Even though it was dark and wet, she never took her eyes off her opponent as the rain poured into her eyes. This Umbra was her prey and she'd been hunting it for weeks. It had killed at least 10 people in the area and never stuck around long enough to be caught. It was smart and cunning, which made it especially dangerous. Its red eyes glowed with otherworldly malice; its body hulking muscle mounds that appeared animalistic. It was a monster through and through, but its rampant death and destruction were coming to an end tonight. It would die. A fire, lightning, and wind orb rotated her body, her mana supercharged and ready to strike.
She rushes the creature with two short swords in hand, her magic trailing behind her. It's like a flash of colors collided with the beast, sending it backward into the rock side of a mine, creating a dust cloud. As soon as thunder flashed in the sky, a boulder came out of the cloud of dust, followed by the beast itself. It swung wildly at the woman, although it never came close to touching her. She was too fast for the beast.
The beast was rewarded with a cut, a burn, or a bolt of lightning for every missed attack. "You will pay for your sins, Umbra. This is the end." The young woman says as she speed-blitzes the creature, stabbing it in the gut before twisting the blade. When she twists the sword, a wave of wind magic explodes from the blade, leaving a giant hole inside its torso. Before the beast could fall to the ground she slashes at its throat, decapitating its corpse before it could hit the ground. She picks up the newly severed head and pulls the hood off her head as the rain begins to lighten up. Without a word, she turned around and began to fly home, to the capital.
It was a two-day long trip with proper rest and meals by flight. As she got closer to home the capital walls loomed on the horizon. They'd repaired the section of the wall where Hikari had his battle but didn't bother replanting trees or fixing the dirt. Even now, you could see the scars of their battle. If you looked outside the wall you could see it all. The death and destruction grew over. The young woman shook her head to get rid of the memories. She couldn't afford to cry right now, even if the rain would wash them away. Tears are a luxury warriors couldn't afford, and she needed to be strong. She lands softly on the wet grass beneath her in front of the gate. She knocks on one of the steel doors, waiting for an answer.
"Who goes there?" A voice calls out from behind the door. The young woman sighs and then says, "Who else could it be? It's me, Rona!" A series of clicks and clunks can be heard from behind the door before it opens up revealing the face of Sylvia. She brings her inside the wall and starts drying her off.
"The storm is getting especially bad out there, Sylvia. It's been like this for a few days now." Rona says as she dries her hair off. "I know dear, I've had to live through it. Not to mention that all this rain complicates things like tracking and training." Rona takes off her boots and sits by the fire soaking in the heat after weeks of the cold. She takes in a deep breath, careful to absorb the sounds of her surroundings. The winds from outside the walls, the stepping of heavy boots, and the voices of men and women blended beautifully. This was home, this was The Wall.
"Sylvia, has there been any news of Elena?" Rona says as she sits by a heating vent. She takes off her coat and gloves revealing a ring with a sapphire gem in it."Sorry dear, but there's been nothing. As we know she was a part of the royal Guard. It's to be expected that she can evade the eyes of the king. She truly is something else." They both relax in the chairs around the vent, making sure to roast their toes and embrace the calm. Rona glances at the ring on her finger and grips her hand closed. They both sat there listening to the sounds of the wall. The stomping of boots, the turning of gears, the sound of heat moving through the walls, and the voices of men and women talking about the most mundane and everyday issues.
After weeks of tracking that beast, it was nice to rest finally, but as she sat there she couldn't help but think something was missing. She pushed those feelings to the back of her mind. She shouldn't let herself get caught in negative thoughts, not while resting. She'd been consumed by sadness for too long already. Not again. Sylvia was the first to break the silence, saying, "Rona, did I ever tell you the story of the dragon mother, Lov?" Rona closed her eyes and responded with a sighful no. Sylvia sits forward in her chair and looks at her
"The story of Lov is a long one but I'll keep it a little shorter for time. There once was a human named Lov. Lov was a noblewoman who was obsessed with magic, but during these times magic was forbidden and her parents always warned her to never deal with it. Unfortunately for Lov, she was a stubborn woman." Sylvia takes a deep breath, pausing to remember the tale. After a few more seconds have passed, Sylvia continues the story. "At night, Lov would secretly sneak out into the woods and meet with a mysterious young man. A tall and tan fellow who lived in a humble cottage, but had a deep wealth of knowledge, knowledge that Lov was interested in. So she kept coming out every night, learning about Mana, Mana Veins, and secrets about the world that would give someone the ability to even defy fate and death."
Rona is sitting forward in her chair, immersed in the story of Lov. After a brief stretch and deep breath, Sylvia continues. "After years of seeing each other, the man, whose name she'd learned was Gramenadiel, and Lov had, well, fallen in love with each other. She'd grown to be a powerful sorceress. It is all thanks to his kind, patient, and loving nature. However, her father had learned of her late-night escapes and had the girl followed. The spy saw her with the man, enclosed in each other's arms with mana and a flame and all other elements swirling around them. He went back to her father and told him everything." Rona covered her mouth with a slight gasp. "What happened next? Please tell me that nothing bad happens!" Rona shouts. She is taken aback by how loud she is, clears her throat, and then repeats herself in a more hushed volume. "Please continue, Sylvia."
Sylvia chuckles and begins the story again. "Her father was furious. When she returned home. She had finally gathered the courage to share her magic with her father, but she was beaten and arrested. She could've fought back, she would have escaped, but how could she hurt her father, her people? With her resolve steeled she accepted her fate. She was supposed to be executed at midnight and as the night drew close, and the executioner's blade was readied, a monstrous roar echoed through the capital. What we now know as the Dragon King, flew overhead and landed within the capital. He was no ordinary dragon, he was a celestial dragon. They say that the anger in his eyes had every single person there frozen. The dragon transformed into a human form and it was none other than Gramenadiel. He walked past her father and executioner, the blade turning to ash in the executioner's hands. He undid her binds and cradled her in his arms as he healed her wounds. No one dared say anything. Move an inch out of fear for thirty minutes. When Gramenadiel spoke at last his voice boomed through the city.
"Though I think you are unworthy to live, I have conversed with the woman before you all. Even now she speaks of mercy. Mercy for all of you. Even though you beat her, mocked her, cheered for her head to roll, she still protects you from my wrath. You all will live this day. You will never forget her mercy, because I take an action of my own free will. I will rule, educate, fix, and if you resist, not even her love will save you all."
With a wave of his hand, it is said that he picked up the land the city rested on and summoned it away beyond our maps. It is also said that in the years to come, dragons would come from over the mountains and all share the same traits. Golden eyes, Black horns, and a burning thirst for knowledge. And that is the story of Lov, the dragon mother." Rona sat there like a child, it was the first time in a long time that her mood had lifted. Rona leaned back in her chair and began to think about the story she'd just heard, and she felt a child-like glee rising in her throat. She even smiled.
"Sylvia, sometimes I forget just how much I love magic. I mean it." Sylvia glances at the girl and says, "I never said you didn't. I mean magic is fascinating, the ability to create anything as long as you have the mana to do it, if you have the means then the sky's the limit."
"Not even the skies will limit me, Sylvia. After…he passed, I realized how weak I was. He was a hero, he was supposed to be more, to do more, and yet he was…I never want to feel like this again. He was taken from us, I need more power."
"Power, huh? Isn't it ironic that the most powerful people in the world are supposedly just a few miles away, and yet look at the state of this war? We're losing Rona."
Sylvia looks Rona in the eyes and a tear starts to well up. She slowly reaches out and grabs her hands, trying not to cry. Rona knows that it's best to stay silent. They stay like this for some time, neither of them talking, just exchanging emotions and words with their eyes. If suffering were water, the two of them would've drowned. The evening would proceed as it normally would after a mission. They eat, bathe, and then sleep. Nothing was different tonight, not a single thing, but the next day? The next day would be something extraordinary.
Rona wakes up, the sun streaming into her eyes and lets out a yawn. As she goes to sit up, she sees Tiki sitting in a chair at her desk watching her. However, this doesn't surprise her as this isn't the first time this has happened.
"Hello Tiki, what can I blame this morning's pleasure of seeing your face on?"
"Oh, I just thought you'd like to see my lovely face is all."
"I could've waited a bit longer, maybe a week or two to be precise." Tiki chuckles a little.
"But here we are. On a more serious note, I am here for a reason, and it's from the crown himself. We've got something to hunt down, apparently, out of all the new hunters, you are the best. His words, not mine." Rona stretches a bit and pulls her legs from under the covers.
"Well, this is nothing new. A request from the king, yeah that's new, but if something is supposed to be hunted it'll get done." Rona pauses before cringing a little. "Ugh, ew, I sound like those veteran hunters."
"Ha, I think it's a good fit for you considering how goofy you are deep down. Next thing you know, you'll be so direct that you'll sound a little monotone and not mince any words. But enough teasing, unlike any of your other missions I've been instructed to come along this time. It's that dangerous. So I guess you'll finally get the chance to see your friend Tiki in action!" Tiki points to herself and dons a huge grin.
"Huh, well this oughta be fun. Now get out, I'm literally in my panties and I'd like to get dressed."
"Fair enough, I'll see you upstairs after breakfast. See you soon!"
Rona finally gets out of bed and looks at herself in the mirror, scanning her figure and face. She notices that her body isn't like it was a month ago. Her body is toned and strong, not unfeminine, but not delicate per se. She has scars now, little cuts from battles with Umbra couldn't always be avoided, and some wounds were so deep that even with healing magic they had left behind a mark. Her skin glowed under the morning light that streamed through the window and came into contact with her red hair. It was like a crimson fire and had grown long over the past month. She held her hair, feeling it as it passed her breast. She thought, "Has it been that long since I trimmed my hair?"
She stopped admiring herself and started to get dressed, brush her teeth, shower, and go eat breakfast. Eggs and toast were on the menu, but then again, when weren't they? After eating she left the cafeteria and saw Tiki waiting near the stairs.
"Took you long enough Rona. You ready to be debriefed by the chief?" Tiki signals over her shoulder and up the stairs.
"Yeah. Even though I wanted to rest today, my job isn't to rest, it's to hunt." Rona starts to walk up the stairs and Tiki walks behind her. They continue up the stairs before reaching an extremely fortified steel door. Rona turns to Tiki and gestures forward.
"Ladies first." Tiki scoffs before announcing their presence. From behind the door, a gruff and loud voice says to enter. Rona and Tiki enter the room to be briefed on one of the most dangerous hunts they'll ever experience.