Chapter 6 Shadows Part 2

The wind howled into the blackened night, barely masking the click clacks made by a certain feline. Harka, who was halfway to the middle of Aelkeep made use of his agility in free running over the tops of some of the homes that were still lit up in the evening snow. He did his best that with every landing he would not use his claws to dig into the snow as he didn't want to accidentally pierce the rooftops of some of the thinner roofed buildings. Though with the last house he cleared, he hit a small patch of ice that made him dig in or face falling from a four story building into a back alley. “Oops...” he grimaced. “Hopefully no one will notice that...” He stopped for a moment, scanning the area around him as he took in a deep breath of the cold evening air that the wind had brought while the snow continued swirling around him. A second gust of wind came barreling towards him, though with this gust, something felt off as his ears perked up and his sense dissected the air around him. His ears twitched and focused in on the sounds around him but all he could hear was the howling winds that muffled everything else. Using his sense of smell he could tell that something didn't smell right to him at all. His nostrils were flooded with scents that swirled around him. Fresh meats being cooked, burning metal, smoke from the chimney tops, all commonplace but one he singled out was different. It was a strange scent he had never smelled before and he could not place it with anything in his mind. "What is this? Hmmmm...odd" he thought for a moment. Though this new scent didn't directly affect him in any way as of yet, his feline nature had caught the best of him and decided to move towards this new smell. He took a running start and rushed over the next few roofs, carefully timing his jumps between each home, this time not worrying about the damage that his claws could cause to the rooftops. Harka followed the smell past several more homes until he saw a home that was higher than most others, a perfect vantage point for him. In his full tilt, he leapt onto the siding of the home and clawed his way up to the top of the roof. He walked towards the edge and knelt over the siding. He took in a large sniff and gazed at the eastern gates. “It's coming from over there...” he thought. He took a moment and looked out towards the eastern gates, focusing on the area around it until he saw an unusually large gust of wind and snow whip through the town and come racing over the rooftops. Harka braced himself and dug into the roof and held on to the ledge as the overpowering typhoon of snow and ice ripped through the town. "The hell!? Where did this wind come from? It was calm just a moment ago!" The rime laced wind whipped around the streets, forcing people that were still out to retreat into back alleys or into the safety of their homes and inns. The rime wind was strong enough that soon it was able to extinguish all of the street lamps that had been lit throughout the entire town, leaving the city in dark and foreboding setting. Harka was covered in a thin layer of frost that he quickly shook off after the strong gust had left the town. He was confused by this strange weather pattern, thinking to himself that this couldn't possibly be natural. Harkas ears perked up once more as his puzzlement was sat aside to a knew dilemma. He gazed back towards the eastern gates, listening to thuds coming out of the wind, thuds that Harka felt were coming from outside of the town. Within seconds of hearing the thuds, a gargantuan, shadowy, protruding hump could be seen just barely above some of the homes but with the snowfall and the wind, Harka could not see exactly what it was that had barged through the eastern gates. Harka became concerned in an instant as a small gust of wind brought another smell that was wafting all around him now. "Carrion?...!" Harka said to himself as a numbing chill ran through his entire being. Harka was no longer curious but concerned "Something that big that brings the smell of carrion on the wind just happened to wander into town right before a blast of rime wind...” Harka reached behind his cloak and the sound of two clasps unsnap. “I have a bad feeling that this isn't going to end well without a distraction." Harka picked up his pace, rushing towards the last known place of the shadow, hoping that his senses were off and that he was just catching a cold.

Chapter 6 Shadows Part 1

Chapter 6 Shadows

The wind gained strength as it blew across the clear farm lands while the snow fall above Aelkeep thickened, constantly replenishing the lush carpet of white the wind loved to twirl. Evening, a cold and biting one had come to then denizens of Aelkeep but they did not fear the icy teeth and howling winds that hid in the darkness. Why would they? The people of Aelkeep were a hearty enough people that, if some unknown aberration came in the middle of the night with a gnawing hunger and the urge to bite, then the people would be inclined to bite right back. Lamp lighters employed by the town watch carried torches dipped in specially treated waxes along with other magically powered devices to help light the lamps scattered around the city. The lamps were also treated with an alchemical wax to help keep the fires burning until the light of day touched them or doused by other means besides that of the wind. The faint glow the candles put off, warmed some hearts and souls while it filled others with slight annoyances of memories long past. "Graven, hurry up! We are almost at the Inn. Come on slow poke." Graven who was filling the role of beast of burden, had been drug around the city practically all day by Talya and was loaded down with boxes or bags that contained alchemical reagents along with gifts for shrines. Graven had just about enough of the foolishness but for his own sake he persevered through it. "Give me a moment to adjust my grip. You do realize that we have been running around the city all day without a moments. How is it that you have such energy to burn?" Talya smiled at him and chuckled a bit. "Alright then, we'll slow down since the big, strong man needs his rest ha ha." Graven smiled slightly as he knew that she was only joking. She was enjoying herself with the company she hadn't seen in years and to his astonishment, Graven was also enjoying himself to a degree, whether he wanted to admit it or not . It felt very nice to have someone to talk to on a somewhat even ground but Graven did not let his emotions gets the better of him. Quite the opposite spectrum, more or less reigning them in and keeping them far away from Talya. Graven thought to himself as he looked up towards the lanterns "Who knows what she would do or think if she knew about the real me. It would be best that she never gets to attached." “Graven, hey what's...?” Talya noticed that Graven had stopped moving and had seemingly froze in place. The orange and yellow aura that the lantern exhumed thinly covered Graven. She looked closer and noticed his eyes reflecting the flames that danced in the wind as the snow swirled around him and left without a nod. For a moment Talya caught herself looking over Graven from top to bottom, studying every part of his body with a slight blush and the turn of her cheek. She gripped her cloak near her heart, turned back and took a few steps closer to Graven. “Graven...” He slowly turned his head down towards her, his face half illuminated by the lantern glow. “Yes Talya?” “I...I...wanted to...say that..!” Talya's eyes flashed wide open for a moment as if a thunderous noise had roared from behind and frightened her. She quickly turned around, reaching into her cloak for an unknown object. She began to breathe deeply and at a rapid pace while looking from side to side but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. A perplexed look came across her as she looked down at the ground. Inquisitively she knelt down to the snow covered street and put her hands on the ground for a moment, focusing intently on something that could not be seen or heard. Graven looked slightly puzzled at her behavior and knelt down beside her. "Talya? What's wrong? Are you feeling alrig-" "Shhhh!" Talya quickly interrupted as she kept her palms on the ground. With her eyes closed she opened her senses and channeled them through the ground. They raced through the streets along the snow and wind until they were met with what one could only describe as a gargantuan shadow. Her senses pulled back to her again, her face immediately becoming pale. Graven knew immediately that something was amiss and put his hand on her shoulder. “Talya. What is going on?” "I can feel something...dark...full of hunger and malice...headed this way. It is massive Graven." Graven looked around for a moment as Talya had done before but couldn't see anything. He closed his eyes and with a few quick gestures, focused all of his energies into the area around him to try and sense or detect anything with his magic. He was quickly bombarded with small incantations from local magicians and other small happenings in various homes, no large surges in magical energies. “Something massive with no trace of magic huh?” Graven decided to follow Talya and put his hands to the ground. He poured a small amount of magic into his fingers to heighten his senses for a short moment, concentrating. "thump....thump" a faint tremor could be felt that was slowly growing in intensity as Graven rose up from his position, swearing that the snow had shifted for a moment. "The hell?" Talya stood up rather quickly and stared in the direction the vibrations were coming from. "I think it would benefit us if we found a safe place retreat to or to watch from. Perhaps up on the roof of one of the homes or in one?" Graven smiled with a nefarious grin. He'd been dying for a chance to stretch his magic in the sense of muscles since he had left his home some weeks ago. Graven also thought that this might give him the opportunity to either make some quick koriya and gather some much need materials for his craft in alchemy, depending on what was making the tremor of course. "Personally, I think we should invite it out to dinner since it ruined my initial plan of taking you out somewhere nice. Let us see what this something is, what it's up to and take the date from there, what do you say my dear?" Talya looked concerned at the thought, that this was a bad idea but she nodded in agreement and followed Graven towards the tremors. Hoping that whatever shadow she had seen that was making the tremors would not pick up their scent and hunt them through the city

Chapter 5 Swordsman Part 2

The fight began in a blaze of howling steel and bone as the old man rushed toward Shell at lightning speed, stirring up fresh snow as he slashed at Shell in all directions with the grace of a crane even though he was toting around such a cumbersome weapon. Never having faced such an opponent, all Shell could do was parry and deflect the barrage of attacks slung at him as his own speed could not even come close to this apparently master swordsman of sorts to strike back after the parry. "What are you doing lad?!” the old man called out “This is a sparring match! Not a one sided fight against a straw training dummy! Attack me already!" The old man landed a few more quick strikes in succession on Shells blade, then caught him off guard with a quick slash to his blade that then slid past the hilt and slashed his upper arm as quick as lightning. A crimson spray of droplets littered the white blanket of snow on the ground as Shell began to bleed from his sword arm, a fairly deep gash to the muscle that required immediate medical attention and would not be wise to move unless one wanted further damage. The old man flicked his sword towards the ground, cleaning some of the blood off of his blade. "I think this concludes our sparring match lad" the man said as he had drawn first blood. He began reaching into one of his back satchels for something and pulled out a vial of blue liquid. “I told you I wasn't going to mortally wound you son, I do how-” Then man looked back towards Shell and his eyes lit up with amazement and extreme caution. Shells entire right arm had been consumed and ignited into what one could only see as a dark purple flame that emanated from his left hand. He quickly shoved the flames inside his wounds and with a wince and grimace of pain, the flames went to work, quickly stitching muscle and mending the flesh. Though the fire mended flesh, one could tell that it caused the same amount of pain as would a typical unction of healing salves.

 "This fight isn't over yet." The old man was left stunned for a moment until he was able to grip his sword tighter, uttering a single word. "Impossible." The wound closed with a fiery black flash and once the flames cleared, Shell struck out without warning and went on the offensive, slashing at any point that he could reach with his blade. Though Shell was younger than his challenger and may have been stronger, he was severely outmatched by the skill of this old man. The old man was able to deflect and guard against each blow that Shell threw his way. The old man then changed up the tempo of the fight when he switched to an unknown fighting stance which forced Shell from offense to defense once again without the old man so much as breaking a sweat. The snow falling around them swirled along with what was being kicked up by their movements and with every sword swipe, almost as if the snow was trying to avoid being caught in each clash from the swords. When the two blades would clash, a sickening song rang out into the howling winds while sparks were thrown with every clash of their blades. After quickly dodging one of Shells attacks, the old man was able to catch Shell off guard as he targeted Shells weapon with an upwards strike to the hilt of the sword that sent it flying in the air. The old man quickly pulled his weapon straight down over Shells head, though somehow Shell reacted quickly enough to throw his right hand out in front of the blade. A brief flicker of light came into view as Shell quickly channeled some of his energy into his hand and once the blade came within striking, the flicker turned into a crystalline patterned shield that repelled the blade and repulsed the man back a few feet, then shattered into dust which was swept up with the snow.

"What in the nine hels?" The old man stayed his advance for a moment to assess the situation as it had changed to a great unknown for the old swordsman. "You've got more tricks up your sleeve than a common street magician. Now explain to me, how is it that you would not only know techniques of the Dark Arts that are forbidden in Morhurst but you are also able to use a technique that has been passed down through the Holy Knights regiment of Arkoria for years? Those two schools of war were never integrated and only select few from each school ever became users of those arts." Shell caught his breath for a moment and walked towards his sword. “How is it that one such as yourself, with no distinguishing marks of either regiment know so much? You look like a warrior, not a scholar, yet you bear no sigil of your allegiance but carry intelligence of those schools.” He picked up the blade and pointed it directly at the old man, bracing himself for another attack. "I learned them from a friend of mine if you must know.” The old mans eyes helped give off a concerned look from that response. “I thought that you said there would be no danger to my life for this match but when I saw that I might have been wrong I used those techniques. What about your end of the bargain? I thought you said you would not harm me?" The old man kept a stern look on his face as he gripped his sword a little tighter. "I hadn't planned on hurting you but you must understand that sometimes accidents happen when one gets caught up in the heat of battle. I am sure you can understand that. Let us continue then." The old man slid his hand across his sword as a white and blue aura covered the blade which began to pulse almost like a heartbeat. The old man continued the fight as he took out after Shell like another lightning bolt and unleashed an awe inspiring display of swordsmanship upon him in a flurry of blade strikes that seemed to chill Shells blade any time his sword clashed with this newly empowered blade of magic. Shell continued to deflect each strike as he dug deep within his mind to think of a way to win this seemingly impossible duel. An image came to his mind and with a second wind befalling the beaten down Shell, he was now determined to win. Shell had parried one slash with a spectacular increase in his speed and with an albeit, foolhardy yet well placed side kick to the stomach of his rival, sent him flying back a moment. The man coughed for a second to catch his breath as he though to himself "How in the world did he get so fast all of a sudden? Who has this boy trained with or where?" The old man got back up on his feet with a chuckle “Now that was foolish lad. Ya could've lost your leg but I guess that was something you were willing to part with.” Shell quickly ran his hand along the blade of his sword that swelled up with a dark crimson aura that swirled around the entire sword as the old mans eyes closed a bit and he decided that it was time to end the fight. Once the old man had opened his eyes up again he thrust his sword into the ground and quickly poured all of his mystical energies into his sword hands and somehow was able to conjure seven additional swords of varying length and of different designs than his own. Shell's eyes lit up with the thought that he just might loose more than his pride in this battle as he held the crimson drenched blade in a defensive manner. The blades began to swirl and hover around the man emitting low hums, glowing in the same blue fashion as his sword then he called out to Shell saying "This battle is over my young friend." Shells mind began to race for a moment in time as to how he could ever hope to win and then his memories flickered, revealing quick flashes and images of something that Shell thought might just help save his life. The blades swirling around the old man, along with himself flew towards Shell at a speed he couldn't fathom to match but he had to if he wanted to survive. When the seven swords came withing striking distance of him, he took what his mind had shown him in that brief point in time. The first sword came in for a slash to his torso but was barely dodged, then the second and third blades came for his arms. Dodging as best he could while the blades managed to catch the tops of his shoulders. The fourth through the seventh came striking in all directions but were dodged with minimal cuts to his outer thighs and across his nose. Shell quickly brought his sword up to his side just in time to feel the clash of icy inertia that was pooled into his opponents blade. The two blade auras mixed into a fierce concoction that pulsed with a force that was so great it managed to push Shell back a few feet while the old man withdrew from the offensive for a moment to catch his breath. He marveled at how Shell was able to dodge most of the blades while only receiving minor cuts from his technique as it was originally developed to end duels. His stunned manner quickly turned to that of intrigue though as Shell gripped his right side. Looking down, he noticed that there was a deep gash and that it was more than likely from the blade being pushed up against him and withdrawn quickly in one action. Somehow the old mans blade had slipped through a crack in his armor. Shell could now feel the sharp pain in his side as his over tunic became stained with red while blood trickled down his leg, forming a pool in the snow. Shell plunged his sword into the ground and used his newly freed hand to focus some of his energy and called forth a small dancing flame but it was not the same dark flame seen before. This flame was of a bright white and red color that felt soothing to look upon by the old man. Shell then placed his hand over his wound and the flame leapt onto his tunic, slowly burning away the pooled blood and seeping into the gash. The wound began to mend itself as Shell grimaced for a moment. Once the wound had closed and healed itself, the flames were dispelled with a bright, white flash, leaving no visible scars.

The old man raised an eyebrow of inquisition as he knew now that he was not just dealing with some amateur swordsman traversing the plains at evening during a blizzard. He knew something was different about this boy. The boy had ample skill in his bones and potential to be a knight, but things didn't feel quite right for him. The old man wicked the blood off of his sword and the sheathed his blade. "Three Arts of different origins and classes which takes not just skill but sometimes years of training to even use correctly. You are able to call upon them albeit not as quickly as some, yet for someone who doesn't look a day over twenty seven you seem to have no trouble with them and you claim you are no swordsman? You are not a knight by any standards, you are no mage by my standards and I haven't seen a Mage Swordsman of sorts in some time. Who are you boy and how do you know of those techniques? Better question, who taught you?" Shell cleaned off his blade and then sheathed it as he was done fighting. He knew he had lost the fight and that in the long run, he was no match for this old man. "My name isn't important or it shouldn't be. I am a wandering no one. Why does it matter that I have learned this arts anyway? Why don't you inform me of who you are and what you truly mean or want?" The old man smirked a bit and began to divulge a little bit of information about himself. "Since your name isn't important than neither is mine my friend, and what I mean and want to know is how you know techniques from opposing spectrums that were used in the last great war over four hundred years ago that are rarely seen today. Not to mention my trump card as you saw for yourself, was designed in the last great war to end a duel in one fell swoop. Usually against an enemy Commander or even a King but I digress. Not many people should know how to defend against it. How is it that you do is what begs me to question your origins or intentions. Perhaps you are an assassin, playing opossum until the moment is right?" Shell began to walk towards the man, wincing slightly as he was still in some pain from the blow earlier. "I guess I just got lucky to be honest" said Shell but when he began to walk closer to the old man and then past him, Shell felt very strange, almost angry. Who was this man? Why did his memories flicker for a moment? How does he know so much? Shell passed the man and he turned his head towards the old swordsman. "My name is Shell. I'm not a swordsman or mage, just a traveler right now. In regards to my skills, I learned them not too long ago from a friend of mine. Was our small duel enough to quench your thirst?" The old man turned towards Shell as he was passing and smiled. "No I am afraid. Now you have captured my curiosity lad and I would love to see what you are really made of but that will be for another day, when we meet again. I don't think you realize it but you have great potential, Shell the traveler, perhaps the next time we meet you can best me with a blade or whatever you desire and see if this old mans thoughts ring true." The two warriors started walking their own separate ways, though both of them left with a curious twinge of the other. Shell, wondering just who this old man really wash and how he would know that they would meet again? The old man was left wondering how an ancient technique was rendered nearly ineffective by some random traveler who was not only able to use the forbidden dark arts but also the arts of the Holy Knights of Arkoria and the mystic arts of a mage. "That boy is something else. He could've easily become a knight to the throne with that skill. He could also become a threat to it just as easily" thought the old man as the snow began to pick up and whip around the area, blanketing the crimson laced snow  as both of their bodies faded into the whiteout until they could no longer see one another.

It felt like hours had flown by since Shells battle in the bitter cold. Evening was now fast approaching and it would soon be dark enough that one would not be able to see his own hand in front of his face in the small white out that was slowly gaining strength with each passing moment. Shell was beginning to worry while he continued on through the plains up until he reached the edge of the forest line. Seeing the great wall of dense trees brought some positive thinking as he thought to himself "It shouldn't be that much further." He looked back behind him, out into the open plains now being consumed by the white out and wondered about the old man. "That old codger's probably better off than I am. A nice warm set of leathers and that blade arm of his, I seriously doubt anything would come after him or try to do him harm." Shell eyes widened as the sound of multiple howls from unseen beasts could be heard off in the distance. Though Shell felt he was well enough away from whatever made the noise, it still shook his bones for a moment, recalling a past run in with something that sounded similar to what he had just heard. "Perhaps it's best not to worry about the old man right now." Shell gripped his sword and picked up his pace from a walk to a light jog and entered the forest in hopes that he would soon come upon Aelkeep and be out of reach of the beasts that may have picked up his scent or tasted his frozen blood on the plains.

Chapter 5 Swordsman part 1

Chapter 5 Swordsman

The clouds above the region of Aelkeep grew dark as snow fell more rapidly and started blanketing the ground with large white tufts of cotton like snowflakes. Some of the people of Aelkeep decided that now would be a good time to close up their shops and stores while others kept their lanterns and candles burning bright until their designated closing. Even the farmers continued to toil in the biting cold and the continuing wave of snowfall as certain crops needed to be covered while others were extracted. Herd animals were gathered by their shepherds and brought back to their corrals. Surprisingly enough, the Mineral Tortoise breeders did not need to worry about their brood. These tortoises simply buried themselves into the ground with their backs partially visible and went into a trance like sleep. The continuing snowfall did affect some of the travelers that were coming to and from Aelkeep as they were having trouble keeping their balance on slick cobblestones or trudging through muck and slush with either carts or other heavy loads that did not have seasonal wheels fitted on them. Most of these travelers decided to quickly find warm beds and the comforts of home in the inns and taverns that were located throughout the town. Some of the less fortunate souls on the roads had to pitch heavy tents or hide in their caravans, huddled together to keep warm from powerful freezing winds that seemed to have sprung up out of nowhere. A few Norq riders found comfort as their mounts curled around one another as the riders covered their mounts with large blankets and huddled in the middle. Though things seemed tough for the people in Aelkeep, to the south west of the town on the flat lands near the edge of the woods, one lone traveler was having a rather difficult time.

The storm had picked up intensity on the plains lands and Shell, a lone wanderer had been caught in the middle of it. The young man had been traveling for some time on his own now and he was excruciatingly low on provisions that he had received from from a kind family several days ago. All he had left was roughly half a days worth of water that began to crystallize due to the drop in temperature and a very small amount of dried berries and nuts. Not at all filling for him but it would keep him alive for at lease a while longer. Perhaps another two days at best. The snow had been falling for a few hours on the plains which kept pelting him in the face and stuck to his hair while the frigid air cut right through him like a knife. Shell had no protective clothing what so ever, just a general set of clothes, a red scarf with symbols sewn into it and a tattered cloak. Shell knew that if he did not make it to Aelkeep before the snow storm picked up, then the outlook for him would not be well. "Why in the hell did it have to start snowing now? Why couldn't it have waited just a few more hours, or at least until I was in the tree line so I wouldn't have to deal with this wind." The wind picked up a bit and cut right through his face almost out of spite. Shell wrapped his scarf around his face to keep warm and he could feel the strange warmth emanating from the scarf. It reminded him of a few days ago in a town that he had taken up temporary residence in. A kind family that had taken him in during his travels and providing him with shelter. He hoped that someday he would get the chance to thank them if he were to ever travel there again. As the wind cut through him once more, he was reminded of a pale figure, cloaked in wool. He could remember the silk like skin, ruby lips and lavender eyes that resembled a starry night. Shell had no answer for why he was thinking about the past right then but it helped take his mind off of the frigid air that swirled around him.

Shell continued to walk through the light blanket of snow that was now covering the beaten path he traveled. As the snow thickened for a moment and a swift gust of wind cut through the plains around him, he soon realized that he was not alone on these roads. Off in the the distance Shell could see what appeared to be the outline of another person walking towards him. Shell quickly thought to himself and kept his guard up as he couldn't tell if this person was friend or foe thanks to the flurries that had increased in intensity. After a moment of pushing through the gusts, Shell was able to get a better look at the person and it was obvious that they looked far better equipped for the trek than Shell did in this weather. He could see that the figure wore clothes much thicker than his own. He could not tell if it was heavy wool or leathers but he could see a layer of golden fur protruding from the neck line of the figures heavy coat and Shell assumed that an inner layer of the coat was lined with this fur as well after catching a wavering glimpse to the inside. He also wore a strange type of hat that looked rather worn but kept the snow out of his face and to his side was a satchel that carried a book and what appeared to be a quill. Shell did not know what to think of the person coming into view so he stopped and decided to wait for a moment in the flurry and see what would transpire. Shell thought to himself “One of three things...either we will fight, they will greet me with a hello, or nothing at all.” The figure was now in full view from twenty feet away and Shell could now tell it was an older man, more than likely in his late sixties or perhaps early seventies with gray eyes and a long gray beard to match.

The snow continued to fall and swirl around them both as the man walked a few feet in front of Shell, stopped and brushed off his hat. "Good...” the man looked around for a second in curiosity “evening? Not really too sure right now thanks to the odd storm front. Young lad I couldn't help but notice you're carrying what appears to be a longsword with you am I right? Would you happen to be a swordsman?" Shells right eyebrow lifted slightly in confusion as he didn't know what to think about the question, but he didn't think that lying to the man would help him any for some reason. "I do not claim to be a swordsman of either noble or stable birth but I do know how to wield a blade if that answers your question in a sense." The man smiled and chuckled a bit as he reached into his pocket to bring forth a small pipe and with a quick flick of his fingers, ignites the herbs inside and takes a long drag from the end of his ornate pipe. The old man blew smoke from his nose that formed small rings and then dissipated into the air. "Now memory might serve me wrong but I do seem to remember hearing something about a swordsman who was supposedly burned at the stake in Shibato a few days ago. Folks have said that the man isn't dead and claim to whisper that his apparition is traveling this way. I was a little curious to see who this person was. Word through the vine and mugs was that this swordsman is a ruthless murder. Ten feet tall and could tear a person limb from limb without even breaking a sweat. Carrying a giants blade for a weapon, wrought from a solid slab of wyrmstone and a hefty bounty on his head. The rumors never said anything about this murderer being just a child carrying a butter knife with him to chase off the shadows." Shells eyebrows lowered and he quickly retorted "I assure you I have committed no such acts and I am certainly no child that wields a cooking utensil." The man chuckled a bit and turned to his side and Shell could see through the snow that this man could possibly be a threat to him. Attached to the mans back was a long, curved blade that did not look to be made of just metal, something Shell had never seen before. A pale color enveloped the blade and Shell studied it for a second, to him it almost looked like a fusion of metal and bone. "A curved, bone blade?" Shell asked. The old mans eyes widened and a smirk came to his face. "Very astute lad. A very special weapon that most Morhurstans will never see or be able to acquire unless stolen. It is not made from this country. Not even Koresia, Kharragan or Arkoria make these weapons and I seriously doubt they would want to try and steal them. Would you mind if I asked you something lad who isn't a swordsman?" "Go ahead." The man unsheathed his bone blade that rang out with a nerve chilling sound when drawn. The sound was reminiscent to him somehow and the snow looked like it was swirling around the blade when the sword came down. "If you don't mind, I would like to have a friendly sparring match with you. I'll even let you use magics if you happen to be fluent with the divine or even arcane. It matters not to me. I won't use mine though. Wouldn't want the match to be over with too quickly.” Shell turned his head to the side in disbelief since this man had just drawn his weapon with a smile. “I give you my word that I mean you no fatal harm. Now, harm through poor swordsmanship is a different story and that I cannot stop, but I guarantee I will not strike a final blow." Shell had no idea what this man's true agenda was. For all he knew, this man could be some loon who was off on a stroll in a storm with a foreign made weapon. Shell was not about to say no to this fight either. If this man knew that he was headed this way then he would surely have more to tell after the fight. This man did not look like a mercenary out for blood and coin, but he also knew that just because someone does not look the part, does not mean they aren't. "I accept your offer under your terms." Shell drew his blade and readied himself while waiting for a response. The old man smiled, gripped his blade with one hand and readied himself in an unknown fighting stance, placing the sword vertical on high with his other hand pressed against the side of the blade. Shells eyes twitched for a moment as he could sense something amiss coming from the old man. Power. Great power welling in what most people would think a fragile frame would not able to handle. "Excellent choice then lad. I shan't go easy on you, now prepare yourself!"

Chapter 4 Enchantress (Part 3 and 4)

Now that the pain the Ghallen had experienced earlier brought the bear back to its normal functioning senses, Kith realized that this posed a very real and deadly problem for her. Kiths spell had worn off of the Ghallen and she was now without any guaranteed means of escape from this rather large forest dwelling predator, as it could still more than likely muster the strength now to run Kith down if need be, even with the recovering injury. A low growl could be heard coming from the front of the Ghallen as it turned its head so that only one eye was visible to Kith who was just now recovering from the hip check from the Ghallen. The Ghallen turned its hulking body around to face Kith and then rose up on its hind legs. Though the bear was still favoring the wounded leg, it was still able to breathe in deeply and let out a fearsome roar that shook Kith to her core. The bear came back down with a thud and slowly made its way towards Kith. She was not totally petrified with fear and though she was unsure of what was going to happen next, she was ready to draw her war fan at any point if she needed to. Hoping that a swift strike to the nose might stun it enough for her to make an escape, she drew her fan and held it to her side as it crackled with electricity. The Ghallen noticed the weapon and did something strange that Kith never would have expected this beast to do. It came within striking distance of Kith, making no threatening gestures as it moved close to her face and opened its mouth to reveal its elongated pink tongue, then licking her face from one side to the other in what Kith could only hope was a sign of great thanks to her. It then further impressed Kith by pressing its forehead on to hers, almost like it was bowing in a sense. Kith smiled after wiping off the saliva from her face and realizing that the bear was no longer a threat to her. "He he, thanks big guy. You try and stay away from those traps now ok? You might not be so fortunate to have me or anyone come around next time." The bear lifted its lip as it looked like it was smiling for a moment, then turned around and walked off towards the thick overgrowth, taking the time to swipe at the trap once before it moved into the thick woods until it couldn't be seen anymore.

The wind began to pick up a little bit as it whipped through the trees, kicking up powdered snow and debris while the sun had become darkened by the clouds that were now swirling all around the area. Kith looked up to the rather ominous clouds for a moment and she shivered a bit when a cold blast of air hit her dead on. "It's getting colder by the minute" she thought to herself. "Probably better get out of here too, don't wanna be out here after dark." She made her way back to the path from the small clearing and continued on the road again, quickly looking back at the place were the bear had been caught as it was drifting out of view. "Just be thankful that whoever put that trap there didn't stick around to wait and see if they caught anything. You might not be walking freely right now. Stay safe and healthy my friend." Kith picked up her pace now and continued through the forest on her path to the town of Aelkeep.

Kith continued on her path through the snow dusted forest for a few more hours until she finally found herself back on the road to her destination. Within minutes of getting back to the main roads she could see off in the distance the farmsteads that sat on the fringes of the town of Aelkeep were about a mile away. By now the sky was blanketed with thick gray clouds but it was only dimming the light around the forest town. She could see the billows of smoke that were coming from the farms and from the town and as she came closer, she could also hear many people performing their duties of daily life. Kith could now smell various kinds of meats being smoked along some of the farm houses that made her mouth water and stomach growl with reckless desire but she continued to walk down the beaten dirt road, only stopping for a moment in curiosity. She looked around the village and could see small white specks floating down all around her. She held out her hand and caught one of the specks, of which it quickly melted in her hand. "Snow? Already?" Kith looked up into the sky and sure enough, it was lightly snowing. "Strange? I know the wind is chilling to the bone but it doesn't feel cold enough to snow. I could be wrong though." Kith made her way through the rest of the outlying farms and ventured through the large stone archways that led into the busy streets of Aelkeep. Having never been to this city before, she was quickly overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of the town through the mid afternoon, but she soon found herself tired and in desperate need of sustenance. She soon passed by an older Gnomish man who was sitting on an cask full of what would only suspect as fermented wine and smoking a rather long pipe that smelled of a sweet and intoxicating aroma and thought to ask him were a nice place to rest for the night was since she had been traveling for a few days now. The Gnome saw Kith approach and he smiled "Ah, hello there miss, what can a simple Gnome like me do for you this rather chilly afternoon?" Kith greeted the man with a smile. "Sorry to disturb you sir, but I'm new to this town and I was wondering if you could tell me were I could find a vacant inn for the night?" The Gnome smiled, tipped his wide brimmed hat up and pointed over to a large, well decorated three story building that was ablaze with activity. "That over there is the Wyrm's Head Tavern and Inn. Best Inn for some miles in my opinion, though recently a lot of drunkards and mercenaries have been making that place their home for some time. The owners don't seem to mind, so long as they pay up with coin or whatever they've got that would fetch enough to cover their tabs for the month." Kith nodded and smiled again "Thank you sir" and she made her way towards the Wyrms Head Tavern and Inn. As soon as she was out of earshot, the Gnome took a heavy drag from his pipe and blew a smoke ring that he swirled around with him finger, energizing it slightly with a twinge of magic to form it into a female figure that began to dance for him. "I forgot to mention, that the whole lot of them are quite the womanizers and someone as pretty as you might be in for some trouble if you're not careful enough."

Kith walked up to the intricately inlaid steps of the inn at the same time as someone was being forcefully thrown out of the doors by a couple of burly Ork bouncers. "That's what ya get for starting somethin ya can't finish ya weak nut sucking gank!" The Ork bouncers snickered for a moment until their eyes caught a glimpse of Kith and their demeanor quickly turned from angry to rather inviting. "Ah, sorry you had to see that miss. He is a trouble maker who harasses the patrons and never makes good on his tabs. Decided to pick a fight with Brutus here after he'd had too much Wyrm Fire Ale. Stuff get's to ya quick, but where are our manners.” Both Orks saluted Kith and spoke in unison. “Welcome to the Wyrms Head Tavern! Where the ale flows like the fire from the wyrms maw and the company is just as rough at times. Please come in and stay for a while." The two Ork bouncers held the doors open for Kith and practically rolled out the red carpet for her and she was more than happy to oblige them with a smile and saucy smirk as she walked up the steps towards the doors.

Once Kith strolled inside the tavern, the sound of a local favorite Arcsician and her band could be heard all around Kith in conjunction with the loud clanking of ale mugs, plates being gathered, drunken hunters cheering on their initiate into their ranks as they danced to the mage musician that kept the party more than lively. Kith walked past tables full of many different races that gathered to talk about nearly everything one could think of and to stuff their faces with anything they could get their tipsy fingers on. Kith soon found her way towards the bar, went straight to one of the seats, pulled it to the side and sat down, raising only one finger with a smile. The barkeep soon came by wearing rather fashionable attire and a chipper mood to boot. "Good mid evening miss, what poison can I pour for you or do you prefer other methods of intoxication?" Kith looked around at all of the aged bottles of wine, the strongest liquors, and the strangest concoctions that only an Ork would be able to pallet and she made her decision, albeit a simple one. "I'd like some of your local beer please." The waiter smiled "Not from around here are ya? Well, no problems with that, we'll fix you right up." He held up his hand and focused some of his energies in his fingertips and within a few seconds, conjured a drinking mug made of solid ice with intricate designs swirled throughout the inside of the mug. He then walked towards a barrel labeled "Wyrms Head Ale," poured a hefty drought of the thick liquid and then slid it from one area of the bar right to her. She stopped it with her fingers and quickly sucked the foam off the top before taking a hefty swig from the frosty mug. The beer was quite stout, with a little something extra that she hadn't tasted before in other ales. "Strong stuff huh? It's pretty tough at first but once it gets past the tongue, it's smooth sailing all the way down. Wyrms Head isn't exactly friendly if it comes back up, so don't get too carried away with it Hun." Kith reached into her pocket and pulled out some coin but the waiter waived his hand with a smile said "No need, it's only your first one of the night. Besides, if you like that, you should try Wyrms Fire. Spicy to some but tough to others." Kith flipped the coin towards him anyway and the barkeep caught the patronage between his fingers. "For the entertainment then" Kith said as she took another large drink from her mug. The waiter bowed and thanked her for her kindness and dropped the coin in a small jar that was already half full even though the day was only half over.

A man from the other corner of the bar turned around from his companions and took a long gaze at Kith. The rough cut and rugged man thought that she was the prettiest thing he had ever seen in the past few days, however the man wasn't looking for a casual dinner date for two. His mind was set square on Kith's other assets that she possessed as he gazed from her eyes down her breasts until he reached her feet. He saw her swirl the drink with her finger and finish off the rest of the foam and that simple act made more than his eyebrows stand at attention. He stood up from the table and began to walk away from his small group of friends with his chest puffed out and his trusty gnarled war axe attached to his back while some of his friends started the cat calls. "Uh oh, better what out." "Oh no, looks like the beast has set his eyes on something other than a monster tonight" "Ya think she stands a chance?" "I'll wager thirty koriya she falls head over heels for him in under three minutes." "I'll wager you're an sodding, shite faced gank hunter. Thirty against him." "Done!"

The man smirked a bit as he overheard his companions while he slowly walked up to Kith with brimming confidence and leaned in close to her. "Hey there honey, haven't seen you around here before. You must be new in town.” Kith paid no mind to the man and continued to drink her beer. “The name's Bikkea. My friends call me “The Beast,” but you can call me what ever you like honey." Bikkea reached in to touch Kith's hand but she quickly withdrew it before contact could be made and slapped his hand away. "Oooo, feisty and hard to crack. I like my women that way, just like my Granitoises." Though he was rugged and rather manly, Kith did not find him the least bit attractive and was not there to have a casual encounter with a man who she though was “compensating” so she thought of a trick she had learned some time ago and quickly put one of her natural abilities to the test . She was able to morph her face to that of the most mangled hybrid of races she could imagine and turned to meet him. "Why thank you for noticing darling" Kith said in the most awful and ear wrenching voice she could think of as Bikkea was completely dumbstruck by what he saw and gagged a little in the process. "What in the nine hells?! But..I just saw your face a second ago!? Are you...you couldn't be a-" Kith quickly morphed her face again but this time to a stunningly beautiful male elfs face "Well I didn't think you would swing that way honey but you know what they say-" Bikkea was now thoroughly startled and confused by what he saw. "Wait! I just...I thought you were?” Bikkea finally put two and two together and tried to make the most of the fumbling situation by turning it to his favor, in his mind at least. “Enough with these silly parlor tricks. Hmph, you couldn't handle it anyway. Probably tear that small frame of yours in half. I'd rather be ridden by the bar wench anyway. She looks like she's got the right hips for swinging, birthing and an ass you could bounce a coin off of." Bikkea was obviously making up for being rejected which did not normally happen to him due to his self proclaimed fame. He held his head high as he walked back to his friends who were now taunting him left and right for the amazing failure and show that was put on for them. "Hey Bikkea! What the hell happened? Ya choke or somethin?" "Yeah! She didn't look so bad from the start till you went over there!" "Pay up my friend, I think you owe me." “I uh...don't have the coin right now Gelrin.” “Why you no good...”
Kith smirked a bit as she reverted back to her human form and polished off the last of her drink while the waiter laughed to himself as he walked over to her again. "Quite an impressive display hun. Haven't seen someone take Bikkea down a notch in some time, not since he made the mistake of trying to grab an Amazoness' arse. Speaking of things I haven't seen in some time, as far as I know, Aelkeep hasn't been graced with a mixed race for at least ten years or so. A real treat when they come to town it seems though. I've always enjoyed talking with them and listening to how many boots they have walked in over the course of their life." The waiter reached under the counter and brought out a special bottle of elven wine, uncorked the bottle and poured a drink for himself along with Kith and slid the drink over to her. "Care to share some of your stories miss..?" “Kith” she smiled and replied as she leaned onto the counter, took a large drink and began to weave some of her tales of when she was the captain of a pirate ship.

Chapter 4 Enchantress (Part 2)

Kith knew that Dire Bears in general were feared both among the people of Morhurst and most creatures that called it home, but a Ghallens towered above a Dire Bear by at least five feet or in some cases, more. This bear had to have been at least twenty-six feet in length and was abnormally large in size. Its paws were so large that they could easily crush Kith's skull or body if she got too close to it. The claws on the beast looked as though they could shred through plate armor with ease. Two of the unique aspects of the Ghallen was not only its abnormally large canine teeth that resembled a plains tiger's, but it was the only recorded bear in Morhurst to have small bony protrusions growing in reverse behind its ears. Though they weren't considered horns by scholars, they weren't just knobby plates either. Most people bickered over what to call these oddities on the bears, so most people just ended up calling them horns out of ease. This bears horns in particular, were large and gnarled to prove to all who saw them that this bear had done battle with many other beasts of the forests and lived. The Ghallen continued to thrash and roar out in pain, all the while Kith couldn't figure out why, until she looked on towards the dusted ground that was splattered with blood. She could not see any wounds on the beast until she inspected the left hind leg of the Ghallen from a safe distance and to her shock she saw a large, anchored trap that was designed specifically to catch and disable a Ghallen. Kith knew a little bit about some of the hunting laws in Morhurst and that this trap had been outlawed a few years ago for its cruelty, though that hadn't stopped poachers from acquiring them through certain trading venues or making their own versions of these sinister traps through reverse engineering. Cogs and springs cranked and whirled about as the teeth of the vice trap sank deeper into the flesh of the Ghallen the more it thrashed about and Kith realized that at this rate, it would more than likely die due to blood loss in less than an hour if nothing was done about it. "Cowards, to use such a trap to catch a beast like this. If they were after the pride and glory of taking this beast, then they should gather arrow and spell and track it like any other hunter would, without fear and cowardice." Kith desperately wanted to help the bear, but with a beast of its size and ferocity, there was very little that she thought would help. Being as stubborn as she was, she decided to do what she could to help it. Kith knew that the bear would not be able to move much due to the anchor and teeth of the trap, so in hopes to garner some sort of alliance with the bear, she decided to make herself known but at a safe distance. When she came out from behind the brush, the bear mistook her as an enemy and immediately began to lash out at her, gouging marks in the dirt and swiping violently until it collapsed from the pain of its injury. "Calm down! Calm down big guy" She kept saying to the bear to pacify it as best as she could. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to help you." Kith thought to herself for a moment that this bear wasn't going to cooperate easily with her since it was already on the war path. Kith dug deep into her mind, looking for an answer to this problem and an idea sparked. She decided to use a spell that she had learned when she was younger. The spell in particular was used to subdue small animals and calm larger ones but she had never tried it on anything this large before. She knew that it worked on large wolves due to a previous encounter so she decided to give it her best. Kith became focused and began to channel her energies for a moment until it pooled into her hand, shaping a sphere of bright swirling energy that spun and flickered at such a pace that it produce a faint hum in ones ear. "Now, please calm down and let me help you." She held her hand out to the bear, hoping that her idea would work. The bear roared as best it could to hopefully deter Kith from approaching, but it did not. It's roars began to fade as the bear gazed deeply into the swirling sphere of lights. Soon its eyes lit up as if it had been caught in a trance. The bear began to slowly calm its heavy breathing until it relaxed. It then looked right at Kith and it raised itself up off the ground as best as it could and limped towards her. The bear pressed its cold, wet nose into her other hand, signifying that the it was being submissive to her. Kith was amazed that her spell actually worked on this beast but now wasn't the time to think

"Good boy, now just stay calm for a little while and I'll see about getting that nasty contraption off of your leg." Kith walked around the massive beast and saw where the trap had been anchored to the ground and then gazed upon the massive vice like jaws that had ensnared the Ghallens leg. Kith could almost feel the pain of the bear just by looking at the horrific scene. The serrated teeth of the trap looked as though they were piercing deeper into flesh by the minute and saw that the ground had been stained with a significant amount of blood that was being lost from the bear. She rushed over to the site of the anchor of the trap while trying to keep the bear calm. "I know this is going to hurt and please don't bite off my head. I'm just trying to help you." Kith stroked the bears leg and moved some fur out of the way to see the jaws and look for a way to pry it open but it was no use. The springs were tightening quicker than she anticipated which meant that even with her own strength, it would be next to impossible to bend the jaws back and unlock it that way. Kith decided to search the trap more thoroughly and found what looked to be a releasing pin of sorts for the jaws. “Sorry big guy, but this looks like our only option.” Kith took in a deep breath and uttered a barely noticeable prayer, gripped the pin and told the bear to be strong before she pulled with all of her strength centered on thin pin. The bear roared out in pain from the movement and pressure on the trap but after what seemed like a lifetime for the both of them, the pin gave way, launching Kith a few feet back and knocking her to the ground. Now that the springs were at rest Kith could freely manipulate the jaws carefully but not without great difficulty. The jaws were still deeply embedded in the bears leg which took more force from Kith to dig them out. Once the jaws were free of the flesh and the leg was well away from the trap it began to pour forth blood at a rapid pace. Kith noticed this and quickly grabbed a small blue potion from her side pocket and uncorked the bottle with her teeth, spitting the stopper to the side. "I am really sorry for this" she said to the Ghallen as she poured the viscous blue liquid over the deep gashes on the leg. The eyes of the Ghallen flared up as it roared out in pain, knocking Kith out of the way as it began to thrash about. The potion went to work quickly though as it had alchemically stitched and healed the puncture wounds along with halting the flow of blood. Within a minute the Ghallen had calmed down and started to lick its wounds like it normally would, sneering a bit as it tasted some of the potion in the process.

Chapter 4 Enchantress (Part 1)

Chapter 4 Enchantress

While the sun still hid behind the clouds of the cold afternoon, the beasts that called the Koguran forest were quickly gathering any type of nourishment they could find. A few Razor toothed Ganks quickly dug through the light layer of snow that blanketed the ground, desperately searching for precious acorns or other seed pods that would aid them in the coming winter. The few worked in tandem, digging up pods and passing them off to another who would climb up a nearby tree, then rush through intricate tunnels until it would reach a chamber of stockpiled sustenance. High in the same tree, a small spear headed scrow waited patiently for a gank to find one of the seed pods. Once one of the ganks had found a pod, the scrow swooped down as quick as it could, hoping to snatch the pod in mid transit. Though this was a normal sight to see in the Koguran during this time of the year, there was one sight that was quite out of the ordinary. It hadn't been more than an hour after Kith had entered the Koguran forest and she was already starting to feel lost.

This was quite understandable as this was the first time that she had traversed these woods before. The original beaten path that she had started on had quickly turned to snow dusted paths of thick, overgrown brush joined by hulking trees that seemed to lash out and intertwine themselves with other trees surrounding them. These obstacles made for a rather difficult trek for Kith, but she knew that she had to muscle through them if she wanted to make it to Aelkeep before the sun started going down. Kith had heard rumors in the town of Selone, that many large beasts claimed large swathes of the Koguran forest as their own territories and would gladly drag a lone traveler to an early grave if the traveler was not careful or if the beast was hungry enough. Kith stopped for a moment and looked up through the tree line. She could see the dark gray clouds as a slight snowdrift swirled around her as she smiled. Kith figured that night would fall within the next four hours, but she was not afraid of what the night might bring her. The biting wind reminded her of cold and lonely nights that she had spent alone in her broken home by the southern sea. Umbral nights filled with plague infested vermin that would a muck through her home and ransack the foodstuffs, making anything unsuitable for even a common mouse. She remembered the brigands and would be cutthroats who would frequent her home when the town guards had been hot on their trail and needed a place to lie low for a day or two. Kith then remembered the cold nights she spent with a group of street children who took her in as one of their own. Those nights were just as bad as the ones she spent alone. She had been the strongest out of her small group and now she had a pseudo-family to protect. These terrors that called the night home only grew worse with her age and knowledge of just exactly what shadows were lurking in the middle of the night. Nights of staying awake in their run down forge house and taking watcher duty so the other children could bundle in hidden rooms to sleep soundly. She knew that if she did not keep an eye and ear out, then she ran the risk of loosing one of the children to the many horrid dangers of the real word that did not have anything to do with sickness or empty stomachs. The silent murderers who preyed upon the weak and would do anything to achieve their sickening goals. Killing who and when they wished, not paying any mind to the souls they released into the aether for coin or just for the lustful pleasure. The rapists who did not segregate woman, man, or child from their list of potential twisted fantasies. Taking them from the streets, dark alley ways, and even from their homes while they were sound asleep, dragging them into the shadows where tears could not be seen and cries for help were muffled by giggling and laughter. The thieves that grabbed throats and pulled elders into the alleyways, who would just as easily slit the very veins that helped provide life than to hear the cries of agony and pleads for a safe return, just for what you might have or might not be carrying in your pockets. Kith did not fear the oncoming shadows of the forest, for she knew the real meaning of being afraid of the dark. She remembered what she had to do to protect herself and she was more than prepared to do it again if necessary.

Kith continued her unreasonably quiet stroll through the forest. Fearing that something was amiss, she kept a constant vigil for anything that could be lurking just around a large shrub or a downed tree. After a few minutes of hearing nothing but the crunch of snow and leaves between her boots, a boisterous, primal roar shattered the silence of the Koguran and came thundering from the path up straight in front of Kith. Shocked, she quickly took cover behind a large tree and drew a war fan that began crackling with electricity as sigils on the fan began to glow a dull blue. Her heart racing, she peered out from behind the tree to see if she could find the source of the chilling roar. She looked around for a moment but could not see anything coming towards her that might have been the source of the roar. She quickly looked behind her with her fan at the ready as the arcs of electricity followed suit. Another roar pierced through the trees, but this time in a much lower and different tone. "What in the nine hells? Sounds like something is in pain.." Kith held out her hand and conjured a small swirling orb of electricity, then she slowly made her around the tree, walking closer towards the sound. The now apparent painful cries of the unknown source of the sound grew louder as she neared a small area of thick woods and brush. Kith let her spell dissipate into the air as she peered through the overgrowth of nearly dead vines and could see an odd beast in the distance but she couldn't make out exactly what it was. The beast let out another roar of pain and began to thrash around, violently snapping small trees in half while tearing through shrubs and dirt with ease. Kith thought that it might be a bad idea to advance any further but for some reason she felt the need to at lease see if she could do anything to help the beast. She braved the brush and crept closer to the massive beast which was now in clear view. She studied it for a moment and realized that she was in the presence of one of the top predators of the forest, a Ghallen Dire Bear.