The Final Stand

Of coarse I was put in charge of the prisoner who just launched a giant beam into the air. Everyone else is discussing what to do with him and I just have to stand guard with my spear and shield. Are they really expecting me to be able to stop him if he wakes up? Get one of those super heroes flying around or get the guy with the ****ing death star! I would say we just kill him but apparently he's everyone's best friend. Whatever, not much I can do now.

Lenny continued to think through the situation and process everything he had learned as he leaned back in his chair with his bowler hat tipped forward. Suddenly Kusa came in and simply stated, "I'll be taking your shift."

"There aren't shifts. It's just me living here until someone decides what to do."

"Ah ok then...Take a break then."

"Sure thing, boss," Lenny replied somewhat sarcastically. And so Lenny went out to get what news and rumors he could. He had been wandering the desert for a while, so he was pretty clueless to his current precarious situation.

{Edit:Meant to be after Csquare's post.}

Questor and Par look over the wall at the laser-struck Commandant, just before he is dragged off to a cell. They remain until he is safely in his cell, still unconscious.

"Hey Par, you know how I hid all my old weapons and spellbooks in a cave just north of the Areyu Forest?"
"No, I didn't. I was with the elves, remember?"
"Right. Anyways, I was thinking, I should probably go get them. Wanna come?"
"Sure. But I'm gonna tell Tristan about the elves. We may need them in the future."
"Probably a good idea. I'm gonna see if Tukana can't give us use of one those portals."
"Okay. I'll go talk to Tristan."
Par walks down the stairs leading down the wall, bumping into Tristan.
"My bad, Par."
"No problem." Tristan then continues walking up. "Hey, there's something I need to tell you."
"Hm?" Tristan stops and turns toward Par.
"You know the Areyu Forest?" Tristan nods. "Well, almost straight east from Bytantum is a city. If you need some help, go there and tell Glorgendel Par sent you."
"O...kay." replies Tristan, a little confused. He continues going up the wall, to see what all the commotion is. Par, however, turns towards Tukana's tent. He arrives in the middle of the conversation.
"...can only use established portals."
"Well, where's the closest established portal?"
"Jogonho."
"Fine with me." says Questor, leaving. He notices Par standing there. "We leave at dawn tomorrow."

"Rutem, has everyone landed?"
"Yessir." Pe Ell facepalms. "Sorry."
"Everyone ready to move out?"
"Yes, Pe Ell, all 1500 of them."
"Excellent. We want to go due south. We shall hopefully come across either the elven city Arblont or an elf along the way."
"An elf?"
"Yes, Rutem, elves. Now, give the order to move out please."
"Yes, my lord." Rutem leaves before Pe Ell can reprimand him.
"Clever Rutem, always finding the loopholes."

*GROAN*
"I should... should study the new trans...transformations..."
*YAWNS*
you are too exhausted to do anything. I always tell you that that attack is dangerous. If you didn't jump away, you would be dead. It take a lot out of you as well. You were lucky the laser was fully charged. If it hadn't fired, you probably would be in the hospital.
"No... I" *YAWNS* "I'll go to bed..."

Luna sighed and climbed back on Okami's back. "Shira, you have become no more than a monster! I... I hate you!!!" She growled as tears filled her eyes. She picked up a rock a hurled it at him, but missed by a long-shot. Okami whined a bit, but regained his stature. Luna looked at the firey figure, her face showed sadness, pain, fear, and hate. She whispered to Okami. "Come on, boy... He's gone." The two of them dashed off, trying get distance between themselves and the man who used to be Shira.

Shira was no longer in the normal world... He was floating, surrounded by a celestial atmosphere continuing forever. He saw his old self, curled up, facing away from him. Towering above them was the raging inferno that had dominated him for days. It stood there, silently looming over the two, completely eclipsing the balled-up figure. Shira reached out to touch the small child but was blasted back by a heat wave. He now realized that that inferno was what he had become. Determination in his eyes, he slowly looked up to glare at the inferno. "You turned me into a monster. Now I'll turn you to nothing." The flame wavered and screamed. Shira kept glaring at it, concentrating on purging it from this strange abyss that was his mind. The flame quivered, and grew smaller. When it was little more than a candle, Shira put his hand over the flame, smothering it. Darkness prevailed through the realm. Shira's old self stood up, looking around, bewildered that the flame was gone. He turned to look at Shira. "You scared away my friends. Now we bring them back." Shira's old self dissipated and the flowing flames flew into Shira. The fire that was his old self mixed with the darkness of the new.

--

Shira slowly came to. Kusa watched him slowly turn his head. His eyes opened. Kusa was expecting the shocking scarlet of before. What he instead found was a dark violet. His old friend spoke in the same deep voice, "How ya been, Kusa?" Kusa's eyes widened in surprise. "What, no fire blasts?" "Gah. You kidding me? With a fuckin' sword wound in my chest I'm not gonna be doing much anytime soon... I could break outta here with a snap of my fingers, but what's the fun in that?" Kusa looked suspiciously at him, silver eyes narrowly. "What do you want?" "What do I want? Well, I don't want your head on a silver platter, if that's what you're asking." Shira stretched, yawned, crossed his legs and put his hands behind his head casually. "What I DON'T want is to go back to the Imperial Palace. I've had it with those priss-asses." Kusa was so surprised he stood up, unlocked the cell, pulled Shira to his feet and hugged him. "Whoa, whoa, what is this, prison rape? Damnit man, pull it together!" Shira laughed, patted Kusa's back and pushed him out of the cell. "Just lock the damn door and tell me what they're planning to do with me."

Par and Questor arrive in Jogonho the next morning, via portal. They immediately head south for the northern Areyu Forest. After a few hours of running/jogging/hiking through the forest, they reach the mountain range marking the northern Areyu Forest.
"The cave should be right around..." Questor looks around for a second. "Here." he says, pointing to an opening in the mountains not a half-mile ahead of them. They reach the cave, but there are no signs of something hidden there.
"Uhh... Questor?"
"Don't worry about it." Questor feels around the back of the cave, finds the indentation, presses a button, and opens up the hidden room.
"I see." They walk in to the room, not noticing the hooded man waiting in the shadows.

During these events, Kisen was getting some much-needed rest. After all, getting owned takes a lot of energy out of someone. Eventually, he woke up. The knight searched for his sword, but found nothing. In his thief garb now, he went out the door and bumped into Tristan.
"Hey, do you know where my sword went? I'm sure I left it by my bed before I passed out..." he said.
"Oh, you mean that big one that you always carried around and gave you that armor? One of the researchers saw you sheathe it, and took it while you were asleep. They'll be analysing it for a few days. Regardless, it looks like no major operations are going into motion, so you wouldn't need it anyways." Tristan replied. "Anyways, I'd suggest going over to the training hall. Your swordmanship was sloppy, in that last battle."
Kisen winced at those last words.
"You didn't need to remind me. Yeah, I think I will go over there. Thanks, Tristan." The thief then walked down the hall, made a left turn, and entered a room the size of a large dining hall. To his left, there were maces, spears and pikes, all lined up against the wall. To his right, swords, axes and shields were propped up against what appeared to be thick mats. People were fighting all over the place, with said weapons. Kisen walked over to the swords, picked up one, and found a partner. Then, they took a mat and lay it down on the floor. Once the two men finished that, they bowed an began to spar.

"I don't think anyone expects a thing. I'm not even sure if they know my name. No one likes me, but at least no one suspects a thing, Vode." James Beckham spoke.

"Very good. My plan is being set. Shira failing is only a minor drawback. Those rebel pests will be exterminated soon, " said Vode.

"That was kind of cheesy."

"Hmph. Hurry back to their base."

"No prob, sir."

And with that James Beckham goes into the portal to nearby the rebel base.

"No... no... NOOOO!!!!!!!"
CROSS OVER TO THE DARK SIDE!!!
"I WON'T LISTEN!!!"
I'll just have to take you then.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

-Back in Astranova-

Knock knock

James knocked and the wall leading into the rebel base. An eyehole slid open and a man looked opun the man.

"May I help you."

"Ummm... I'd like to come in. I'm one of the rebels and I kind of got left behind. My name is James Beckham. You would not believe how hard it is to find this place. Every time I go into a bar asking which direction the rebel base is all I get is nasty looks and some insults. Now can you open this door already?"

"Sorry but how can I be sure I can trust you?"

"Oh, get Luna or Kusa. They know me."

A few minutes later James heard Kusa's voice on the other side of the wall.

"Now isn't the best time...what is it you need?....James who?....I don't know him....oh that kid....oh ok...sure....I got to go. Seeya around."

"You can come in." The door keeper said as he ordered for the wall to be open.

"Thank you. I could've just flown over, but that would have been rude. G'day to you." He said as he glided past.

"Wait a second..."
"What is it Questor?"
"The naginata, Yazzi. Its gone."
"Wasn't that Hedret's weapon?"
"It still is." says the hooded man, emerging from the shadows, holding the naginata.
"Ack! Who are you?" exclaims Par, caught completely by surprise.
"Hedret... you're still alive." says Questor, immediately realizing Hedret was in fact the hooded man.
"Yes I am, Morgan. And Par, did the elves teach you nothing?"
"Hmph." Par continues to mumble incoherently, not happy about being caught off guard.
"Well, I suppose that leaves one thing. Par, can I borrow both of your katanas?"
"I guess you can..." Par gives Hedret both katanas to Hedret. Hedret draws them both, then offers the hilt of one to Questor.
"A duel? I gladly accept." Questor takes the hilt and the two circle each other, looking for an opening.

Shira woke up to find a Royal Guardsman opening Shira's cell. "It's time. You're going to be judged." Shira's heart sank as he heard that. (Oh, God... I'm gonna die, aren't I?) Shira slowly got up to his feet and slipped out of his cell. The Guard grabbed his arm and led him to a council room, with a large stone table in the center just big enough for a man. Shira was instructed to stand on the dais before the contingent of rebels there. A large man took out a scroll and read, "You, Shiranui of the Areyu Forest, are charged with the deaths of dozens of rebel soldiers, destroying a sanctuary for our men, and threatening the stability of the movement to end Emperor Vode's tyranny. How do you plead? Shira's eyes dimmed. "Guilty." Some of the rebels shifted. Some with surprise at the fact he even plead guilty, some were itching to draw their weapons and strike him down there.

The man closed his scroll and declared, "Then the punishment is... Death." Two soldiers moved in to grab Shira's wrists. Shira snapped into action without thinking. He gathered his hands, and inside them formed an orb of pure black. He breathed into the orb and it exploded into a dark mist. Shira leapt back as the guards groped to find him. He sprinted out of the room as fast as he could, but when he got into the hall, Kusa blocked his way. "Get outta the way, Kusa." "No." Shira narrowed his eyes and snarled, "Fine. He thrust out his palm and a flurry of violet flames shot at Kusa, who rolled out of the way. Before Kusa even got to his feet, Shira was past him. Shira found his way out of the base and into the desert. He found faint pawprints, nearly gone from the wind.. "Okami..." Shira followed the trail, which winded north.

"Remind me why we had that elf captain go north with five of our swordsmen?"
"Rutem, its simple. Three of the deadliest warriors in the land are there. Durin is going there to collect them." Pe Ell pauses, then asks, "What do you think of Arblont and the elves?"
"Well, we've only been here a day, so there's not much I can say. I can say it is pleasant and peaceful enough."
"Good." Rutem leaves to explore the city a bit more. Pe Ell stays for a bit before walking towards the shrine. Upon reaching the shrine, he sees a man sitting there, meditating.
"I knew you would come here, Pe Ell. Ever since you left for Kuryon. Welcome back."
"Thank you, Andar. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
"Perhaps too long. Vode has a firm hold over Jawari. It won't be long before our safety is compromised."

-----

"You five, stay at the entrance to the cave. No one is to come in."
"Yessir." Durin then walks into the cave alone. He pauses where the back was open, then continues forward when he hears the clash of metal. He reaches the entrance to the "treasure" room. As he is about to walk in, Par silently approaches him from the back, daggers drawn. Durin stops, as if he heard Par. He then turns around, saying,
"Par, should have known you'd be here with Morgan."
"Durin?" exclaims Par, surprised to see the elf. "What are you doing here?"
"Pe Ell and Glorgendel decided someone should make you guys come to Arblont as soon as possible."
"I see." Par pauses as swords clash in the "treasure" room. "You'll just have to wait until Morgan and Hedret are done."

Luna sighed and walked beside Okami, her hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Okami..." He whined, but nuzzled her stomach to comfort her. She smiled faintly. "We'll be ok," she said, weakly. Her eyes were tear-filled and solomn. but she knew they'd be ok. Her mind was set on find Shira.
Suddenly, she head someone in the sand. She turned to see Shira running after them. Her instinct said to fight but she just couldn't bring herself to even get into a stance. She, then, realized he meant no harm. Both, Okami and Luna, waited with smiles for Shira to reach them.

Shira stopped a few feet away from Luna. He looked cautiously at them both, wondering who would do what. Luna tackled him to the ground and Okami made work of sniffing his entire face. Luna pressed her head against Shira's face, clearly not showing any signs of letting go. Shira held Luna's lower back loosely, not wanting to do anything that would provoke either of them. Luna picked up her head and looked into his eyes, kissing his chin. She gasped stopped when she saw his eyes. "So you have changed!" Luna giggled happily and cuddled Shira, rocking the both of them gently back and forth. Shira let out a low, shy chuckle. "I guess if I tell you to get off me, the answer'd be no?" Luna blushed slightly, laid her head on his neck and replied, "Mhm..." Shira looked at Okami and let out a low bark. Okami took the hint and, using his massive head, rolled Luna off of Shira. Shira picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. She started pounding on his back, complaining, "You're evil! Put me down right now!" Shira casually glanced at her and said slyly, "I thought we'd already established that?" He slipped her off his back so she was cradled in his arms. "That better?" She blushed deeper and hid her face in his chest. "Yes..." Shira chuckled for a moment and said, "Good. Let's... Head to Tratorion. Kusa'd be expecting Serinside..." Luna shook her head. "No. Bytantum. We can go anywhere from there..." Shira nodded. "Fine. Bytantum. Then somewhere far away." Together, the trio made their way north through the winding sands of the Nishik Desert and towards the rolling hills of the Sinarra Plains.

Durin and Par enter the "treasure" room. Questor and Hedret don't notice them as they pull away from each other for a second before charging at each other again. Hedret opens with a feint left before thrusting to the right. Questor easily blocks it, but realizes too late that it was a one-handed thrust. A fist to the face sends Questor backpeddling as Hedret renews his assault. Questor is barely able to recover in time to parry the blows. After backpeddling to the wall, Questor notices a mistake in Hedret's attack: his legs are spread FAR apart. Questor throws his sword in the air, rolls between Hedret's outspread legs, catches his sword upon standing up, and puts the sword across Hedret's neck.
"Checkmate."
"That... was one of the best sparring matches I have ever had. And I've sparred with Pe Ell."
"Thank you." Par and Durin walk out of the shadows, surprising Hedret and Questor.
"I forgot you could do tha- Wait! What's Durin doing here?" asked Questor, surprised to see the elf captain.
"I was sent by Glorgendel and Pe Ell."
"Pe Ell? He's back?"
"Yes, Morgan, he is."
"Excellent. To Arblont. He may want his sword back." Questor and Hedret give the katanas back to Par as the four of them leave the cave. They are joined by the five Kuryonese swordsmen upon exiting and reach Arblont by nightfall.

-Jogonho-
"Wait... You're.." Melissa said, shocked.
"Yeah, I'm Dan, your parents' friend. Remember my daughter, Marie?" the man said slowly.
As he said, "Marie", memories rushed over Melissa, of the friend she had until ten years ago.
-Flashbacks, Ten Years ago + -
... She was playing dolls with Marie over by the river...
... The two of them are playing hide and go seek, a few years later, with other girls and boys...
... They were gossiping about boys they like, and were divulging secrets to each other...
... And finally, she and Marie were escaping the village, when there was a flash of light, and Melissa was all alone...
-Present day, Jogonho-
Melissa shook her head. That was a long time ago. Returning to the matter at hand, she spoke.
"Yeah, I do remember. But, how did you survive the raid? I thought I was the only survivor." the mage said.
"I've been through worse, trust me. The brigands retreated after I gave their leader a grievous wound, and he escaped to Gee Faks. I tried to find him, but he simply vanished. By the time I came back, it was two weeks after the initial attack. So, how did YOU survive the attack? And what happened to my daughter?" Dan asked, his face suddenly turning serious.
"Well, a mage found me unconscious near Turgwon, so I was raised as one since that day. As for your daughter..." Melissa started, wary. "She vanished in a bright flash."
"You mean, one minute, she was there, and the next, she was gone?" he asked, saddened.
"Y-yes."
"Ok, now I know what happened. Now, for the real reason I asked you to be here. Would you, Melissa Bellevue, like to join the rebels?"
"Y-you mean, you want me to join the rebels?"
"Yes. Our mutual friend, Lyle, has explained to me your magical prowess. You would be an asset to our organisation."
"Well, since you put it that way... And since I have next to no other choice, I guess I will join." Melissa said.
"Excellent! Now, if you would follow me.." Dan said, getting up from his chair and opening the door. The mage followed him as he turned right, and went down the hall until he found a door, and opened it, revealing a room with what appeared to be a door frame containing green, transparent energy. Dan walked straight into the portal, and the put his head back through.
"Come through here, please. " he said, jerking his head back through the portal, and Melissa walked up to the doorway. Cautiously, she put a hand through the immaterial substance, withdrew it, braced herself, and stepped through the portal.

-Astranova-
Melissa emerged in the throne room beside Dan. In front of them, there was a white-haired man in silver armor, who stood up.
"You're late." he said, tersly, to Dan.
"My apologies. However, there was much to do in Jogonho, and besides, I have bolstered our ranks yet again." Dan replied, gesturing to Melissa.
"What? She's only a- Oh! You're Melissa, the mage that's number three on the Empire's Most Wanted, aren't you?"
"Y-yeah," Melissa replied weakly.
"Brilliant!" the man said, suddenly joyful. He returned to Dan. "My God, you've done it again! First, the Royal Guard, then Cedrine (Melissa's eyes widened), and finally, this wonderful lady! By the end of next week, you'll have the entire continent recruited! How do you do it?"
"It's nothing, really. I just have a wide circle of acquaintances. So, since you were so angry at my lateness, I assume something happened today?" Dan inquired.
"Yeah. Shira, the Flaming Tsunami attacked, and attempted to torch the base. We captured him and tried the Lord in court, but just as he was sentenced, that man somehow escaped, using some kind of mist. His current whereabouts are unknown, but we now know that his wolf, and a girl named Lunaria are traveling with him."
"Damn. I wanted to test his fire magic abilities. Oh well. Anyways, I'm going to bring Melissa to the magic practice hall, and then I will be supervising the regular training hall. I'll see you in a few hours, or so." Dan said, as he walked out of the room. Melissa hurried after him. She did not want to get lost, wherever they were. The mage caught up to him and, as they walked, started quizzing him about the discussion.
"Who was that man?" she asked.
"Tukana, former head of the Gee Faks Rebels." Dan replied patiently.
"Who's the Royal Guard?"
"Tukana's personal army. Well, it was, until two years ago, when Tukana had to go into hiding."
"Ok, I guess I'll accept that. Finally, how do you know Cedrine?"
"I worked with her up until three years ago." Dan stopped in front of a door. "Here we are. I'll come get you in a few hours. Goodbye." he said, as he continued down the hall, leaving the mage to enter the room. Melissa opened the door, and stepped in. Inside, there were groups mages conjuring lightning bolts, or creating streams of flame, or cutting things with wind. Some of them were even summoning creatures made out of water. Melissa quickly joined the closest group and began to practice spells.

Luna's mind was crowded in thoughts. Her heart was happy, but her mind was scared. She decided to listen to her heart. She looked up at Shira and sighed quietly. She looked at Okami, who was padding along beside them. Slowly, she fell asleep. Her soft murmers could be heard by only those with exceptional hearing. "Mmm... Shira... love... evil... no...Mmm... no..." She, then, silenced and slept quietly in Shira's arms.

As she fell asleep, Shira sat down in the sand, Okami at his side and Luna asleep in his arms. He was thinking to himself, was she still afraid of him? Did he sense a hidden reservation from the two of them? Inside him, the shadows felt an urge to grow darker, to crush her and everything else... But he put that thought out of his head. Hurting her wasn't one of his priorities... No, he wanted to keep her close, keep her loving him. He didn't want her or Okami to leave him... But he wanted to test out this new darkness. He decided he would do that once he got out of this damned desert. He decided to go to a remote area where a backstabber like Kusa would never think to look: The Anaron Swamp. No one had a good control there due to the unsuitable topography. It was perfect...

--

Kusa stood, looking at the way Shira had ran off. He was furious with himself; why didn't he stop him? Someone put a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, and turned to see Cedrine. She spoke calmly, "I'll follow him, and talk with him. If you want to come with me, you can do so. I already secured permission from Lord Tukana and Snike to do this. As long as he's back alive, along with Okami, that's all we need." Kusa thought about it. "I'll go with you. Shira needs to be taught a very hard lesson, and I don't care what it takes to make him learn it..." Cedrine nodded. "Just make sure you don't overdo it." So, the two of them gathered enough food and water to last through a week and prepared to set out into the blistering, dry heat...

The activist finishes his speech, then walks off to talk to his allies. Morgan waits in the shadows for his chance.
Why I have to assassinate good people like him is beyond me. But if it means defeating The Overlord, it is kinda worth it.
The activist leaves the presence of his allies and his body guard to go to the bathroom.
TWANG!
An arrow to the throat drops him. Morgan silently leaves, heading back to the Guild headquarters in Bytantum. Snike is waiting for him.
"How'd it go."
"It was terrible. I heard his speech... Nothing but good intentions. I'm not sure if I can take this anymore."
"It'll all work out. We've got about 10000 years to take him down. We'll be fine."
"I guess so."


All Questor remembers from the previous night is that he saw Glorgendel, who led him to his room, and he then went right to sleep. He rises, and heads to the shrine to meditate, an old habit that he started when he lived with the elves for a couple years. Andar is already there.
"Back to your old habits already?" asked Andar, while continuing to meditate.
"Of course. Meditating always seems to clear the mind."
The two sit for awhile before Andar asks, "Is Cedrine back yet?"
"Cedrine? Why are you concerned about her?"
"No reason."
"Oh, well, yes she is."
"Was anyone not from around here with her?"
"No..." Is it just me, or is Andar worried about something other than our current predicament...

Luna slowly openned her eyes and looked up at Shira, smiling faintly. "Hi, sweety..." She sat up a bit and cuddled him. Shira smiled gently and kissed her forehead. "Hi, cutey." He pulled her into a hug. "Luna..." "Hm?" "Are you still afraid of me?" She sighed and looked away from him. "A little..." He frowned and sighed. "Alright..." She touched his cheek and cuddled him. "There there. It's alright." She climbed off of his lap and onto Okami's back. "Come on. We should keep going." So, the trio moved onward with Shira in the lead.

The ship sails away, leaving Cedrine all alone on the island.
"Why, of all places, did Volverein send me here? Oh well. Might as well make my self at home." She walks off to the forest to gather wood for a fire. As soon as she steps foot into the forest, a small, wooden, man-shaped creature begins shadowing her movements. She gathers the necessary wood, then heads back to the beach, builds a fire, then uses her mastery of earth magic to conjure up a hut made of hardened sand for basic shelter. The wooden man continues to watch her. Night falls and she quickly falls asleep, after a meal of fish. The wooden man heads deep into the forest, to inform its master of Cedrine's arrival. Close to midnight, Cedrine wakes to the sounds of something evil lurking in the dark. She looks outside and sees twenty skeletons surrounding her hut. Behind the skeletons is a hideous creature, known by its creator as a Plutonu. Cedrine quickly unleashes a Stone Blast, taking out two skeletons. A well-placed Boulder takes care of the rest of the skeletons, but the Plutonu simply revives all of the skeletons.
An undead creature ressurrecting other undead? This could be bad...
She immediately turns her attention to the Plutonu, and a Geyser sends it flying. But the Plutonu looks unharmed. It charges Cedrine, wielding a massive battle-axe. She only just manages to avoid the axe, while sending a Stone Blast the Plutonu's way. This buys her enough time to summon a Quake, defeating all the skeletons. The Plutonu is caught in the fissure, but manages to live and ressurrects the skeletons. Cedrine is now very angry and sends a Tsunami at the Plutonu, finally taking it down. The twenty skeletons are then easily dispatched, and Cedrine conjures a platform over the ocean with a new hut. She spends the rest of the night in the hut sleeping, still failing to notice the wooden man.


note: this flashback will be continued in future posts

-Sparring hall-
Kisen quickly ducked under his partners' horizontal slash and jabbed at the hilt of his blade, disarming his opponent. The thief then stood up and pressed his blade to the man's throat.
"Touché," Kisen said.
"Nice one," his partner replied. "You've gotten much better in the past few hours."
"Only thanks to you. Wanna go again?"
"No thanks. I'm done for now. Maybe later."
"Ok. It was nice fighting you, man." Kisen's sparring opponent put his sword on the rack, and left the hall. Kisen walked over to the sidelines.
"Does anyone want to spar with me?" he asked. There was a long silence.
"I will," someone said. The room froze, as Kisen turned around to see Snike. The Lord walked over to the weapon rack, and chose a long sword, almost identical to the one the thief was holding. He then walked back over to the mat where Kisen and his opponent were just fighting and waited. Kisen walked back onto the mat stood, facing Snike. The two bowed, and got into fighting postures. The whole room watched as Kisen lunged at Snike, only for the latter to easily block the attack, and knock the former off balance. However, he didn't press the attack, allowing Kisen to rebalance himself. The thief kept attacking, while the Lord just kept on blocking, essentially causing a stalemate, though Kisen was sweating, while Snike was not. Regardless, while they were fencing, Kisen spoke.
"You know, I didn't get to thank you properly, the other day. So, thanks." he said, thrusting his blade at the Lord.
"No need. If anything, I should thank YOU. You protected Nicole," Snike replied, deflecting the thrust with ease.
"Huh? You know her?"
"Yeah, you could say that. How is she?"
"She's still in the medical ward, being treated for exhaustion. The traveling took a lot out of her, and the battle was worse."
"I see... Well, time to wrap this up." Snike said suddenly, going on the offensive. He pushed the thief back, and then, with a flick of his wrist, sent Kisen's sword flying.
"You did well, Kisen. Actually, you remind me of a student I had ten years ago... Like you, his problem was defense. No matter. I enjoyed that little match. See you around." Snike finished, and then he walked out of the room.