Yamada found himself in the abyss. He felt the water on his skin, and something watching him. A wave of dread washed over him, as he tried to find some light. 'WEAK!" A booming voice hissed. The voice rung all around him. He raised his fists as a reflex, breathing rapidly and heavily. "Who are you!?" He shouted out. "Yamada..." Gwyneth's faintly called out. The abyss was illuminated. The Eight headed serpent now surrounded Yamada. Each head lurched forward ready to devour him. He trembled in fear. "Weak." They hissed, still frozen in stone. "What are you?" He asked shaking. One of the stone serpent heads lunged forward stopping just in front of him. "Your true strength." It hissed. "Yamada...wake up." Gwyneth's faint voice echoed out. Yamada looked up to the Oeo above him, the sun shining down on him. He leapt up trying to reach the light. The serpent shot up after him. "Only we have the true power to kill Begron." It hissed, before slinking down.
Yamada shot awake, yelling out, finding himself alone in the dark. He was drenched in sweat breathing heavily. His heart pounding against his chest. Yamada gazed around finding himself in one of the Blessed's bedrooms. A note was left on his bedside table. He grabbed it and ran outside in his leather garbs, with no boots on. Yamada held the note under the lantern. The gate to water magic, was drawn in exquisite detail. He flipped the note over, seeing the blocky and sharp lettering he was use to. 'Yamada, I'm sorry to have put you through that. Here on this note, lies the gate to magic that has not been used in 8,000 years.' It read. Yamada held the note up closer to the lantern.
'Gwyneth, truly cares for you. For her sake, do not lose yourself to your powers again. You may never come back from a transformation like that. Harbinger is where you left it, and Gwyneth is awaiting for you. My sincerest apologies Encara Cagim.' The rest of the note read. Yamada tucked the note into his pockets and sprinted towards the Keep. He reached the Keep with dawn coming. Yamada snuck past the Hand maidens on the night shift, and crept into the her chambers. She was curled in on his mattress, clutching her cape like a blankey. He noticed her long sword resting against the wall. Yamada crept in closer, stopping as he heard sleep talking. "Hendrik....sorry....I'm...sorry..." She muttered. He touched her cheek, feeling the moist skin. She had been weeping. Yamada slumped quietly against the dresser, letting out a sigh.
'Did you really think you could fix her heart? Did you honestly think you were that special? You have only one purpose in this world. Kill Begron Argul. Kill him and everyone he loves.' The serpent hissed in his head. Yamada clutched his temple. "Shut up." He growled. "Hendrik...." Gwyneth whimpered. "You're nothing but his cheap imitation and replacement. Stop relying on her and-" Yamada stood up storming out of the room. The Handmaidens gawked at him. "If Gwyneth ask where I am. I'm training and she doesn't have to worry about me." He said walking out. Yamada made his way into the stone court, ripping Harbinger out of the ground. "You cannot ignore me forever." It hissed. "Shut up and watch me." He growled.
He sat down, where the stone tiles were stained with wine and soup. Yamada copied the image drawn, shaping his arcane energy to match. He stared in awe at the gate, watching it drip and rotate with azure water. Encara watched on from above, atop the Keep, with Urkse by his side. "You did it Encara, you found the last gate." Urkse said rubbing his back. "I nearly got the boy killed, and hurt Gwyneth." He said glumly, taking a seat on the edge. Encara dropped his head sighing. Urkse followed and sat beside him. They sat under the night sky as it begun to brighten. "It's nice to see you coming back." Urkse said watching the stars dance. Encara gave him an incredulous glance. "I never left?" He asked confused. Urkse chuckled, taking a small flask from behind, and tossed it to Encara.
"Drink it. I've been saving that for 17 years." He said, gazing at the stars again. Encara did not hesitate to drink from the flask. Having any alcohol survive Urkse's appearance was rare. To have him save a drink for 17 years, was rarer than finding a black sun. The wine inside was sweet and tasted of coconuts. Encara shot Urkse an astonished stare. "This is-" Urkse nodded with a grin. "It's the first drink we shared, when you made Rin your sarang." He said, his voice filled with warmth and levity. "You were a different man then." He said glumly. "Every time you wore a smile, I would close my eyes and block my ears. " Encara felt a pit grow inside of his stomach. He had never heard Urkse speak to him this way before.
"Then you met her. You lost 'that' smile, and found a real smile." He said chuckling. "It honestly sent a shiver down my spine, seeing you wear a real smile." Encara was silent. "Why are you telling this to me now?" He asked, taking a sip of the wine. "Because, for the first time in 17 years. You did something selfish, it came back to bite you the arse, and finally made you apologise and feel remorse. I'm celebrating the return of my friend and brother." Urkse said patting him on the back. "Welcome back Encara." He said falling off the edge. Encara chuckled to himself. He smiled looking down at Yamada hold the gate open, then to the forest making up the dark horizon. "Another war is coming, and I don't know if I'm strong enough to fight it Rin." He said clenching his fist.
Ul'lanna had trekked with her army for a week. She had no success in losing them. A small battalion was always reporting to her their hunt, or status. She sat in her tent alone, biting her thumb nail, tapping her leg nervously. 'Fuck. We're getting there too fast! These damn horses are so damn efficient!' Ul'lanna grimaced thinking of what would happen if she met the other war party. They would set up around the Citadel, and slowly starve them out, sending wave after wave of their soldiers. She had to slow them down and escape. She had to notify the Citadel properly to form a counter attack. A small, bony Elven warrior ducked into her tent, saluting her. "Captain, we found six rabbits. They will be prepared for you soon ready soon." She said. An idea popped into her mind. "Warrior, when was the last time you had a full meal?" She asked. "I was full from our last meal-" Her growling stomach over powered her voice. She went red punching her gut, to Ul'lanna's shock.
"There's no need for that. I have a better idea." She said leaving the tent. "Tell everyone to come with me." The warrior bowed and quickly followed out, passing the message. After a few minutes the legion stood in front of Ul'lanna. She stood next to several horses, including her destrier, all bound around trees. "We have made exceptional time. However I am not blind to your woes. You are all hungry and weary. Thin reboiled stews made of vegetables and leftovers, is not enough for my warriors. So every day I want you to eat hearty and have the strength to kill Kal'Nar's enemies." She declared. The warriors cheered at her speech. Ul'lanna drew her nodachi. The suba guard became red, and turned into a molten white lotus. An intense flame covered her weapon, and she beheaded the horses each with a single strike.
The cuts so clean and fast, the horses stood up for a few seconds before toppling over. The heat so intense no blood spurted out from the cauterised wounds. The warriors stared on stunned as Ul'lanna sheathed her fiery nodachi. "Harvest the horses, and eat well. My soldiers are to be strong." She said walking away. The warriors cheered surrounding the corpses and began skinning and cutting the animals apart. 'Alright that should slow us down a little bit more. A few more days of that and we might be able to delay a little bit longer.' Her thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into the messenger. He quickly bowed going red. "My apologies Captain!" "It's alright I was also absent minded." She said. "Captain, I have received word from our spy." He said with a big grin.
Spy? Kal'Nar had a spy inside of the Citadel? Had they found received her message? Did they know it was hers? Her heart leapt into her throat. "What does it say?" She asked trying to cover her shock and fear. "There is a Forsaken Knight, inside the Citadel. He is incredibly powerful, and he should be executed immediately on sight." The messenger said. Ul'lanna's eyes widened with shock and joy. She had heard the tales of the Forsaken Knights. Crazed men and women who would fuse a Draken's heart into themselves, gaining incredible power. She smiled at the messenger, one of joy at the knowledge the Citadel was powerful. He read the smile as one of joy in finding a worthy challenge.
"Tell the Spy to leave the Forsaken Knight to me. I will convince him to join our side." She said walking away. The Messenger cocked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?" he said shaking his head in disbelief. He followed after in a jog. "Our orders were to kill him." She rolled her eyes. "What is more beneficial to Kal'Nar? Killing someone crazy enough to partake in the Forsaken ritual? Or having them join us, and loose the crazed human onto our enemies?" She asked, pursing her lips to a line. The messenger bowed understanding and quickly left to write the message. Ul'lanna quietly turned in for the night in her tent. Grabbing her blanket, she screamed into it, till she was exhausted. They were making too much headway. Escaping to the Citadel, would soon become impossible. Especially if they saw her leading a army. She had to do something drastic to slow them down. But what?
Ul'lanna shot up in a huff, marching towards the scouts tents. They sat around rubbing their full bellies. As she approached they tried to stand at attention, clearly struggling to stand up right. "At ease, I want a report at how far we are from the Citadel." She ordered. "If we continue at this rate, we'll be there in two weeks." The young Elven warrior said with a smile. She nodded at them and quickly walked away. The camp was nearly silent except for the flickering torches of the guards. She entered into her tent, taking a deep breath, readying herself to take drastic measures. Ul'lanna begun packing a leather rucksack with provisions. She snuck out in the dead of night, knocking out the two, guarding the horses. Ul'lanna cut the horses free, and mounted one. She drew her nodachi, and set the blade ablaze. The warriors awoke to the commotion of the horses, and were suddenly shocked by camps engulfed in flames. She rode as fast as she could, hearing the shouts and screams to abandon the camp.
One week till the scouting mission. At midday, Yamada and Gwyneth duelled in the stone courtyard, garnering stunned gazes. The sound of Harbinger clashing with Gwyneth's long sword, rung out. She had a smile across her face, as she parried each blow, setting Yamada on the back foot. "Don't let me set the rhythm!" She shouted lunging in, striking him against the pauldron. He fell down, the pain radiating in his shoulder. "Every time I go in-" "You feel good?" She interrupted him with a big smile. He frowned pouting at her. "I get swept. I was going to say I get swept." He responded rising to his feet. "Oh, could have sworn we got to the point of finishing each other sentences." She said with a sly smile. He let out a low growl, raising Harbinger. "If you commit to an attack, always follow through. Deiridium weapons are not meant to be stopped. Once swung, follow through." She said flourishing the blade in an infinity motion.
"Now come let's rest." She said sheathing her sword. "I'm not tired. I can keep going." He said furrowing his brow. "I want you to keep that spirit tonight." He went bright red under his armour, bowing his head. "But don't think I haven't noticed you sneaking off at night, to continue training. Rest is important. Now go and get some lunch." She said walking off. Yamada planted Harbinger into the ground, making his armour disappear. His leather clothing underneath was drenched in sweat. He looked down at himself disgusted. 'Did I always sweat this much?' he thought stomping awkwardly away.
Jacara stood in the caverns beneath the Citadel. His spells now reached a solid two metres, before being ripped apart by the hands. He was huffing and drenched in sweat. Three weeks of intense training, and he had done nothing but reach a little further to the target. Encara sat behind him eating a sandwich, as Jacara fell onto his back exhausted. "You're getting better." He said munching away. "Don't patronise me. I'm nowhere near reaching that target." Jacara snapped. "If you could have reached destroyed that target in a month. I would promote you to the rank of Grand Mage." Jacara rolled over glaring at him. "Then why the hell did you give me this test, if you knew I couldn't beat it!?" He yelled. "I didn't want you to beat it. I wanted you to try. I want you to take the challenge head on." Jacara stood up listening to his father's motivational words and scoffed.
"Do I look like Yamada? I'm not some idiot Islander, who runs head first into battle. There's always a way around things." He said drinking from a flask. "Tell me, in three weeks did you find a way around my magic?" Encara said. Jacara was silent, he knew he had been played. He growled at his Father. Encara grabbed Jacara by the collar pushing him towards the curse magic. He teetered him on the edge of the magic, holding him with an outstretched arm. Jacara clung on his father's arm, desperately trying to avoid the hands. "Sometimes there is no way around something. You'll be pushed into a corner, and the only way out. Is through." He said pulling Jacara away. "Also I think you should probably spar with your partner at least once or twice, before you go. You know to bond." He said walking back to his seat. Jacara gave Encara an incredulous look. "What do you mean he's my partner?"
"Who did you think you were getting? The squire is meant to compliment the mage, and make up for each other's shortcomings. He knows how to fight and duel. You know every kind of magic. You two are perfect for each other." Encara said with a smile. "But he's an idiot!" Jacara snapped. "And you're smart. You'll make up for his idiocy. Now I say tomorrow, you two have duel in the woods, no holds bar. I'll keep watch so nothing bad happens." Jacara furrowed his brow, cocking his head to the side. "I want a different partner." He pouted. "Tell you what, if you beat him in the spar. I'll let you have double the gold when you leave, and free choice of your partner." "Deal!" Jacara eagerly agreed. "But if you lose-" "I won't!" Jacara snapped. "Good! I'll go set it up. Rest up, the spar will be tomorrow morning. And just to make sure you understand. If you lose, I will be making him your superior in the field, and giving you only 50 gold pieces to use." He said disappearing with a flash of light.