" Did you hear? Volescue was attacked last night."
" What! That is one of the major cities for trade. Did they catch them?"
" No, and they say it's the same two who have been attacking villages since that orphanage three years ago."
" Are you serious!? What's the king and his army doing...Can we really believe they could protect us if they can't stop a simple two-man crusade?"
" I don't know...It seems many people are beginning to lose faith in our king and fear for the safety of their homes...If they don't catch these two soon...The whole kingdom will be against them."
This is the talk spread throughout the entire Capital City of Ruleburgh...The faith the citizens have in their king and his army has dwindled in the past three years as Tsucko and Kalci have led a crusade destroying minor and major towns and cities.
The king has acknowledged them as an enemy of the Kingdom but no matter how many troops he sends after them...He always has less when they retune if any at all. He has begun to fear an attempt to overthrow him...Due to such fear, he recalled most of his troops to guard the capital city.
A group of kids were racing through the streets of Ruleburgh as carelessly as any child would. Wide smiles as their innocence allowed them to care less about the current situation of the home kingdom. No worries of war or battle, no experience with loss or sadness only gain and happiness. The sun clung to their innocent smile as they ran like the physical form of their innocence and happiness.
" Hahaha, you guys are too slow-Ah!"
" Thump!"
Being children they paid little attention to their surroundings. The one racing in front of everyone else had bumped into someone due to that lack of care...At least he thought it was a person as the impact felt like running into a wall.
"Uh, sorry....Uh!" The sunlight was completely blocked by two towering figures cloaked in black, their hoods up. All that was visible were the piercing red eyes of one of them glinting through the shadows. The child's breath caught in his throat as an overwhelming sense of despair suddenly engulfed his body, seemingly emanating from these two figures.
The two dark figures walked past the child on either side of him neither of them accepting his apology, The child who was so innocent to the possibility of conflict or death in their home suddenly acknowledged these possibilities as these figures passed him along with all the other children behind him who were frozen in place due to unknown force they had never acknowledged.
No, they acknowledged it, but not to the same degree. It wasn't the same as their fear of the dark or fear of loneliness, but a fear for the future they had never questioned.
The two cloaked figures walked in a straight line down the main road towards the king's capital. Although it was more of a cathedral than a castle, it was massive and stood out from the rest of the city. The old stone and stained glass indicated its age and its significance in magical history, being the first building constructed by the first two magic warriors, the brothers who also led the first magic war.
" Tsucko," The figure on the right spoke quietly. " Should we start now?" They were standing at a crossroads...A sign overhead read the locations of where each road lead...The road to the right held their interest..." The military garrison."
" Yes, Kalci we shall...You go cause some chaos over in the military's garrison...I'll handle the king."
" Okay." Kalci stood for a moment as a horse and carriage slowly passed behind him and before it completely passed he reached back and grabbed the back with his right hand using it for a ride to the garrison.
{ " As if that won't draw attention...Oh well."]
Tsucko continued straight down the main road to the cathedral that housed the king, admiring the architecture around him as he did...In his past life, he found the architecture of medieval times fascinating and cool in a way. He was happy now that he got to live in a world that housed such grand and beautiful buildings.
.......
" Sir...The citizens are beginning to question if you're capable of keeping them safe!"
" Sir how should we respond!"
" Sir the Emerald Kingdom is-"
Inside the cathedral was chaos...The military commanders, social leaders, and political figures and leaders of all attacked towns were currently asking the king an overwhelming amount of questions and asking for an overwhelming amount of information he did not have.
His hands were dug into his royal yellow hair that was passed on from his ancestor...The brother who created this building and led the kingdom to its first war, and the brother who ended that war...The expectations he carried on his shoulder during these troubling times were beginning to bury him in a feeling of uncertainty in the coming days.
" The Kingdom...The Kingdom is in trouble." He spoke in a soft monotone voice. He removed his fingers from his hair and raised his head facing all the nobles and commanders asking him questions. " I fear my rule may be coming to an end."
" Uh, sir." His head commander grabbed him by the shoulders. " You can't just accept that...Give me orders, something...We won't let these two crusaders destroy everything you've built."
" I fear there is nothing to be done...I already sense them. A mana presence equal to mine is approaching..."
" Tch! Where sir we can-"
" None of you stand a chance!"
The room fell into silence at the cry of their king. Rising fiercely, he marched to a side of his room with a large window overlooking the city. His throne was on the second floor, and right below the window stood the main entrance. It was then that he noticed a cloaked figure marching up the steps.
"Tsk," he clicked his tongue and gazed at the sword hanging to the left of the window. A katana, in a red sheath with a red handle, adorned the wall. He swiftly grabbed the blade and secured it to his back before striding purposefully towards the exit of his throne room and descending the stairs.
" You all take the back exit...Leave this to me!" He barked these orders as he descended to the first floor where he intended to meet the cloaked figure...And to participate in a fierce battle to decide the fate of his kingdom.
" Who are you!"
Outside the massive doors that were the main entrance, a guard confronted the Tsucko as he reached the top of a massive stair path. A massive soldier wearing a thick leather warmer confronted him at the top of the stairs.
Tsucko recognized something about this particular guard...He was a Calicorian, a species of non-human often used as guards due to their muscular build and thick skin...Identifiable by a thick neck and fat round face.
" You sure you want to do this...Isn't your kind already going extinct?" Tsucko dropped his hod down to his shoulders exposing his long blonde hair that went past his shoulder and bright blue eyes that reflected the man's claymore sword in his hand.
" Uh! Your that-" He recognized him immediately...While very few survived encounters with Tsucko and Kalci, the ones who did were able to get an accurate description of Tsucko.
" CRASH!"
[" What was that!"] The guard swiftly turned his head, catching sight of a towering structure crumbling in a dramatic explosion of flames. [ " That is the military garrison!"]
" ZINK!"
" Huh..."
A tingling feeling rushed through his body, his nerves seemed to burn slightly as he turned his head back towards Tsucko...he was gone, no the guard could sense him...Walking behind him his cloak waving in the wind as he approached three other guards
" How'd you-" He tried to turn but his body wouldn't respond. He looked above his head and saw three yellow strands of mana wire hanging in the air. [" I'm de-dead..."]
His body fell to the floor with three vertical cuts through it. The three other guards cried out for their friend as they rushed swords summoned to their sides. The sun hanging over the city slowly disappeared behind a group of thick dark clouds as the world began to cry,
Tsuckos' face twisted into a sadistic smile as he effortlessly pulled the mana wire down, effortlessly slicing all three guards into multiple pieces with a single, swift stroke.