. Gillan threw the slime forwards into the little ring the children pouncing like wolves upon a sheep. But Taiva kept his words it was far from easy. Pink slimes held a rather unique trait, healing ¨C they were able to heal the injuries of other slimes and themselves almost without limit ¨C of course they could only heal slimes. And due to their regeneration ability, natural speed and small size they were troublesome even for the best adventurers. Of course that was what made it interesting. Taiva wanted to see what Gorren would do. Time ticked by the children rushing back and forth swinging their blades at the slime that would just dart away the next second avoiding a lethal blow. Time and time again it escaped and healed and waited for the enemy to approach. Without the aid of magic no one in taiva¡¯s group would have been able to catch it without killing the little monster. It didn¡¯t seem like the children stood a chance, Taiva turned to Canna preparing to give her the signal to slow the slime down with magic when a sharp young voice cut him off. ¡°Everyone form a ring! We kill it together we can split the reward okay.¡± It was a young boy, the last one to be tested, Lorris he believed. The child had sandy hair and a strong frame, a natural born leader it seemed. Dogshead sure held plenty of talent in their youngest generation A few of the other children followed the boy¡¯s orders forming a ring around the slime swords raised. ¡°Now!¡± Lorris yelled the group swinging their weapons downwards at once; there was no where left to go. The slime stood still taking one hit after another avoiding to the best of its abilities as slowly it lost ground and began to fall apart. And that was when an opening appeared. The slime burst forth with last ditch speed passing between the legs of one of the boys and out towards the only two people who had not been involved in the attack. At last Gorren opened his eyes staring forwards with grim determination. The other children refusing to move as he stared down the slime. A clatter shook the air shocking the crowd, Gorren¡¯s sword thrown aside as he went down on one knee reaching out towards the small creature, a soothing wave of magic radiating from his hand and a truly kind light within his eyes. The former anger, hatred and loss seemed to evaporate a small smile appearing on his face as the slime inched ever closer to the warm energy rolling out from him. Of course with a magic stat as low as his Gorren wouldn¡¯t be able to hold it out forever. Of course he did not have to ¨C the slime seemed to take to him naturally slipping into the palm of his hand before he hefted it up with both arms and turned towards Taiva. ¡°I think I¡¯ll call it Itto.¡± Gorren smiled; the smile of a child unconcerned with the world, a smile pure and true. He stepped forwards negating the magical barrier with ease leaping downwards to stand besides Taiva, ¡°I¡¯m going to refuse for now, there are some things I want to do here. Some things I want to see.¡± Gorren grinned before rushing off towards his sister, who currently had her head buried in her hands, the young girl that had been beside him until now following along. Well that had certainly been interesting; he supposed it wouldn¡¯t hurt to leave Gorren where he was for now. As long as Taiva remembered to check up on him every now he had a feeling things would be just fine Chapter Five: Days of Change Chapter Five: Days of Change It had been ten years now, ten years to the day, from when his time was rewound and he had been given his second chance. People bustled, they passed him by without a glance, one of hundreds, one of thousands; in the crowd none could see him. To either side high buildings rose, shops two stories high, glass storefronts displaying their wares for all to see. The skyline was dominated by spires and towers rising high, piercing the clouds. Selen was a city of marvels; as the capital of Elliene it was the federations beating heart, all races were welcome within its walls. Walls that had stood for generations; its¡¯ foundations built upon ancient ruins abandoned long ago, and atop the largest dungeon know to any race. The city had started small, a simple fort atop Selen hill, but within a decade it had expanded to unimaginable lengths, now the centre of trade, education and advancement. So in a city as large as Selen it was hardly an uncommon thing, with all its winding passages and back alleys, he certainly couldn¡¯t have been the first; no everyone was bound to get lost now and then. Of course not everyone had timing quite as terrible as his; he was going to be so very late. He could just always ask for directions, not that he was going to. What self respecting demon king would stoop so low as? He had never asked for directions in his life and wouldn¡¯t be starting now! Well it couldn¡¯t be that bad, Gorren chuckled lightly to himself looking about the plaza, if he just kept going uphill he was sure he¡¯d arrive on time, even if he did have no idea where the hell he was going or where he was. Well there was no point in just standing around, if he ran he¡¯d make it on time, yeah if he ran... Eitta was still going to kill him.
The sound of the street, voices calling, footsteps passing, the roar of engines and that little patch of flowers amidst it all. She could remember it all so clearly; so simply, the old tree around which the flowers grew, deep within the city¡¯s centre and the pale light that fell down that morning. She remembered the hand that held her own, the warmth of it, but the voice that spoke was blurred and hazy, and as she looked up with an innocent smile, a blank face returned in kind. No matter how she tried, she could not remember that face, or that voice, or that name. It eluded her, ever and always, and still in some small way it gave her peace. A dull drone broke her from her reverie the sound of Selen¡¯s streets bringing her back into reality while in the distance a bell tolled. The clock tower stood amidst the spires of the city, the tallest of the towers where the hands of a clock span, where machinery that had baffled the minds of mages for generations turned slowly and every hour a heavy bell tolled out. Alda rose from her seat by the fountain stretching her arms as she turned her gaze towards the clear blue sky above, dotted with roaming clouds. She had a good half hour before she needed to arrive and a twenty minute jog to her destination; if she took the right route, onwards and upwards towards the city centre and the noble quarter where the Academy lay in wait. The Elliene Royal Academy had stood since near the country¡¯s founding and when the old capital fell had moved to Selen where it had remained for fifty years. In that time the finest examples of knights, adventurers, mages and scholars had been produced by the Federations most prestigious academy. It had access to research materials that mages craved, famous adventurers gave lecturers on a daily basis, it was the training ground for The Elliene Royal Guard and Knights core. The building itself sat in the heart of the noble district, above the rings of houses, nestled near the military barracks and the Adventurer¡¯s guild embassy to Elliene, an entrance to the Selen dungeon within riding distance. The only other places that held anywhere near such importance were the cathedral that bordered the noble and freeman quarters and of course the royal palace itself that sat atop Selen hill. Studying at the academy was a privilege only those with extreme talent and skill were permitted entry through its gates, and it was not just students, grown men and women as well as children were often taken to the academy either for their safety, to improve skills or introduce new theories, magic or discoveries to the wider world. And Alda had had her place reserved since the moment she was born. The lessons didn¡¯t really appeal to her, that wasn¡¯t what she cared about, not in the slightest, instead for the first time she would be allowed to make friends with people her own age. This would be the start, the start of her new life, and the key to life was preparation! She¡¯d arrive with time to spare before orientation began then she¡¯d attend the opening ceremony, after that being assigned her room and finally taking her first class where she would meet her lifelong friends. For once she¡¯d be able to talk to people who weren¡¯t members of the clergy. Alda grinned looking up the road leading towards the noble quarter and her waiting future. Of course she couldn¡¯t take that road, it would be packed, many in attendance at the academy were the children of nobles, most of whom wanted to make a grand entrance. The streets would be clogged with carriages and other more peculiar means of transportation. And that left her walking along the market roads, she smiled to herself and began her journey. Elliene was a capital for trade, it sat firmly at the fore of the federation with trade roads running out into all kingdoms, goods came in from elves, dwarves and humans alike. It was a flourishing business the city filled with speciality shops and various other establishments. The only other markets that could conceivably match Selen would be those of the empire resting by the east sea where goods from across the water came in. Alda jogged along the street an airy smile on her face, she passed storefronts with magnificent displays and coloured signage hanging above, while people called out roaming back and forth with carts selling all manner of foods and other goods. The street was quiet but far from empty, most people would be working at this hour of the day it was only the very young or the very old that walked the streets, and they did so with impunity. Alda just stared ahead with a grin, wearing her uniform with pride. The wait was killing her! She closed her eyes grinning, she could picture it her life was finally going to get interesting. Under military training she¡¯d perform drills with her new comrades, with the adventurers they¡¯d go off on expeditions, they¡¯d study and research new topics in magic and further their understanding of the world as scholars, it was perfect. She laughed opening her eyes, and crashing into the old man standing but a half pace in front of her. Alda released a cry stumbling backwards, a heavy clatter sounding out as the old man¡¯s coin pouch went tumbling to the ground, sending silver coins scattering about the street. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Alda apologised hurriedly as a young man (who she assumed was the old man¡¯s grandson) stepping forwards to steady the old man. Alda moved as fast as she could gathering the spilt coins and returning them to the leather drawstring bag that had fallen down, before passing it back her head lowered. She¡¯d been too preoccupied, hadn¡¯t looked where she was going, this was her fault beginning to end. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, ah I¡¯ll help you get to where you need to go, it looks like you could use a hand.¡± She pushed reaching out to take hold of the old man¡¯s arm. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s unnecessary, you seem like you¡¯re in a hurry. Come on Gramps lets...¡± The young man made to leave before the old man cut him off. ¡°Thank you dear, Illan here is no help, he¡¯s for too skinny for that. We¡¯re heading off to Stoda¡¯s bar, come on!¡± The old man gave a creaky grin before shambling forwards. Well maybe Alda would be a little late but that just meant she¡¯d miss orientation, she could do that in her own time, the only problem here was their destination. Stoda¡¯s bar, it was a seedy little pub hidden deep within the slums. The serfs who worked for a given lord as indentured employees (mainly criminals and slaves along with their families) took residence by the cities outer wall, from there inwards were the peasants and then the freemen, finally with the nobles sitting safe in the city¡¯s centre. And the slums, they sat between the peasants and the freemen, refugees mostly; they neither had a patron to work for, or a business of their own, they bordered the ring between the two areas and sat within the blocks of shops hidden away from sight, the only entrances through thin back alleys where disease and death ran rampant. There was little the city could do.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Of course amidst it all Stoda¡¯s bar was special, it was the root of many of Selen¡¯s problems. The building was owned by a group referred to as Dallion, a ¡®legal¡¯ gang. They did nothing wrong maintaining a barrier of plausible deniability and veneer of lawful behaviour to keep them from the watchful eyes of the guards; any illegal action was taken through splinter cells, while the main group gave out loans at extortionate rates, press ganged and bullied business out of protection money claiming to run a mercenary side business, they bypassed the law, jumping through loopholes and appearing at the worst possible times for all. Even among the other gangs within the city they were particularly vile, in that nothing the guards could do would stop them. Even the king could not make a move without inciting full on war within the city streets. There exact numbers were unknown, as was their leader, and their chain of command and this anonymity leant them a fear all of their own. Alda had a bad feeling about this. They passed into a dimly lit alley, the young man, Illan, adopting a sickly expression as they began to move through the slums, high walls and narrow alleys blocking out the sun above and drowning them in twilight. Sickness and poverty were everywhere; children sat starving on door fronts, a constant drone of shouting filling the air. And despite all that the old man still held a peaceful expression on his face. He seemed perfectly relaxed as if he was only taking a garden stroll. Maybe he was senile? Still he seemed to know where he was going, guiding the group ever deeper into the slums, navigating the labyrinth until at last that den of cutthroats and thieves came into clear view. It was seedy, perfectly so, it was built from old worn out wood with a faded coat of white wash. Heavily shuttered windows looked out onto the street, the smell of beer and other far less pleasant concoctions drifting out of its front doors alongside warped music created by some old and damaged magical device. Standing guard outside were two men; burly and heavily scarred, almost identical with their shaven heads and matching uniforms; dark grey shirts, and trousers with high leather boots like those of soldiers, about their¡¯ shoulders a black cloak fluttered. It bore the symbol of Dallion, their emblem a dog staring up towards the sun, painted in mixed shades of red. And to greet the trio to this establishment, standing firm in the centre of the road, a woman in similar garb stood. She was petite in size, a nearing four-foot-ten in height, she was slender and to guess her age nearing mid-twenties. Her eyes were sharp slits from which dull malice flowed, brown hair tied back falling about the back of her head in waves. She seemed dispassionate looking on at all with disdain. They approached. ¡°I have my payment.¡± The old man smiled sallying forth without fear, holding up the leather drawstring bag and handing it to the woman with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s twelve Gelding.¡± The old man grinned turning around to leave as if nothing had happened, like he had simply paid for his groceries and now wanted to go on his way. ¡°You owe us fourteen,¡± the woman called after him, her voice slick with ice. Alda felt her stomach dropping, this was just wrong, it felt so wrong. Whatever this was it felt somehow dangerous ¨C more than was apparent¨C she couldn¡¯t be sure whether it was just her instincts telling her that or something more. But she couldn¡¯t run now, not if she wanted to keep her conscience clean. ¡°Hmm, you said I¡¯d owe you twelve, that¡¯s all the money I have.¡± The old man replied in a wavering tone full of cracks and pops before he continued to walk away. He was clearly senile. Illan blanched stepping in front his grandfather to face the woman, ¡°please you¡¯ve already taken all we have what more do you want? you tricked my grandfather into one of your¡¯ deals now take your¡¯ money and let us leave, what more do you want?¡± his face was covered in sweat, his hands shaking as he spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything; I don¡¯t care if you leave.¡± The woman spoke with a sigh, Illan calming slightly a look of relief appearing on his face before being promptly wiped away by a harsh reality. The woman drew a knife, ¡°of course what I want has nothing to do with this. The old man signed a contract, according to the law if he can¡¯t pay by the deadline your¡¯ house belongs to Dallion. Today is the deadline, and interest puts what you owe us at fourteen gelding after two weeks, I advise you either pay or leave. You¡¯ll need to find somewhere else to stay.¡± The young man froze his eyes bulging in his head as he reached out a hand, ¡°Then give us back our money, it¡¯s all we have.¡± He was desperate even Alda could see that, things were slowly going from bad to worse. ¡°Come on Illan it¡¯s time to go, I need my nap.¡± The old man yawned moving away from the scene, but his grandson did not budge. ¡°We should go, they¡¯re not going to give your¡¯ money back.¡± Alda urged stepping forwards grabbing onto Illan¡¯s shoulder. The man did not listen, instead he moved. Illan lunged forwards grabbing onto the leather bag holding his grandfathers money ripping it from the woman¡¯s grasp the bag falling to the ground. The woman responded with a swing of her blade a pulse of green energy following after the day-lit steel. Alda tugged on Illan¡¯s shoulder dragging him backwards, avoiding both the knife and the gust of wind that followed crashing into a nearby house with enough force to leave a deep and ugly gash. ¡°Run!¡± Alda yelled tossing the man backwards to the ground where he grabbed the fallen coins and turned to flee. It seemed like she¡¯d be doing this alone, facing off against the gang member the two burly individuals who had been guarding the door sidling forth, each wielding an iron mace. It looked like she was in for one hell of a fight. Alda sighed, it was best to get it over with quickly.
In the distance the bell tolled half-past; he was going to be so very late. He should have arrived by now, but no; he¡¯d gotten lost. He was fairly sure he¡¯d gone even deeper in the city and further from his destination. Gorren had wondered off the beaten path and into a dusty street where the sun could barely reach. He was a demon king; he¡¯d ruled over an entire kingdom in his time, governed war and orchestrated death, But this was just embarrassing! ¡°Damn it all!¡± He yelled slamming his foot into a nearby crate kicking it down a small flight of stairs leading deeper into the slums. Itto gurgled slightly from its place within his backpack; Go had deemed it a bad idea to have a slime following him around in the city, especially one the size of a large dog (it had grown over the past few years). He sighed making his way down the stairs towards where the fallen crate had landed kicking it to the side of the street. Well there was no way he¡¯d arrive on time now, maybe he should just suck it up and ask for directions, his pride as a demon king be damned. After all, that was a far lesser pain than dealing with Eitta when she was in one of her moods. Go shuddered slightly at the thought. He shoved his hands deep within his pocket and kept walking. He¡¯d ask the next person he met, although this likely wasn¡¯t the best place for that ¨C then he¡¯d wait until he got out of the slums before asking for directions. That was a much safer bet. Go sighed passing by an old man mumbling quietly to himself a young man hurriedly pushing him along a large bag under one arm. This really didn¡¯t seem like the best neighbourhood. ¡°I¡¯d better get out of here fast or...¡± Gorren¡¯s words were cut off, a small pulse of magic travelling through the air, it seemed something interesting was going on. Well he might as well take a look. Go broke into a jog Itto gurgling away within his backpack, as he made his way swiftly towards the location of the outburst of mana. And as he ran he could feel it, the energy gathering up ahead, it seemed almost familiar. He rushed on, a small grin forming across his face, sure enough something interesting was definitely going on. Go pushed ahead turning a corner and pushing ahead the scene before him confirming his suspicions. A young unarmed woman, against three well equipped opponents, it was hardly a fair fight, not fair at all. Gorren laughed slightly pushing ahead keeping to the shadows of the side wall a hint of magic concealing the sound of his footsteps as he spurred his body as fast as his lanky frame would allow. He drew close within an instant, bursting from the shadows, striking hard and striking true. Go hit upon the group that had until a moment ago stood at an impasse each waiting for the other to make the first move, and while they were preoccupied he stole the initiative. Gorren moved with purpose, silencing his footsteps as much as possible coming behind them in a flash. He threw out one hand, from which a magic circle with the lustre of fresh ink expanding; a haze of black mist spewing out, and with the other he took the hand of the girl. She froze for a moment but he tightened his grip and gave her a grin dragging her forwards into a run, rushing away and up the street. ¡°Run!¡± He laughed dragging her along with him, this was great, absolutely perfect, he¡¯d escape the alleys and now he had someone to ask for directions. ¡°After them!¡± a woman¡¯s voice yelled, Go turning to look over his shoulder as the trio escaped the mist he had created. It seemed they knew at least enough magic to dispel a weak casting of [Haze]*1, they were clearly no hedge-mages*2. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The girl questioned panicked. ¡°My names Go, you¡¯re welcome now run faster!¡± He smiled staring dead ahead the girl pulling her hand away from his, a tense irritation making its way onto an otherwise beautiful face. ¡°I can handle thugs like those myself, you¡¯re just putting yourself in danger!¡± She yelled at him as their opponents slowly disappeared behind them, curses and obscenities following cast by harsh voices drifting in their¡¯ wake. ¡°Yeah, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should, and It¡¯s not like I¡¯m defenceless you know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a dainty little girl I can handle myself! Why the hell would you just...¡± She began to complain Gorren cutting her off. ¡°Of course you can handle yourself, I¡¯m not an idiot, and you¡¯d be a pretty pathetic hero otherwise.¡± Alda stopped in her tracks staring at Go for a long moment with wide open eyes of blue. Gorren ground to a halt turning on his heels. She¡¯d frozen... It seemed their pursuers were drawing closer by the second, they didn¡¯t have time to stand around and dawdle. Now they needed to run, Go reached out grabbing Alda¡¯s hand and pulling her along taking a side alley away and deeper into the slums. What kind of Hero just froze up out of the blue? Not to mention he didn¡¯t get why she was here at all, she had been summoned a few years before the war began in his first run through, lots of things had changed since he rewind but this was too much. Things just seemed to get more complex by the day. Well at least now he had an excuse when Eitta asked why he was late.