-=A Party United, Part One=-

Their business in the mountainous town of Perion concluded, Shadow and his group prepared themselves to leave the town, though their numbers would be reduced. As per an earlier conversation, Lance and Skye would part ways with the group for a while.

As he checked to see that his supplies were in good order, the bandit known as Shadow Viper reminisced on the recent past.

Earlier in the afternoon after a heartbreaking funeral for two fallen girls, Shadow, Emma, Lance, and Skye found themselves sitting in their own rooms for a solid hour, trying desperately to push the terrible deaths out of their minds. Solace never came easy for any of them, especially when it came to them all in their own mental conclusion that the pair of warriors didn’t deserve to die the way they did. Genya and Amber, though not at the site of the killings like the others were, quickly heard about it and tried to comfort the others somehow, though the emotional strains got to them as well.

Shadow was the least complacent with it. Though it was sad for everyone in the town, today’s deaths were the latest in a growing list that he couldn’t help but feel pressed down by. The prescense of the nameless evil was growing stronger with every person felled by it’s hand. It left Shadow feeling helpless, knowing that innocent people were becoming casualties of a cowardly darkness that struck before running.

At the same time, he felt angered, embittered by such spineless act. Whatever was striking at the Maple World like this certainly had no conscience for the blood that stained it’s hands. For such a trait all by itself, Shadow was certain to show these foes no mercy, barring all costs. Though the reality of the situation choked his spirit, he was still resolved to fight those feelings, to fight the enemy in any way he could, to see his vow to stop the evil to the end.

Shadow stood up at the end of the hour, feeling more resolve in him than ever before. He and his group had to find the other two lightbringers, and soon. He made his voice known to the others in a meeting at the inn, reminding them all just how important it was to continue the fight, no matter what it took. It was the goal of the lightbringers, he remembered saying, to see that all who had so far died by the enemy’s hands would not have suffered in vain.

It was at the end of the discussion, which everyone heartily agreed on, that Lance and Skye made their plans to leave the group for a while known. “As much as we wish to keep going with you and aiding you in this fight,” Lance assured to them, “we’d like to stay at our homes and train to become stronger. We both feel that if we stop for a while and improve ourselves in every way we can, body, mind, and spirit, we can make ourselves more prepared and more powerful in case this evil becomes more widespread.”

“Bear in mind,” Skye added, “that after we’ve each grown in strength, we’ll seek you out and rejoin you on the quest. Know also that you’ve all been truly great to us, and that we give you our blessings and pray for your safety.”

Though it saddened everyone to see them leave, Shadow and the others nonetheless accepted the couple’s proposal, giving them blessings of their own. Soon after, goodbyes were shared between the couple and the others before Lance headed back to the temple, Skye caught a cab to Henesys, and the remainder of the group-Shadow, Genya, Emma, and Amber-walked to the western exit of Perion, wondering on where’d they go next.

After everyone finished going over their belongings, Emma came up with a plan. “I suggest heading towards Henesys,” she proposed. “It’s the only town we haven’t been to as far as finding lightbringers, and I’m betting we may just find one there. I suggest going through Kerning City to do so; it’s longer, but it’ll give us more ground to search for the last two of the chosen, just in case.” When no other ideas came up, the group set to the plan and left the town in silence. Today hadn’t been an easy day for them, but they hoped nonetheless that any coming day would be better, even if it came to them to make it that way.

-woobledywop!-

Damien, the Crow, and Moira were a good distance west out of Henesys, keeping their eyes open for any other lightbringers as they walked. They saw many other adventurers training out in the fields, but most didn’t appear strong enough to be considered chosen, and the few they did ask ended up not being such chosen.

As they continued along, Moira’s eyes took in the land they walked through; for the first time since arriving here, she had a chance to enjoy the scenery, to admire a land she hadn’t been in for more than a day thus far. “It’s all so beautiful here,” she marveled. “Even my home world doesn’t seem as serene and calm as this place.

Damien and the Crow nodded in agreement, though they knew well the land they came from. “Enjoy this view while you can,” the Crow said with a small chuckle. “Unfortunately, the entire island isn’t like this. In fact, where we’re going is a rather stark contrast to where we are now.”

One of Moira’s eyebrows arched up, partly curious, partly suspicious. “What do you mean?” she inquired.

“We’re going to a place called Kerning City to look for the other chosen,” Damien explained. “It’s an urban environment, composed of buildings and concrete roads. The city itself isn’t horrible, quite livable, in fact. It just doesn’t have the charm that the grasslands do.”

Moira nodded, a bit crestfallen from the news. “I’ve heard talk of such lands, though they don’t exist where I come from,” she responded. “I wonder what this ‘concrete’ you speak of is like.”

Damien and the Crow took a moment to exchange surprised glances to each other as they walked. Was Moira serious about that last statement?

-woobledywop!-

Lord Scorpion lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling after another long day of work. Aside from keeping regular progress updates on Shadow, he spent most of his days with the rest of the survivors on the grueling task of rebuilding their hometown. It was very difficult, even though they used what they could gather from the destroyed buildings. Nonetheless, Scorpion knew it had to be done if they wanted any hope of having a village to live in once more. Whenever he wasn’t busy working or contacting his best friend, he would hone his stealth and combat skills, followed by reading a selection from his collection of books that survived the onslaught.

Scorpion had recently given his latest report, which seemed to go well with the council. The elders were always pleased to know how Shadow was doing in his travels, even more so that the young bandit was still alive. Sometimes Scorpion would even update the survivors on his progress. The people were always inspired from the news, knowing that somewhere, the village’s champion was fighting to erase the presence of evil from its source.

Scorpion himself was usually happy from the updates as well, even though the last one saw Shadow struggling through a time of grief. Still, the assassin continually wondered why it was that the elders continuously needed to know what was going on. Sure, it was good to know that Shadow was alive and well, but Scorpion still felt contradictions. First, though he dreaded the thought, keeping contact with him gave no guarantees that he’d be alive for another. Second, the people couldn’t actually do anything for the bandit. In fact, it seemed more and more like they were putting pressure on the adventurer, continuously reminding him of what was at stake. Nonetheless, Scorpion felt compelled to uphold the elder council’s wishes as long as they stood.

Scorpion drew a long breath as he relaxed. The adventurer’s life wasn’t an easy one, that was for sure, and he didn’t even have to be on an adventure to know it.

-woobledywop!-

Deep within the bowels of the caverns of the dungeon, within the vast stretches of ancient ruins surrounded by the blue, cragged walls of nature, three ninjas-blue, yellow, and green-trained themselves on their various abilities on the weaker denizens of the caves, usually the cold eyes. The ninja in yellow used his roped “spear” to fish out his targets with deadly position. The ninja in blue used his powers of frost to send out blasts of cold at the creatures, freezing them solid effortlessly. The ninja in green used his ability of invisibility and incomparable speed to dispatch the monsters before they even began to sense his presence, cutting off their heads with his sword. These acts of malice and cruelty, even upon creatures inherently hostile themselves, amused the ninja trio as they continued.

Suddenly, in a flash of neon green energy, the ninja in red appeared before them. The other three ceased their training instantly and waited, as if expecting instructions.

“The time for action has come,” the red ninja announced. “I recently sent a small group of my men to keep an eye on things above ground, what with three lightbringers discovered. Two have reported in, one from Perion and one from Henesys. The two groups are planning to head to Kerning City, unknowing that they’ll run right into each other. We now have them all in our grip, and all we need to do is squeeze.”

The others nodded in agreement, and then the one in green spoke up. “What will the plan be?”

“Simple,” the red one said. “I was originally thinking of sending two groups to each party while they were separate. It’s two small groups to take care of, I thought, and sounded fairly easy. However, I decided to wait until they got closer, and then have a much larger force strike them all while they’re together.”

“The first plan sounds easier to pull off,” the yellow-clad assassin objected. “Why wait ‘till they’re together.”

“There’s actually some logic behind the second maneuver,” the red one replied. “First of all, there are three of them discovered already, and getting rid of them all at once will be riskier, but faster in a way, if we do it right. In addition, they have more than just the three of them on their side, so there’s a chance we could eliminate the fourth one as well. Second of all, if we send two groups out on two attacks, we risk drawing attention to ourselves. Instead, we’ll corner them in the quiet outskirts of the city. Third of all, we’ve only had to send our grunts out in combat once. We did lose them all, but it’s of little concern. Besides, not only do we still have many more where they came from, but we have monsters as well. In fact, it would be wise to send out some of the endless monsters available to us there first.”

“What would you suggest we use?” asked the one dressed in blue. “The pigs certainly won’t work. Just three of them took out a dozen.”

“Ah, but don’t forget, only one of them took down the brunt of them,” the green ninja countered. “I saw it for myself, after all.”

“Yes, it was the bandit,” the red one added. “From what I’ve gathered, he’s the single strongest member of the group. He’s really the only one we have to worry about.”

“I’d keep my eye on that swordsman in the mask as well,” the yellow spy cautioned. “He may well be the second strongest, as he took down those dozen ninja you mentioned, the day we assassinated that archeress. Not to mention he has been seen with the Crow, which is a sure sign that he has been hiding her.”

“True as that was, the grunts were fairly low level,” the red ninja explained. “Remember, we must keep our attack groups efficient. We send out only our strongest forces when absolutely necessary. The swordsman was an unexpected factor in that attack, but now that we know of him, we’ll be prepared. As for being seen with the Crow…well, I no longer believe he’s hiding her. In fact, for her to be out in public with him tells me one thing and one thing only: she’s effectively betrayed us.”

“If that’s true, then we’ll have her to deal with as well,” stated the blue ninja. “As far as strengths go, if the warrior is second-strongest, then she is a very close third.”

“Yes, but only because we trained her,” the red ninja responded. “We can break her just as easily. In fact, she’s a rather important part of the plan. Here’s what we’ll do.” He handed a black bag to the green ninja. “You’ll lead this one. When you get to the spot, wait until they all arrive. This will give you all the monsters you should need. You may attack as well, but don’t give yourself away too much. In fact, your only true role in this is to apprehend the Crow and bring her back to us. Bring her alive…and unspoiled. Make sure the rest die.”

“It will be done,” the green ninja responded, bowing. He then headed out of the cave, beheading another cold eye as he ran.

-time passes-

The day wore on slowly as the party of Shadow, Genya, Emma, and Amber walked along. Though still a little down from the events in Perion, they were nonetheless feeling better as they conversed about whatever they could to replenish their spirits. They talked, joked, laughed, and sometimes debated about various topics. Even as their ultimate quest stayed in their minds, they made sure it didn’t weigh them down entirely.

“You know, I can’t help but feel how we’ve got Shadow outnumbered somehow,” Amber said suddenly as they walked, her attention at the Raine sisters. “I mean, the only other guy he’s gotten to know is Lance, and with him gone, well…I wonder how he feels about it.”

Emma and Genya thought about the topic in immediate curiosity. They never really thought about it until now. The girls looked expectantly at Shadow, certain that he heard the question.

Without turning back to them, Shadow said, “It honestly doesn’t matter to me. Male or female, as long as I make good friends, it all evens out in the end. I don’t see why you two would think about it that much. I knew plenty of people back in my home village.”

The three girls smiled at the answer. “That’s a good way to look at it,” Amber replied. “To be honest, I feel rather similar.”
“So do I,” Emma said simply. Her sister gave a nod. As they walked, the older Raine added in a hushed tone, “I wonder if he’s single.”

The other two turned their heads at Emma suddenly, looking rather surprised. “Emma!” Amber blurted out, barely remembering to keep it to a whisper. “You’ve only known him for a few days, and you’re wondering about that already? He must seem rather attractive to you somehow.”

“Well,” Emma replied. “I guess it is too soon to say for certain, but I dunno…he really seems like a nice guy. One thing I like is how devoted he is to this quest we’re all on. No doubt he’s a noble person for that. From the looks of things, he seems to make friends easily, too.”

“That’s true,” Amber said. “Plus, he did save my life.”

“Mine…as…well,” Genya added.

“Anyway,” Emma said, “as much a feeling as it is, it’s really just a small feeling. To be honest, I’ve never been one to look at rouges in such a way. Not that they’re all bad, but there are some infamous ones, I’m certain…very certain.”

At those words, Genya began to shudder a bit. Amber noticed this and quickly tried to relax her a bit. “Is something wrong, Gen?” she asked.

At this, Emma noticed the problem and quickly helped Amber. “I apologize, I shouldn’t have brought that up,” she said. “We…well, it’s nothing to worry about. Gen just has a bit of worry from them as well sometimes. You okay, sis?”

Gen nodded, smiling. “Thanks,” she told them.

“Alright, we’re here!” Shadow suddenly announced. The three girls looked up from their talk to see the great city looming not far from them, the rocky, uneven ground giving way to smooth concrete. With their destination reached, the four of them ran in, renewed vigor fueling them as they hoped to find the other two lightbringers.

-woobledywop!-

As they approached the L Forest in the grassy fields, the group of Damien Hawthorne, Moira, and the Crow enjoyed the good weather around them, even as they walked quickly to their destination of Kerning City. Their conversations were sparse, and mainly about the troubling pasts each one shared. Though they did keep topics light when they could, it seemed each of them couldn’t help but let loose whatever baggage was nagging at them. Despite this, each of them found their lives to be amazingly similar to the others, and a bond of understanding was forged.

“I never believed for a second you two could’ve had such rough lives like I did,” Moira said as they traveled. “I’m sorry to hear of your plights.”

“It is nothing for you to be worried about,” Damien said. “My life has not been on a fair path in recent times, but I still keep fighting on. I built a strong body for myself for much of my life, yet in the past moths, I’ve learned to make my heart stronger as well. I may not have much these days, but I do have my life, my talents, and a couple friends with me. Those things alone, to me, are more than enough to stay on my feet.”

“That is good,” Moira said. Then she looked to the Crow. “I ask you to forgive me, but I did get feelings of mistrust when you revealed your past dealings with evil, but I’m not allowing myself to settle on such things, especially knowing how you assisted me in Lith Harbor. It is good to see you defect from such things. If only more people could be like that…if only my brother could see what he’s done.”

The Crow nodded. “Even though I served evil, it was merely so I could stay alive, and even after a long time of servitude, I just knew deep down that it wasn’t me…it wasn’t who I was meant to be. Still, I understand anyone’s mistrust. In fact, I’m surprised I have any friends at all.”

Moira placed a hand on the Crow’s shoulder. “Don’t be,” she said encouragingly. “I’m not sure if I would’ve made it out of Lith alive if it weren’t for you. At the least, you deserve to have my assistance.”

At that, the Crow smiled a little. She thought of some way to reply, but her thoughts were broken by a travel update.

“Kerning City, here we are,” Damien announced. The trio stopped a moment to see the trees and grasslands replaced by roads and buildings, most of the sky above the city blotted out by smoke from factories.

“Then let’s go find the other two chosen,” the Crow said. As they entered the city, the Crow explained to Moira, “Okay, the stone you’re walking on? THAT is concrete.”

-woobledywop!-

In an isolated part of the city, where very few adventurers dwelt, an invisible ninja dressed in green waited silently, his black bag laying on the ground in plain view. *Once they come, I’ll spring my trap,* he thought. As he waited, he saw a pair of rouges walk towards the bag, each wondering verbally what it was out for. Both were dressed in cloth vests, dream pants, gidder shoes, and beanies. One was male, the other female. They appeared to be twins, sharing matching color blond hair and blue eyes.

A sinister grin came over the ninja’s face. *Of course, if anyone else comes…*

——————————————————

Another chapter up! *gasp* Possible romance in the making? Who knows? All I know is there’s a definite fight scene coming up(bout frickin time I did another one of those), and you won’t want to miss it!

Mountain Dew for readers!

Previous installments:
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