Levaris, one of the northernmost cities on the continent, was covered in snow for seven of the eleven months. When winter came around, the city could receive an entire foot of snow in a single day. Regardless of its weather, the city had experienced an alarming rate of growth in the last decade due to the discovery of a large iron deposit at the base of the nearby mountains. Combining this discovery with the ability to transport any mined material down the nearby river, many new smiths and miners had flocked to the city.
The appearance of Delsyx and his men had been a surprise to all, not just to those in Levaris, but to everyone on the continent. No one had expected a realm gate to open in the north, much less two of them. Amongst the first cities to fall to Delsyx, Levaris had been attacked out of convenience more than anything. It was now far behind Delsyx's front lines, and the population had abandoned any thoughts of swift liberation. The people of Levaris now only served as a means to help Delsyx supply his men with newly forged weapons.
"What's got you in such a foul mood?" Delsyx asked, looking across the table. Knox got up from his empty plate and pushed in his chair. Most people never looked him in the eyes. His tall figure, combined with his long black hair and red eyes, gave him an intimidating air.
"I remembered why I rarely eat with you," he replied. Delsyx smiled and continued eating while Knox walked over to a fire that was burning where the old altar had been. The church was open on the inside. The church pews had been torn up and used as fuel for the fire. Several stacks of church pews lined the walls, ready to be thrown into the fire as needed. Knox went over to one of the piles. Channeling his luminescence, he pulled out his sword and slashed a pew up into several pieces. After sheathing his sword, he grabbed the pieces and brought them over to the fire. Throwing them in, he warmed himself. Several other tables had been set up and were filled with men who sat eating and drinking, paying little heed to Knox or Delsyx. Torches lined the lower walls along with various religious iconography. Windows that had run along the sides of the church had been completely broken and replaced with large wooden logs stacked together to keep prying eyes from seeing inside.
"Of all the cities to move to, you chose this?"
Delsyx swallowed, then laughed. "Ha, not used to cold weather, are we?" Delsyx had very short brown hair. His Blue eyes rested against his round face that showed he had been gaining weight.
"No," Knox grumbled as he looked into the fire. Snowfall was covering the city, and a cold northern wind was blowing down from the mountains.
"Enjoy some more wine. We won't be here much longer, perhaps three days," Delsyx said with a smile.
"You keep extending our stay," Knox replied, continuing to gaze at the flames.
They both remained quiet for a bit before Knox turned around. "You should have chosen a city further south. Your paranoia has gotten the best of you."
"Quit complaining. I'd like to see you keep a realm gate open. I bet you'd be assassinated on the first day. Give it a try, then we can discuss who's being too careful."
"There are plenty of places back home that-"
"Knox." Delsyx cut him off. "That same 'Home' that you're so fond of is more dangerous than most places on this side of the gate. If we had stayed there, I'd probably be dead by now. The assassination attempts have all but dried up since we've come here. That's less work for you. Really, you should be thanking me." Delsyx turned back to his plate as Knox let out a sigh.
"Did it have to be the frozen mountains?" Knox shouted.
"A place devoid of life is more likely to be devoid of enemies, and the mountains are a wonderful wall. There's no better choice than Levaris."
Knox couldn't deny it. The weather made him want to leave himself, and those mountains were the best natural wall a city could ask for. He hadn't ventured up into them himself. But he had already heard stories of bears so large and strong that even class three luminescents couldn't handle them, and terrain so confusing that a person could get lost after only an hour.
Knox walked down the church's long center aisle towards its entrance. A large reinforced stained glass window of a dove spreading its wings shown high above the front door. It was the only window they had kept. It let in a nice amount of light during the day, and was too high for anyone to look inside through. Knox glanced up at it. The dove was the symbol of the Armen's.
"Do try to enjoy yourself while we're here!" Delsyx shouted from across the church with a chuckle. As Knox left, he used his luminescence to slam the heavy metal doors behind him. Outside, the cold northern wind blew against him. He cursed to himself as he pulled up his collar.
Outside the entrance to the church was one of the public execution platforms that Delsyx's men had set up. Two frozen corpses were swinging in the wind. They looked like a young couple. Levaris had taken minimal damage at the beginning of the war. It had been taken with little warning and as such, most of its original population had remained even after its initial capture. Though most of the population did not want to produce material and weapons for their enemies, they were left with no choice. Those who tried to escape were killed, and those who refused to work were hung.
A mix of brick and wooden houses lined the streets. The brick houses had belonged to the few aristocrats that had called Levaris home before the war. They had been the first to be executed and imprisoned, their houses now belonged to Delsyx's men. Knox channeled his luminescence to enhance his hearing. He heard the familiar sound of coins being tossed about inside of the brick houses he passed. Gambling..., he thought. It was one of the best ways to pass the time in Levaris. That and drinking.
In front of one of the taverns, a couple of wooden rain barrels sat outside, full of ice and snow now. It would be another couple of months before it got warm enough for them to thaw out.
"Frozen wasteland," He muttered to himself as he entered the building. The clamoring inside quieted down as the patrons noticed him. Many of them eyed the six silver buttons that ran across the collar of his clothes. "A class six...!" a couple of them muttered. People returned to their conversations as Knox sat down at a table. He channeled his luminescence and enhanced his hearing.
"Another one of those military dogs. I've never seen a class six. I wonder why he's here."
"A class six? What's a class six doing here? He doesn't look like he has any injuries."
"Quiet! He might be listening. Let's go somewhere else."
"Didn't you hear? Someone important from their realm is supposedly staying in the church."
"A class six!? Honey, I think we should leave."
Knox smiled. He knew a bit of their language and could tell they were talking about him. Those reactions had been one of the few things that kept him entertained since he had arrived. A class six attracted attention wherever they went. A tall, young barmaid with long brown hair approached Knox's table.
"What can I get you, sir?"
Knox sat up. "Glishdock."
The girl nodded with a forced smile. "Very well. I'll be back in just a moment."
While she hurried off, Knox turned to meet some gazes that were still eyeing him up. Every time his eyes met with someone else's, they nervously glanced away. He smiled to himself at their reactions. The barmaid returned. As she nervously put down his drink, Knox spoke up.
"Are you-"
The mug slipped in the barmaid's hands and spilled toward Knox. He channeled his luminescence as he leapt out of his chair with incredible speed. The liquid from the mug spilled onto the table, chair, and floor. Everyone in the tavern went quiet and looked over at the scene.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, my hand slipped!" The girl frantically apologized. Terror shone on her face. The other patrons held their breath, waiting for Knox to react. Knox looked himself over. He noticed a couple of drops had hit his uniform and let out a sigh.
"...Money for drink," he said, pulling out some coins. The Barmaid froze for a moment in disbelief before shaking her head.
"Oh no sir, the drink is on us. You didn't even get to-" Knox put the money down on the still wet table and turned to leave. The other patrons let out a sigh of relief, and the barmaid was speechless. The door swung shut behind Knox as he left. Outside of the building, he turned and grabbed one of the frozen rain barrels outside. Turning around, he hurled it into the tavern. Crack! It rammed into the barmaid. She and the barrel collided with other patrons and furniture as they all flew into the wall. Screaming and wailing sounded throughout the building. Outside, Knox raised his voice.
"Sorry, Sorry!" He yelled in a mocking tone. All the civilians either ran away or ran over to those who were injured. A couple of soldiers who had been drinking in the tavern laughed at the scene. Knox smiled to himself and walked away.
Vekking Brown eye. He looked down at his uniform and let out another sigh. After walking a few more blocks, Knox turned into a nearby alley. After moving down a few random roads in the city, he stopped in another alley. Someone's following me? He bent down, pretending to tie his boots. A figure jumped out from the corner, surrounded by green, luminescent energy. Knox stood up, channeled his own luminescence, and drew his sword, stopping the young girl's strike. They both stood close to each other, swords locked. Bright green and red light engulfed their bodies, respectively.
Knox smiled. The young girl was halfway between a child and a young adult. Her blonde hair was cut up to her shoulders. It was dirty and unkept matching the rest of her look.
"DIE!" she yelled, pushing forward.
Knox stepped back a small distance and examined the size of her luminescent aura. A class four! I wonder what she can do. The girl lunged at him again, throwing an onslaught of slashes and jabs. Knox playfully dodged and deflected each swing of her sword. However, as her weapon continued to clash with his, failing to find its mark, his excitement turned to disdain.
"Weak," Knox said. The girl stopped.
"Why? Why did you attack my father?"
Knox paused for a moment. He knew enough of their language to understand part of the question. "Attack father?" He replied.
The girl lunged at him again. "You cut off his hand!"
Knox deflected her attack and took a step back. She stood motionless in the snow. "... He's dead now." She struggled to get the words out as tears streamed down her face.
Knox sighed, sheathing his sword. He glared down at the girl. "Leave..." He said in her language. The girl looked at him, rage once again filling her eyes. She jumped at him, slashing at his face.
"GIVE ME BACK MY FATHER!" Knox dashed forward, dodging her attack and punching her in the stomach. The girl dropped her sword as she fell backwards onto the ground, coughing. Before she could get up, Knox slammed his foot down on her right leg.
"GAHHH!" The girl let out a painful scream as her bone broke from the impact. Knox backed off while she writhed in pain. As she tried to get back up, she fell to the floor, crying out in pain.
"AHHH!"
Knox picked up the sword she had dropped and threw it into the sky. It sailed across multiple rooftops before disappearing amongst the houses.
"NO!" the girl yelled. As Knox turned to walk out of the alley, she tried to get up again, but her body refused.
"NGH!" The pain forced her to lie still. Knox walked calmly away, leaving the young girl broken and beaten.
...
Grace lay still on the ground as snow fell around her. "...I'm sorry." She started to sob. Her hand formed a fist that she beat into the snow.
"Why?" she asked quietly.
"Why!?" she repeated herself louder this time. The snow on her back melted into her clothes. After a minute of sobbing, she got up slowly, grimacing in pain as she moved. Channeling her luminescence into her leg, she began circulating it internally around her injury to speed up her healing. Even though she was a class four, healing a large break like this would take a long time. Wiping away the tears from her face, she looked at where Knox had been just moments ago. All she saw were his footprints in the snow.
"Are you alright?"
The voice came from behind her. Startled, she spun around. Pain shot through her leg from the sudden movement.
"AH!" Grace steadied herself.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" A concerned face peeked through the figure's hood as she rushed to Grace's side. She bent down and pulled back the hood. Long black hair tumbled down her back. A single silver hair ornament held her locks together in a pony.
"Is your leg broken?" she asked.
Grace nodded. Looking the stranger in the face, she noticed they had white eyes. A Nocturn! Grace hadn't seen many of them in Levaris.
"Are your parents nearby?"
Grace shook her head, examining the stranger as she did so. She was an adult. The sharp angles that outlined her eyes gave the stranger a more commanding presence. She was wearing a white cloak that covered most of her body, causing her to blend in with the snow. As Grace glanced down, she saw the stranger was wearing white boots as well.
"Are they at home?" The stranger asked.
Grace quickly looked back up and nodded. The stranger turned around and offered Grace her back.
"I'll bring you there. Can you get on my back?"
"Who are you?" Grace asked. The stranger paused for a moment. Then she smiled.
"I'm Ayla."
"Ayla" Grace mouthed back.
"Now grab on." Ayla insisted. Grace climbed onto her back, letting out a few painful groans as she did so. Ayla stood up and started walking.
"I'm-I'm Grace." Grace managed to whisper, as she tried to ignore the pain from her leg.
"Nice to meet you, Grace." Ayla continued to walk. She seemed like she knew where she was going. "Grace Leblanc, right?"
Grace was surprised. "How'd you know!?"
Ayla laughed and then spoke in a whispered tone. "I've heard about you."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"I've never seen you before. Do you live in Levaris?"
"I have a place."
"Where?"
"It's on the east side."
Grace went quiet as she rested against Ayla's back. She looked at Ayla's hair. It was darker than just about any hair Grace had seen, and even though it was up in a pony, it was long enough to reach down to her hips. Ayla stopped. Grace looked up. In front of them, sticking out of the snow-covered ground, hilt up, was Grace's sword.
"...How did you-"
"I saw it fly through the air. It was what led me to you in the first place."
Grace halted the healing of her leg as Ayla stepped up alongside the sword. Channeling her luminescence externally, a shaft of light twisted and turned out from her hand. It continued to grow until it wrapped itself around the sword. Then the luminescence retracted itself back towards Grace's hand. She then placed the sword in its scabbard. Grace resumed her healing, and Ayla continued walking.
"I heard about what happened to your father," Ayla spoke up.
"You did?"
"Yes. He was well loved here." Both Ayla and Grace were quiet. Grace started to sob again.
"Why did they do that? Why are they here? Why won't they leave?" Grace pressed her head further into Ayla's back. Ayla remained quiet as Grace continued to sob. She tightened her grip on Ayla's back, and tears streamed down her face.
"My mother told me not to do anything rash, but I couldn't wait any longer. So I...I..." Grace sobbed.
"They'll be dealt with in time," Ayla said in an angry tone.
"Are you going to stop them?" Grace said with hope.
"No. But I have faith that someone else will. It's that house up there, right?" Ayla motioned.
"Yes..."
Ayla came up to the door and knocked.
A shorter blonde-haired woman answered the door.
"Ms. Leblanc? I found Grace out in the street. Her right leg seems to be broken."
"What! Grace, what were you doing? Please set her down over there." The woman motioned to a chair and closed the door behind them.
"Grace, what happened? Why were you out there?" Ms. Leblanc asked. Grace was slow to answer as Ayla set her down.
"... I attacked the man that killed father," Grace said.
"Grace! I told you to leave them alone!"
"Do you have some sticks? I can make a splint for her." Ayla asked. Mrs. Leblanc nodded and grabbed two sticks over by the fireplace.
"I didn't get your name miss...?"
"Gibbs."
The woman lit up. "Gibbs! Andrew's daughter? I haven't seen you before."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Leblanc, but I don't want to discuss my family right now," Ayla replied.
"Oh...I'm sorry" Mrs. Leblanc said. She grabbed some pillows to prop underneath Grace's foot, while Ayla took out some cloth. Ayla combined her cloth with the two sticks and crafted a splint around Grace's leg.
"They might come after us now, Grace. I told you not to do anything rash." Mrs. Leblanc said nervously.
"I couldn't just wait around."
"You should have listened to me. Now...We might need to leave Levaris." Grace looked down in shame as Ayla stood up.
"I wouldn't do that." Ayla replied.
"What? Why? Those men are sure to come after us now that she attacked them. I've heard them do worse to others who have done far less."
"Grace, describe the one you attacked." Grace quickly described him. Ayla nodded.
"I had a feeling. That's Knox. He's the strongest, but I've never seen him pursue any revenge that he couldn't act upon immediately. If he had a grudge against you, you'd both be dead already. But don't attack him like that again."
Grace and Mrs. Leblanc were both quiet, with surprised looks on their faces.
"How do you know-" Ms. Leblanc was cut off by Ayla.
"I must be going now. Take care of yourselves."
"Oh, uh yes thank you Miss Gibbs," Ms. Leblanc replied.
"Goodbye Grace," Ayla said as she opened the door.
"Thank you Ayla."
Ayla made her way outside, closing the door behind her.
Ms. Leblanc turned back to Grace.
"What did you call her?"
"She said her name was Ayla." Grace replied. A look of confusion showed on Ms. Leblanc's face.
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