FSE

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A feline ran through the woods, a bag of coins in one paw, a dagger in the other. He was still trying to shake off the rest of his pursuers, but he was going to succeed. After all, in the forest, no guard would be able to catch him.

No one enters the forest, day or night. They belong to a group of individuals known only as rangers.

As he ran, he would laugh, oh, this was too easy. Not like the guard could catch up with him now.

They operate where no guard will go; the deep forests. Any and all trespassers will be hunted unless identifying themselves as having access to the forests. The city guard has no jurisdiction over forests controlled by rangers.

“Phew, safety,” the feline would say, leaning up against a tree. As he took a deep breath, he would open the coin purse before smiling. “Lucky day.”

Criminals will be shot on sight. Survivors will be shot again.

He would suddenly howl in pain as an arrow flew right into his shoulder, going all the way through before embedding itself into the tree trunk. “Mother fucker…!”

Another arrow would soon fly, hitting his other shoulder. “Agh! Okay… I… I giv-” and four more arrows would fly into him, two in his stomach and two into his skull, penetrating both of his eyes.

Rangers know all. These woods belong to the rangers. Going to jail is better than encountering a ranger. Your life is forfeit if you decide to test your fate.

Ten years later

“By order of the king, all rangers are to be considered as outlaws and must be captured or killed on sight.”

Artanca, free from corruption and sin. Atranca, home of the rangers and the White Tower of the Magi. Artanca, militarized and wanting to remove the rangers from their world.

As the rangers fell back, the Artancan military too much for them to handle, a woman and her son ran east. She would hide her child behind some thick foliage before placing a paw on his shoulder.

“My son, you must hide here. They must not find you.”

“But mommy, I’m scared,” the wolf would reply, tears forming in his eyes.

“My son, do not be afraid. Your destiny has yet to be revealed.”

“But… what is my destiny, mommy?”

“I spoke to a mage in the Great Tower. She told me great things. She said that there will be strife, there will be pain, but you will be better for it.”

“But mommy, how-”

“My son, what was the first thing you learned as a ranger?”

“Never… do anything alone…”

“There you go my son… never do anything alone…”

The woman would smile, lean forward and give him a kiss before running off into the forest. The wolf boy would tilt his head before stifling a cry, his paw covering his mouth as tears streamed down his face. He had heard the metal clad warriors rushing by.

Hayand- The Swordsman

The land has been united under a corrupt leader, calling himself the king of Jaretha. And he rules the land with an iron fist. No one has seen him, but they know what he has done. He shut down the White Tower of the Magi, closed the Fighter’s Guild in Dwilin, and worst of all, he put an end to sword training in Hayand.

Instead, if one wants to learn sword training, they would have to join the military. The once great art of wielding a blade has slowly died out because of this, those who wish to learn practicing in secret.

We wield the blade as if it is a part of us. An extension of our bodies. Do not try to control the blade. Instead, relax, go with the blade, it is you. Don’t fight yourself, let everything come naturally.

The school for blacksmithing is still going, mostly because the military always needs armor for the many recruits who enlist or are drafted.

A German Shepherd stood in his makeshift forge, pounding the red hot steel with his hammer. Every strike was precise, sending sparks off the blade. After he had struck it enough times, he picked up the blade before placing the heated metal in the cooling water, to which steam would emerge.

The mighty rangers were the first to fall. It was said that their bows were so accurate, those who opposed them would fall before they had a chance to even stand.

Placing the blade on the table, the German Shepherd turned his attention towards a human before he says, “That will be seventy five gold Atracans.”

“Deal,” and the human dumped a large amount of the gold coins onto the stand. The German Shepherd would count them out before he says, “Alright sir, may the blade strike true.”

The human would nod before walking off down the street, disappearing from view.

They say the king has been… tainted. Demon’s blood they say. That would explain all the demons… and with the death of the rangers, plus no wizards and no warriors, nothing is holding them back anymore.

Nine years later

Darkness spread throughout the land, the corrupted king spreading the demons’ influence throughout his empire. And there was nothing stopping him from succeeding.

Meanwhile, in the forest, three goblins were talking amongst themselves, laughing at how defiled the forest has become.

“No more rangers, more us. Forest ours now to do what we want,” and the other two would laugh. “Yeah, no more ranger! We do what we want!”

One of the goblins would stand up, only for an arrow to pierce his throat, his eyes bulging as he fell onto his back, trying to gasp for the precious oxygen he was denied. The other two would soon stand, clubs raised, only for the second goblin to go down, arrow to the chest. The third would back away slowly, the club trembling.

“Whoever you are, show self!” The goblin was soon rewarded with… a wolf, wearing a brown cloak, hood over his head and wearing a black mask. As he approached the goblin, he would place the bow on his back before pulling out a steel sword.

“Who… who you,” the goblin would ask, fear clouding the creature’s mind. The wolf would stare before he answered the beast. “I’m a ranger,” and he would strike, his blade slicing right through the creature’s neck, decapitating the disgusting thing.

As he stood amongst his kills, he would sigh before retrieving his arrows. He had work to do and he couldn’t afford to waste them.

In the village of Tia, two teenagers were practicing their sword training. As blade struck blade, the male would laugh before he says, “Like they would choose you to be a champion!”

“And you think you have a better chance than I?”

“Yeah, as soon as you left, you’d become some monster’s plaything!”

“Yeah, and you’d become the servant of some succubus!”

They would continue to fight before they both said at the same time, “But I would be a better champion than you!”

Six months later

“And, by the will of the gods, you, Vanessa, and you, Seth, are both champions of Tia. This demonic presence has all but corrupted the land and, by our gods will, you will find the end to this corruption. May Emae watch over you.”

The two would nod their heads before stepping onto the boat, the two humans watching as they watched their home disappear as they sailed for the corrupted lands, Tia the last remaining place untouched by the corruption.

When the two landed, they would make camp together before Seth would say, “It may not be safe for us to camp together.”

“Why?”

“If the demons attack, it would be easier for them to capture or kill both of us than if we were separate.”

“Very well… in the morning, we will split off and go on our own way.”

The rest of the night was silent, the two finishing their meal before putting out the flames. And then they would head to bed.

Meanwhile, three demons were resting in a cave, watching the two humans sleep. Or at least, head into their tent. As they sat there, one of the demons would ask, “So, which one has a higher chance of succeeding?”

“Neither.”

“Well… who would last longer?”

“The female.”

“Why?”

“Because I want that male.”

The rest of the night was spent in silence, the demons continuing to watch their prey.

Once morning hit, Vanessa and Seth would gather their things, hug each other, and then head in the opposite direction, Seth heading East and Vanessa heading West.

Vanessa’s journey would take her to Sevevudd, a small town near a large lake, perfect for fishing. She would enter the town and simply smile at those who would stare at her, though get slightly awkward at those who would stare for too long.

Seth’s journey would take him to Aeidien, a large city with two iron works and a stone quarry outside its walls. When he entered the city, he simply disappeared into the large number of people.

The demons would split up, one remaining in the cave while the two hunted their new prey, the two human champions. They would not interfere in the human's’ mission, but they would offer them a choice. If they accepted, then mission accomplished.

If they refused… well… that’s a different story. But then, not many refused.

As Vanessa asked the townsmen what they knew, one of them brought up an interesting investigation point. “The goblins have been talking about some spectre in the woods.”

“A spectre?”

“Yeah, a spectre. But then, goblins get so drunk, they probably think anything that moves is a spectre.”

“Anything special about this… spectre?”

“Well… there is one thing… they say that small groups of goblins have been found dead. Whoever this spectre is, he sure has something against goblins.”

“He?”

“Well… could be a she, but if it is a person, I’m going to assume it’s a he.”

So Vanessa would nod, thank the man, and then head off to the forest, armed only with a sword and some plain clothing.

Seth, meanwhile, has been looking about for somewhere to start his journey. When he approached some old woman, she would smile at him and ask, “Can I help ya?”

“Yeah, I’m looking for some information, anything in general really.”

“Would you like to hear about Dwilen?”

“Sure.”

“They used to have the most amazing swordsman, but ever since the school closed, the art has all but died out.”

“Why did the school close?”

“The king.”

“The king shut it down? Why?”

“Didn’t want anyone to oppose him probably. But some people say that there is someone in Dwilen who still teaches people.”

“Oh? And which way is Dwilen?”

“Just follow the road North. You’ll know when you see it.”

So Seth would nod, thank her, and then be on his way.