I stood cloaked above my prey in the dead winter trees, inhaling sharply as the cold winter air cut my lungs, the brisk air blowing against my fingers as I pulling back my bow. I let out a quiet long exhale and steady my aim towards the deer-like creature; a snawfu; its antlers glowing a pale blue amongst the white falling snow, the pelt almost unseen if not due to it's blue illumination, the same tinted vapor emitting from it's nostrils as it breathes. Its head quickly looks towards me, darting from looking at one spot to another, the air giving my scent away. I ready my shot, my fingers red and numb from the needle like breeze, "Accel" I whisper as I release my arrow, the wind carrying it true.
THUMP! It can be heard even from where I was perched, the sound of the snawfu hitting the snow, grateful I am that it only took one arrow, it's graceful body laying in the deep snow, staining the innocent scenery with its crimson blood.
I drop from the trees, "Damn it, the snow's already this deep?" I ask myself as I sink just past my ankles, starting my walk towards my catch. I whistle as I walk, a white and grey bird, a snow falcon, comes down from the sky above landing nearby, "Good job Zephyr, we should be able to feed the family tomorrow with this." Zephyr was my pet, that felt wrong to call him, but nonetheless he was, he frequently helps me hunt to keep my family fed and in clothes.
I kneel beside the snawfu, "Poor animal, your antlers gave you away." I rest my hand on their body and thank my Ascendent, Asra, for the fruitful hunt. I grab it by it's legs and heave it over my shoulders, weighing a good 300 pounds, "Zephyr keep lookout on the trek back." He screeches lightly at me and takes back to the sky, even I could hard keep track of him, his feathers blended in well with the sky and clouds above.
A short couple of hours later I broke the tree line of the forest, my small village visible only a mile or two away now. A ten foot gate surrounded the village, mostly consisting of tall wooden palisade fences, stone guard towers every 300 feet or so, I call them towers, but they were more skin to stairs.
I approach the village entrance, dropping my facemask for the guards, "Welcome back Kier, I see you had a good hunt." The guard says happily.
"It was wonderful, I only had to trek a few miles into the forest in snow, wait for a couple hours in the freezing winds, and then drag back a 300 pound animal through that same snow." I say somewhat sarcastically, giving a polite smile.
We both let out an exasperated laugh, "Well you go on and head inside, I've got you all marked down." He gives me a slight pat on the back as I pass through the gate.
"Thanks." I say happily walking past him.
I begin my short walk through the village, first by the market, the goods I could never afford on sale everywhere, as I pass the people still show me respect for my rank and as a protector of the village, I wave back politely, well as best as I can with this hunk on my back. I don't care for the attention, but with rank 7 being somewhat rare, it's not negotiable. I make my way down the main street just barely making it to the mayors manor before a small child runs straight into me, tackling me. The snawfu falls off my shoulders onto the stone road, I myself lost my balance and fall onto the cold wet floor, my head gently landing on the snawfu lifeless body.
"Kier you're back!" The child exclaimed, her tiny arms attempting to reach around me for a hug, I of course hug her back. "Yes Snow I am back, I was only gone for the morning and part of the afternoon."
This is Snow, daughter to the Akari family, they are the mayors of the village, or rather her father is. Rank 7 doesn't come with many benefits, but it does come with responsibilities I didn't ask for, one of which is being this child's bodyguard anytime they leave the village. My first major job for them will be in a few months where I will be taking her to the capital, a 3 month travel, to start her schooling for at least 5 years.
I stand her back up, and dust the snow off her, "Would you like to have dinner with us tonight?" I asked her, her eyes lit up red with excitement as she nodded quickly up and down.
"Alright then, let's head on over, hopefully dinner is started, I'm starving." I say smiling to her, even though she is my responsibility, I've been looking after her for a while now, and she's become more like a sister than just some random child I guard. I lean over and pick the snawfu back up and walk her over to my home.
I walk up to a wooden gate in front of my home, moss growing towards the sunrise, the wood soaked with water, and the color a dark rustic brown. Snow joyfully pushes the gate open, the stones making up the fence rumble and quake under the light stress, they walk towards the small cottage. The rough gravel path that connects the gate to the porch crunching under their feet, the entire house seems to be made out of the same type of wood, most definitely not anything worth much. He walks up the two front porch steps, creaking under his and the snawfus weight, two rocking chairs sat on the porch along with a half empty oil lantern hanging from the ceiling between them, Zephyr seeing that they are home quickly flies to his hidden nest in the porch ceiling. Snow pushes the door straight open before announcing, "I brought back Kier!" to the entire home.
A tall goliath, just under 7 feet tall, awaited me not far from the door, "Welcome home, I see you brought back a snawfu, we can eat tomorrow, good job." His low gruff voice weighs heavy on the air, but he smiles at me, taking the snawfu in just one hand, cleanly breaking the glowing antlers off with the other and handing them to me, "Don't forget to make our offering." as he took the snawfu to the yard to prepare it for tomorrow.
My older brother of two years, Blake, sitting in the chair next to the fire reading a tome, probably studying. "Welcome home Kier, I hope you didn't get frostbite out there." He said jokingly, letting out a slight chuckle as he waved me over to him to warm up by the fire. I of course walked over and took a seat at the base of his chair next to the fire warming up, Snow almost as if I invited her, runs over to me and sits down in my lap grabbing a blanket.
"Where's Mom and Layle? I thought they'd be cooking dinner, it's nearly sunset." I asked Blake before attempting to take off my cloak and mask while Snow comfortable cuddled into me.
"Hmmm, I don't actually know, I've been nose deep in this tome for a while now." He said shrugging at the question.
"Have you sent in your application yet to the University of Aether?"
"I did just last week, I should get a response in a few months for a testing date and start that journey, it's a good years travel away though, so I have time to prepare on the road." Blake said barely even allowing his eyes to roam off the page.
"As long as you get the sponsorship, you'll be fine." I say with full confidence in him, I lightly pat Snow's head as she begins to calm down and drift off.
"We're back, sorry we had to run over and borrow some spices from the neighbor, but dinner is now ready." A mature women says happily her hair as dark as the night itself with eyes to match, a smaller girl next to her, almost identical.
"Welcome home Mother, Layla, I made it home with a snawfu for tomorrow, we should have some good meals ahead." I say proud of myself still from the hunt. Snow almost completely asleep my lap now.
"Oh really, that's wonderful Kier, I should be getting ready to get my rank soon right?" Layla my little sister asked excitedly, her eyes bright with it.
"Yes, around the time I set off to take Snow into the city, so you'll have that 3 month travel back alone, can you handle it?" I asked challengingly.
"Of course!" She stood proud with her hands at her hips and chin up in the air.
My mother motions to Snow, "Ah yes, she caught right outside her home as I walked through, I could never push here away, just look at her. She's essentially my little sister now, I've been taking care of her for years now." I say stroking her hair, as her light breathing showed she was fully asleep now.
"I'm gonna go ahead and take her home now, I'll be back late for dinner, I'm gonna drop off the offering as well, so don't stay up, it'll probably be morning before I get back."
They nodded back at me as I carefully stood up and too Snow into my arms, covering her with her blanket.
The crude family heirloom on the wall opposite the fire staring at me, soon it'll be mine.
I push the door open and walk to her manor, pushing open their fancy gate and knocking at their door. An older gentleman in a black and white butler suit opens the door, his hair grayed with age, beard trimmed with elegance, "Ah, Mister Asra, welcome again to the manor, I see you brought Miss Snow home. Shall I take her for you?"
"No, that's quite alright, I'll drop her of myself right quick." I say walking into the lavish home, I beeline for her room, resting her gently on her covers and pulling the blanket up to her chin. I kiss her forehead, "Sweet dreams Snow, I'll see you tomorrow."
I made my way back to the city gates, back through the market and the neighborhoods, everyone once again giving me polite waves and salutes, well to my rank, I'm hesitant to say to me. The same guard as before see's me walk up, "Leaving again Kier?"
"Ah, yes, I have to go make my family's offering, I'll be back around sunrise, maybe a bit earlier." I say giving him a nod as I walk past. He gives me a nod and marks his paperwork.
I whistle loudly and begin my walk towards the shrines, Zephyr joining me shortly after watching me from above. The walk itself takes several hours, it could be faster if I ran, but it's best not to rush offerings, it could send the wrong message to the Ascendents. It was a calm walk, by the time I arrived the half-moon hung brightly in the night sky, showering the world in it's dim moonlight.
I come to halt in front of the shrine I've come to see, it was just off the side of the road, a marble full moon placed atop a stone pedestal with a plaque reading, Asra the Ascendant of Night Travels. She was the reason I never feared traveling at night, the Ascendant kind enough to give us not only that sword, but our very own last name.
I place the still glowing snawfu antlers at the base of her shrine and kneel, offering my prayers to her, the antlers glowed and then just as quickly disappeared as Asra accepted and took the offering. By the time the antlers were taken nearly an hour had passed, conversing or offering to an Ascendant takes time, a small price to pay for someone he respected so much.
I know she isn't a major Ascendent, but she is my Ascendent.
I stood up and bowed to her shrine, thanking her one last time, and turned away, I began my walk back.
She's always been there, where I was born she was a big Ascendent since our merchants and people traveled quite a bit, she was commonly worshipped, and when we got thrown out, she was all we had left. That's when she gave us our name, well her name. We had traveled for months without seeing a town, worried we lost our way, before we came across a long forgotten shrine with that sword. She has given us an image of herself to guide us, asking us to take that sword, and then guided us to a town. She deeply cares for us is what I like to believe, even if she planned to use us in the end, what she did for us is all I'll ever care about. I gave her one last prayer, to show her I was truly grateful for everything she had done for us.
As I came closer to town Zephyr had began to screech and take off towards the town, his screech sounded sorrowful or angry, I took off after him worried about what may have happened while I was away. As I crested the final hill before seeing the village, I could already see the plumes of smoke billowing into the air, dropped against the morning sunrise. I could see now, the flames of the village blending in with the warm orange glow of that same sunrise, the only thing showing the flames were the smoke plumes towering to the clouds.
I ran to the gates, they were torn off their hinges and broken into pieces along the stone road, the guards themselves brutalized and stripped for their equipment, disgracefully thrown about. I ran through the village the scene everchanging, but always the same, just with different people. Women, children, fathers, and warriors alike murdered in cold blood. I looked for any survivors or any of the pillagers left, but I found nothing, it was truly nothing.
I desperately hoped that my family was ok, but even I wasn't that stupid, I knew they were gone, but I had to at least hope. I arrived only moments later ,my father and brother in the front lawn, cut down, my fathers body laying against the steps, he's been dead a while, telling my that frozen blood along his body. His intestines were ripped out, his head barely connected by a sliver of skin and bone, an arm of his missing entirely. My brothers head stood on a pike, a pike that skewered his headless body at the base.
I didn't have the energy or the strength to continue, but I kept going, out of sheer will power, I knew what lay ahead, but did I really? I walked through my broken front door only to see the corpse of my mother stripped and beaten, bound and tied, she was gone, but she wasn't while they were here. I had a small sliver of hope, I haven't found Layle yet, where could she be, did she manage to hide? I searched the house every inch and didn't find her, I can only assume they took her.
Is she still alive, can I still save her? I walked over to our heirloom, the sword Asra had blessed us with, I attached it to my hip, and walked out, I can't bear to see this any longer.
Zephyr from above screeched and beckoned me to follow, I hesitated, I didn't want to see anymore dead, I didn't want to lose anymore hope, if I had any left to lose. But I followed, regardless I'd always follow, I'd have to. I followed him as he lead me to a small child, her hair white as snow, it is Snow, I picked her up and cast the only enchant I new for this, "Mend." Her cuts and bruises slowly faded, but her major injuries only stopped bleeding, but it was better than nothing, her breathing steadied, but clothes and herself still drenched in blood, not all of it hers.
A tear escaped my eyes, "Thank Asra, thank you, I still have someone left, give me the strength to check on the other, dear Asra." I held Snow and walked through the town, Zephyr still looking for any survivors, his eyes are better than mine.
He let out the same screech as before, I willingly followed this time, hoping for more survivors. "Kier, thank the Ascendants you're here now." They cried as they struggled to stand, I motion for them to rest, the elderly couple didn't look like they'd last much longer even with mend, I tried anyways. "Mend." I'd say as their body had a slight green glow as their scrapes and bruises faded. Though again their major injuries not being affected much other than the bleeding stopping.
"I'm sorry, I should have been there, I should have been here sooner. I'm sorry, but I have to ask one more thing of you. Can you watch over Snow, I must go look for survivors." I pleaded with them, though they didn't owe me anything, I'd let them down, I'd let this whole village down, the village I was supposed to protect. I'd gotten too comfortable and let my guard down, I had left them in the middle of the night. It was all my fault, I could have done something here.
The couple sensing my anguish would place their hands on my shoulders, "Of course son, go look, we will watch over her."
I motioned Zephyr to stay and watch over them, he may not be a mercenary, but he was an apex predator, he could at least try to protect them. "Hide in that building over there, be safe and Ascendents be with you." I would point to the only structurally sound building left before making my way to the gates to check for tracks.
My movements through the snow were clumsy and loud, harsh and violent, but their tracks were obvious as they took all of our belongings, I didn't have to worry about being careful with their tracks, I just wanted them. I entered the forest following those tracks and almost just as quickly there was a small clearing with a cave in front of me. Three men stood guard, burly men but in light armor, I didn't give them a chance to respond, "Accel." I cast my enchantment and sped through them, the blade I had taken cleaved through all 3 of them at once with my speed, their bodies falling in two, 6 individual thumps could be heard as they bled out, unable to scream or move from shock.
I don't care to be careful, I walked into the cave, a few men stood before me, I had no element of surprise, but my enchantment was still up so I had attempted to blitz them, the same motion to cut down all three once again. Though the first one in the light had brought up his sword to block, I worried, but Asra's blade had broken straight through throwing the shrapnel into his body as the blade cut through him, I could feel his skin and flesh parting for the blade, then a clunk as his swiped into his spine, a sickening crack as it broke through, and once again the flesh and skin parting to make way for the blade, 2 more times that occurred and the same familiar sound of 6 individual thumps as their bodies hit the ground.
Their blood pooled as I stepped over and through them, it wasn't long before I came to a tall 12 foot tall dual door, I kicked it open.
There they were, a man, 6 feet tall, wearing only a fustanella, the other was a young girl, her black hair blended in with the dark stone of the floor, her black eyes devoid of life and feeling, Layle, her arm outstretched towards the door, laying them limp in the last pose she would ever take. Her body covered head to toe in scrapes, bruises, and wounds. I grit my teeth, "Don't think your death will be swift."
The man laughed, it echoed in the cave bouncing off each and every wall, forcing me to listen to his sickening voice. It was the last thing he was able to do, before he knew it, I pinned him to the floor, stretched my arm up before plunging the sword into his stomach, staking him to the floor.
He shrieked in pain, the same sound bounced off the walls, but this time it brought nothing but joy to me, him being in pain, was the best sound for me right now. "I am an Ascendent, that of the wind, how dare you do this to me!" He shouted as if he any power at this moment, but no matter.
I balled my hands into fists and raised them, beating down into him, blow after blow, hit after hit, the sound of a normal punch turning into a squish as he screamed in pain and begged for the end. I stopped, but I wasn't done. I grabbed his arm and began to rip and tear the flesh from bone, the tendon from bone. His agony brought me peace, his struggle to escape only tore him up more as every movement, every squeal caused him to move and the sword in his stomach only cut him more and more every time.
I tore him apart, rending the skin from flesh and the flesh from bone, nothing was safe, he was dead a while before I noticed, his body lifeless, nearly skinned alive with a blade that had cut him nearly in half from his squirming. His face nothing more than a soup of blood and cartilage. The pool of blood and excrement that he drowned his own body in surrounded me, my fists, my clothes, my face all covered in the sin I had committed, but I don't regret a second, I still felt rageful, angry, robbed of satisfaction,
"How dare you, how dare you force these feelings onto me, this rage and hatred, only to die before I let you have it all back! You've left me with nothing, nothing, but suffering and you refuse to take it with you!" I screamed at his corpse as the cave echoed it back to me. This rage will not leave me, I know that, but for now, I have to take care of my sister, yes, my sister.
I sheathed my blade after wiping the blood from it, and covered Layle in a cloak, picked her up and set her outside. I then gathered any money or items of value from the den and made my way back home with the valuable and my sister in tow.
The trek back was quiet, the wind spoke nothing, it was silent, still. The village was in view now, it looked mostly the same, but the fires were out now, the wood had burned all it could, ash and bone was all that's left.
I came upon the house that the couple I left was at, but it was too late for them, they had passed, holding each other no less, good for them, they had each other in the end. Snow was there crying, sobbing, not knowing what to do, as she saw me and ran into me. I let her cry there for a while, I don't know how much time passed, but she stopped and stayed quiet, I knew she wasn't well, but I wasn't going to ask right now. I had something I needed to do.
I sat her down at the front of the village staring out into the spotted soot and snow ahead, while I gathered up every dead villager and put them in a pyre. It took a while, but they deserved to be put to rest.
I gathered the last of them and put my sister, Layla, done in front, I place a single headstone, Here lies this entire village, pillaged by bandits, may they find peace." Is what I wrote, I let one last prayer to Asra and lit the pyre ablaze, "Ignis." As it lit up in flame and I stood there, Snow got up and walked to my side holding my hand, Zephyr on my shoulder, "We are going to the capital Snow, it's going to be a long travel, but say your goodbyes, we will come visit when you are older and ready, okay?" She simply nodded, I know she was still too young to understand, but the sorrow and grief was real, for now we just have to move forward.
I send Zephyr into the sky and put Snow onto my shoulders and begin the journey to the capital.