Note from the Author: This is the first chapter of a finished project. I was originally just going to keep this story to myself and a select few friends to try and get it published, unfortunately many complications have arisen in the attempt to get it published process. (Mainly the length of the story for a novel belonging to a new and unknown author) and really I would much rather just have people read and enjoy the story more then anything else so I am posting it here.

I hope you enjoy this work of fiction and hopefully one day it will become published. So for now, story and characters are coppywritten to me (Kurapika L. Suki/ K.L. Seunnapha) but that pretty much doesn’t need to be said as it says that at the bottom of the page anyway .

The Story of Fynta

Fynta is a world just like any other, with seas and lands and people just like yours. If, of course, you are an inhabitant of a world of people, there are now so many worlds that it’s hard to keep track of which one I am now telling the history of Fynta to. Though there are so many it is rare that even one person on any of these planets would know a speck of history or even a whisper of existence of the other.

The world I will tell you of today is just like any other; it has seas like all others, filled with creatures both familiar and unfamiliar to you. There is land of course, and of these lands, there are seven countries.

The great land of Merlin, which long ago, was named after a wizard great in power. A land where wizards and sorcerers were born. Where many beings of magic live and prosper. It is ruled by a powerful man of magic, who not only rules over Merlin but also five of Fynta’s other countries as well.

There is the island of dragons, where the magnificent creatures travel the skies and nest. The continent of dwarves, a land filled with a small, yet intelligent race of people, who have made the land they live on the most advanced in Fynta. There are the untamed lands, where orcs and trolls are born, and the Beast Colonies, where creatures as wise as humans gather. And the land of Promise, a land that many wish to enter; yet only a select few may travel to. A place, I was once told, where any dream you wish for can come true.

Lastly, there is the land untouched by the emperor of Merlin, a land made up of four continents surrounding a small ocean. Each continent ruled over by a powerful royal family. This land is where the humans lived; it is where you would live. This is where our story begins, a story told by many tongues, by many races.

Many stories of course, wonderful in their own ingenious design, as great and capturing as they are told or read, are rarely believed. Although there are many storytellers that will claim their tale to be true, there are very few stories that are actual spoken truth. One can easily be fooled by the tapestry of words that the voice or quill pen writes in a wonderful song of poetry and splendour. Such stories are told with such heart of those telling it that it is near impossible to know if it is truth or not.

The story I am about to tell you is a true story, a story of the history of Fynta. Of course, I do understand if you are wary of the truth I may hold in these words. After all, I could be the same as any other storyteller who would want to tell you a wonderful tale and claim it to be true. You can believe what you will, that this story you are about to embark upon is a history of Fynta, or another tale curiously and skilfully spun to be true. Keep one thing in mind when making this decision. I am not a storyteller, I am simply a single soul that wishes for the true history of Fynta, to be told and brought to light.

Prologue
The History of Fynta

“Oh world of ours that exists within the stars,

mother of all that live upon you.

The skies, waters and land are all your children.

As are we, the people that live under you.

May you never grow ill, may you never grow weak.

May all your children grow strong,

and may you never take the gifts you have given us away.

Great Fynta, you are one of many earths,

but you are greater to us than all others,

because you are our home and haven in times of danger.

In return for your shelter we will protect you from those who do you harm.”

- A Fynta Proverb Written by Seclude,

Fynta’s Most Skilled and Powerful Wizard

For thousands of years the people and animals of Fynta thrived, sorcery and magic strong in the roots of those grown on it. Though the people would often have wars amongst themselves as all races do, it was nothing compared to the threat that was one day brought to the land; forever changing the way the people of Fynta lived.

Long ago, in a history now unforgettable to those who know it, a horrific battle between hell and the people of Fynta arose. A powerful leader of Fynta fell into a spell of the great being that lived in the realm of spirits, the realm where the dead of Fynta were held. The leader was seduced by the most powerful and feared demon of all, the demon mother. While under the control of the creatures, Fynta’s leader created an opening for the demons, letting them leave the land of the dead and enter the living realm of Fynta. The demons attacked Fynta and tried to claim its land as their own.

For hundreds of years the holy war continued. The demons were great in power but were largely outnumbered. It looked as if humans would forever be able to overpower the demons. But...

Three thousand years before this time a great plague was cast upon the lands of Fynta. Countless lives were lost; the plague affected humans, wizards, and elves along with all other forms of life. Only a small few managed to survive the plague. Before humanity could pull itself back to its feet, the demons attacked again. Due to the plague the demons now outnumbered the humans, the people of Fynta did not stand a chance. It looked as if all would be lost until a single brave heroine sealed the demon mother away. In doing so the power of the demons was cut and weakened greatly by the loss of their source of power. The humans once again overcame them, sealing the gateway to the demon’s world. Slowly, the many races of humans began to replenish.

Eight hundred years later, the demons again tried to overthrow Fynta. This time they were more powerful than ever before. They had acquired a key; a key that opened a rift from their hell into the living world. This key slowly unlocked the demon mother, gradually increasing their power. It was because of a great and powerful figure that the new problem was contained, but the cost was a great one, the ‘hero’ losing his life to the demons.

One hundred and Eighty-One years later, the demons once again came upon the earth…

“The Weeping Rose.” A woman with long blonde hair and pale blue eyes stood staring at a rose bush with leaves of silver, the light of the almost hidden moon reflecting off it’s already glimmering figure. The petals of the rose bush were a bright white that cut through the dark sky surrounding them, as if attempting to overpower the darkness that lay around it. The woman continued to stare at the roses as if completely captivated by their beauty, a warm smile never leaving her face. “It was once called by another name, but then one day it stopped blooming… as if it were crying…”

The woman was standing in a well-kept garden, the white rosebush the centre of the all the other flowers around it. The flower she spoke of being her most loved flower, her most beloved possesion there.

“There’s a story behind its sudden sadness. It’s about an elf that fell in love with a young woman, a human. It was a forbidden and hidden love….” She turned away from the bush, looking towards a young man lying in the garden, his eyes closed, seeming to ignore the world. From the look of his clothes it was clear that he was not a human, but a member of the well-respected race know as wizards. “...But at the same time it was a pure love.”

The wizard opened his eyes, he turned and glared over at her. He grabbed a magic staff resting at his side and got to his feet, dusting the dirt off his white robes. “It is not and will never be pure. It will always be a sin.”

The woman chuckled lightly to herself as she turned back to the bush continuing her story. “The two had a child together, but the mother grew weaker as the baby grew inside of her, and died shortly after giving birth to the child. Overcome with sadness the elf wept in his sorrow by this bush. When his tears touched the flower petals the flowers felt his pain and sorrow and the flowers closed their petals, weeping with him. Now they only bloom once a year, on the hour of the child’s birth, welcoming him, but then close once more on the hour of his mother’s death.”

A man with fancy and decorative robes chuckles warmly at the story, “It’s a beautiful story, and it would be even more beautiful if it were true.”

The woman looked disappointed. “How could it not be true? The tears of elves have been known to make plants do such things.” She held her hand out to the bush continuing her explanation. “When I was a child these flowers would open everyday… but then recently… only a few years ago, they stopped…”

The wizard looks over to her, speaking softly. “There were never any elves in the four continents, they always stayed far from these lands. Even in other countries the elves have died out and have become nothing more than a memory. They are a forgotten race… extinct, it’s impossible for one to have been here only a few short years ago.”

The woman smiled still convinced that her story was the truth. “You know as well as I do that elves can disguise themselves as humans. Perhaps there are more elves than you think.”

The wizard doesn’t look all that happy to be talked back to. “There are no elves. Further more even if there happened to be one it would never fall in love with a human. Elves were known for strictly keeping the blood of their race pure. It’s impossible for one to suddenly break the tradition he’s followed for thousands of years of his life for a simple woman.”

The woman crossed her arms and glared at the wizard. “Then how would you explain the situation?”

The wizard points his staff to the bush. “It obvious it’s just…” He pauses not really able to come up with a scenario. He brings his staff back to his side turning away from it. “Just… broken.”

The woman smiled slyly to herself. “So then you can’t explain it.”

The well-dressed man laughed as he nodded his head. “Of course, maybe you’re right. We can never be too sure.”

The woman laughed, turning from him to the wizard. “See? Even the king agrees with me.” She frowns when she sees the wizard shake his head and sigh. “Don’t you give me that! If you have something to say then say it!”

The wizard opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted by another man walking into the garden. “If what you have on your mind is an insult, then don’t bother saying anything. I will not have the royalty offended in my house especially by someone who isn’t welcome in it.”

The wizard stays in his place, not moving to the man’s subtle yet obvious order for him to leave. The king walks up to the man, a smile on his face. “You’re home! I, as well as my wife, have come a long way to meet you and your collection. Your charming wife was just giving us a tour of this beautiful garden of hers. She’s got quite the green thumb.

Soft pale hands cuff gently around the base of one of the flowers, a woman with long black flowing hair kneeling towards it, closing her eyes so that the scent of the flower was singled out. She smiles looking back at the blonde haired woman. “Its scent is so crisp… like the cold air of winter.”

The woman smiles back at the queen. “It’s a shame it blooms so little.”

The wizard turned to leaving as the man and the king started discussing the various antiques and artefacts that the man had collected to sell to him. The woman who owned the gardens noticed him leaving and quickly ran over to him, grabbing onto his cape, stopping him from walking farther. “Why are you leaving so soon? It’s not like you to actually respect my husband’s wishes.”

“It is not your husband I am avoiding.” He turns to the queen who is now kneeling down to take a closer look at several flowers closer to the ground. “The queen of the East is guarded by a wizard named Siren.”

“Siren?” The woman looked confused. “Why would you be afraid of Siren?”

“It is not Siren I am avoiding!” He pulled his cape from her hand and turned to leave. “If Siren is here that means ‘he’ is here as well!” A painful look fills his face as he begins to leave. “I cannot show my face to him.”

“He…?”

She turned back to look at the people behind her. Her husband calls out to her when he sees that she's staring in their direction. “Let’s go inside, it’s too cold for us to be staying out here for so long.”

She looked reluctant to follow, but does so anyway looking back at the wizard one more time before joining them.

Her husband showed the two members of royalty into the house, stopping and glaring back at his wife before entering. “What was he doing here? I thought I had made it clear to him he’s not welcome.”

His wife walked past him, brushing her hair out of her eyes doing her best not to look at her husbands face. “I asked him to come.”

“Asked?” Her husband was enraged at this information. “Why would you ask him to come here!?”

“I wanted him to protect me!” She turned back to him, an uneasy look on her face. “I’ve been hearing strange voices since this morning… frightening whispers whose owners I cannot see. Cold winds pierce my skin like ice in the middle of a warm day. Something’s been lurking around the village…” She turned in the direction the king and queen had gone in. “Something terrible is going to happen… I can feel it… they’ve been waiting for them…”

Her husband shook his head, not easily believing her excuse. “Nothing’s going to happen. Not only do the king and queen have part of their army here to protect them they’ve got Siren, their very own personal wizard. It’s impossible for them to get hurt.” He turned, following the King and Queen. “Don’t let him near you again.”

She lowered her head, closing the door that her husband had left open, speaking quietly under her breath to herself. “It wasn’t an excuse… this time…” After locking the door to keep those unwanted out she followed the three to the room where all the things the king was looking to buy were resting.

A ring of deep growls and roars fill the air and dozens of strange creatures scream threateningly at an animal in front of them. Their bodies large and long; The creatures resembling large deformed mantises with the faces of a human. They stand protectively in front of an even larger, more disgusting creature, a large worm type creature, with as many legs as a centipede, each leg resembling the arm and hand of a human, its face the same at the others. The smaller ones all let out hideous screams at the creature ahead of them, trying to drive it away.

A hiss and snarl of a large wild cat returns their call. In front of their path with its head lowered, teeth bared and fur standing on end, was a large black panther, its coat darker than the night sky, and its greenish yellow eyes fixed on the creatures in front of it. Though the jungle cat was large, its size was nothing compared to that of the creatures before it. But even so these hideously frightening creatures were afraid of her, unwilling to approach her.

The panther took a step forward, the creatures backing off, their noise and screams getting louder. The panther lashed her tail back and forth angrily; hissing and snarling as she took another step forward, causing them to back off even more.

“What’s this?” A woman’s voice asked as a female figure stepped forward, stopping in front of the group of strange creatures. She looked the most human out of all the strange creatures but it was still clear that she was far from it. Her skin was dark and discoloured the skin on her back, arms, and legs as leathery as a reptile’s, and a pair of black bat-like wings on her back. She placed one of her claws on her hip, squinting her eyes at the animal in front of them. “A leopard? Why would you be wary of a leopard?”

The panther stopped hissing upon seeing her, and regained her stance holding her head up, although she was no longer looking like she would pounce she was still threatening, her tail continuing to lash back and forth. The female creature in front of the others narrowed her eyes, something catching her attention. “A cat that smells of lilacs?” She snarled baring her fangs and opening her wings, readying her body to attack. “Lucifer!”

The panther again lowered it head hissing, the winged female spoke to the creatures behind her, keeping her eyes on the cat she spoke. “Go do as our lord ordered.” The other creatures quickly scrambled to the side, the panther immediately jumped forward to attack them as soon as they moved. The winged female quickly pinned the panther it to the ground and bit into its shoulder.

The panther cried out, biting onto her wing and throwing her off, quickly turning to the other creatures only to find that they had already quickly disappeared. She ran to follow them but is again stopped as the leather-winged woman dug her claws into the panther’s back leg pulling and throwing her back.

The panther got back up, the woman stood in her path. “Not this time, demon hunter. You won’t be able to kill us off this time.” She narrowed her eyes ready to attack the panther again dare it try to get past her. “This time we will complete the will of our lord!”

The panther snarls yowling hatefully as she quickly rushed forward, attacking the demon head on.

The white wizard stopped in the middle of the town’s street, looking around him. He turned in the direction of the forest staring quietly. “Lilacs?” He pauses, listening carefully; faint whispers and strange voices were starting to fill the air. He narrows his eyes, holding his staff in front of him. “Demons…”

He looked around him but was unable to see any unfamiliar shadows. “Where are they?” Although he could hear the obvious voices and snarls of the demons they were nowhere to be found. The wizard turned back towards the house he had just come from. Although they were impossible to see it was clear what direction they were headed in.

Before he could take a single step forward a loud roar breaks the silence, he looked back to see the large worm demon with thousands of arms behind him. He narrowed his eyes ready to attack when the moment asked for it. “A demon shaman? What business do you have here?”

The large demon wheezed as it took in a large breath of air, then exhaled, a raspy wheezing voice being made from the sounds he made breathing out. “You are a hateful creature, wizard…” It again breathed in air, the sentence having taken its breath. It was clear this creature was unbelievably old, and as terrible as it was, was struggling to keep himself among the living. “For too long have we allowed you to live… you and the creatures known as humans….”

The wizard growls at the demon’s response. “That is not the answer I’m seeking from you!”

“The answer I give you… will be something you wished… you had not found.” He sighs a deep growl that shook the ground, each of his many hands glowing with a black aura. “I’ve come for the key… the key that locks away our power…”

A smirk escapes the wizard after hearing this. “The key you seek was destroyed years ago. The demon race is slowly dying. Seeking for something that does not exist will not revive it.”

The demon placed his hands on the ground, pillars of black light forming around each one, the earth around him shattering into sand and circling the demon’s shaman. The wizard is forced to take several steps back to avoid the sand. A sound louder than anything ever heard before suddenly breaks through the air as the ground splits open and everything touched by the demon begins to die. The earth itself screamed from the pain this creature was causing it. The sands fall to the ground as the demon begins to walk forward the sand now a light silver.

The demon takes another gasp for air. “I have not come seeking that which has ended… I come seeking that which is beginning.”

The wizard holds his staff in the air, a strange white mist forming around him. “There are no beginnings for demons.”

The demon turns towards the wizard crying out a call resembling the sound of hundreds of creatures screaming out in pain at once. It hurls its body forward attacking the wizard at a speed that looked impossible for a creature so large.

“A baby?” The man smiles at the information the king had just announced. “So the kingdom of East will soon have a prince of its own.”

The Queen smiles shyly. “Or a princess…”

The king nods his head. “Either will be welcome with open arms.”

The man’s wife turns her eyes toward the ground, an uneasy look on her face. The reaction catches the queen’s attention and she turns to her questionably. “Is… something wrong?”

The woman’s husband turns toward his wife looking her over. “Her? She always gets like this when you mention kids. She can’t have any of her own and for some reason it upsets her.”

A strange shrill and piercing scream suddenly fills the air, each person in the room covering their ears in hopes of blocking the terrible sound out. “What the hell is this noise!?”

The Queen got to her feet, and stumbled over to the window. “These screams… I’ve heard them many times before.” She opened the window, leaning out of it looking down at the guards surrounding the household, who were also covering their ears to try and block the painful screams out. She turned in the direction the scream was coming from spotting the white wizard fighting the large grotesque creature. She then looked back at her guards, spotting the one man not affected by the sound. An old long bearded wizard with an owl on his shoulder. “Siren.”

The wizard turned to the queen upon hearing his name as the Queen continues her request. “Get rid of the noise so that our guards can attack!!”

The wizard nodded his head, lifting his staff into the air. “It’s always the young ones that cannot stand the screams of demons, when you’ve heard the screams as much as I have you’re ears grow numb to such sound.”

The owl opened its wings pulling its body into the air, flying away from his master as the wizard’s staff begins to glow with a strange yellow light. The wizard opened his mouth yelling at the top of his lungs “SILENCE!”

At once a loud piercing chime fills the air as the yellow light grew and flashed into a blinding white light. Soon the chime grew weak and the light vanished, as did all the sounds within the town. The screams of the demons could no longer be heard, the scurrying of the mantis demons as they swarmed towards the house was no longer present, and the sounds of the guards drawing their swords to attack the creatures also fell upon no ones ears.

No voice could be heard, and no sound could be distinguished. The violent and blood filled battle began and continued in absolute silence.

Daylight was breaking through what was once night by the time the battle had finally ended. The town and its people were in shambles; the cries of both the children and the wounded could now be heard. Blood and bodies of both humans and demons littered the ground. Only two figures continued to fight, the large demon shaman and the white wizard. Both of them were barely able to move but were still fighting each other with all the strength they had in them.

Blood spilled from the demon’s body every move it made; it was clearly suffering greatly knowing well that it was to die in this battle. The wizard, too, looked to be suffering, deep cuts covering his body, his skin pale from the loss of blood. A weak and tired look filled his face and he looked unable to continue much longer.

Quick footsteps could be heard as the queen quickly approached them, stopping when she saw the two. She stared at the young wizard in disbelief. “You… you’re all that is left… of all the people fighting the demons tonight… you’re the last one standing…?”

The woman who had welcomed the king and queen soon caught up to the wizard, coming to a stop and leaning forward with her hands on her knees catching her breath. She looked up, her eyes widening in horror at the scene in front of her. “No!…” She ran up to the wizard standing in front of him. “Stop it! Don’t hurt him anymore!”

The wizard grabs onto her shoulder forcing her out of the way and throwing her to the side, but before he is able to attack the demon the woman gets up and throws the wizard to the ground, pinning him down. “Are you trying to kill yourself!? You can’t attack any more… you have nothing left!”

The demon lets out a pitiful cry as it takes a step forward to attack, but instead fails falling to the ground. Not having the strength to even walk anymore, the ground shaking as its weight falls upon it, dust rising and covering the town.

The demon’s struggled breathing could still be heard, the creature not dead yet. It slowly opened its eyes, its vision a dark blur, a single figure coming into focus.

The queen of the East stopped only inches in front of the demon’s fallen figure, the dust still settling around all the figures there. She looked down at the fallen creature, her eyes fixed in a glare. “You… you did all of this to get to me.” It was clear to the queen that the demons had attacked because of her presence. After all, the demons were afraid of attacking this town because of demon hunter that lived nearby it. “What is it that you wanted?”

The demon closed its eyes, barely able to respond. “You… the one brave enough to approach me… the child you carry is what we have come for… and now … now that it is done it will become what we seek.”

The queen narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists in anger as she raised her voice, yelling angrily at the demon. “What! What have you done to my child!?”

“Cursed her…” The demon shaman laughed weakly, it’s body barely moving from its breathless laughter. “Changed her… no longer a human… but a tool… a key…” His dry laughter continued as the queen’s expression grew more hateful. “Your child will be born… and from the very day of her birth she will be fated to die at the hands of demons… it is her blood that will unlock our power and hand us the world.”

The queen turned and walked towards one of the fallen guards, taking the sword from his cold hands. Walking back to the demon shaman who continued to laugh at the pain he caused her. She stopped in front of the demon and lifted the sword above its head. “She… she will not die at the hands of demons.” She thrust the sword down stabbing the weapon onto the creature’s head immediately cutting off its laughter. “I will not allow that to happen…”

Twenty years later…

Chapter One
Encounters of the Worst Kind

Darkness filled the early morning skies of the East Continent; one of the four continents that circled a small ocean created not by nature, but by a terrible war thousands of years before this time. The war not only dividing the single landmass that all four were once part of, but the world as well. The four collective continents which used to live as one is home to a great majority of the pure human population, but it also holds one of humanities greatest dangers...

Bloodcurdling screams pierced through the night, accompanied by the clashing of weapons and the sickening sounds of screaming and tearing flesh. Another gruesome snapping of bones and the ripping of a human body probed the so-called quiet of the night. Huge powerful jaws chewed contently on a human body, a knight that had lost a battle for his own life.

An un-naturally large monster lay down in the walls of what had once been a well-kept palace of royalty. The creature would slightly resemble a dragon if one were to stare at its strange figure long and hard enough. The dragon-like being chewed on the warm body, enjoying its recent kill and taking it’s time, savouring the flavour.

The large, horrific looking monster was not alone. Several strange figures surrounded him, each one frightening and deadly in its own way. Dead bodies and pools of blood filled the floor of the ancient stone castle they stood in. The castle that was once a shelter and a haven for the rulers and members of the East royalty.

The demons that slowly consumed the lands of the four continents had come and fought a battle with the humans, and the humans had gruesomely lost.

A smaller demon with the size and looks of a human woman flew down from a ledge, closing her bat-like wings around her body, her right wing was scarred by what looked like the bite of a wild animal, and her body also bore the scars from both the teeth and claws of the same wild animal. Her left leg limped slightly as she walked towards one of the bodies littering the ground. It was clear that these were wounds she had been carrying with her for some time, and because of them she had not taken part in the battle that had so recently taken place. She stopped in front of a body, looking down at it coldly, as if annoyed with it. “That was easier than I had thought.” She turned away from the body, looking back at the other demons. “Who would have realized that only a thousand men would be guarding her?”

A black purplish skinned demon that looked and resembled a lion lifted its head in response, pausing in its meal to respond to the female demon that was interrupting his dinner with chatter. “Her parents were old and weak, I thought they would have put up a fight for something so precious. At least they were thoughtful enough to scream.”

The dragon-like demon placed the body it had been chewing at on the ground, pinning it down with its foot and ripping off its arm, tearing it into smaller, easier to swallow morsels. “Who cares? As soon as Lord Yami has opened the gateway with the princess, we will hear endless rings of screams.”

A high-pitched scream filled the air startling the creatures. The demons quickly turned towards the sound, to catch sight of a young woman’s body being thrown to the ground. A strange dagger of black solid energy skewered through the forehead. A large leather-winged demon that resembled a powerful human man stared down at the figure with a cold look on his face.

The other demons, upon seeing the body, began to panic. The leather-winged demon doesn't look in their direction; he knew well of the worry of the others and thought very little of it. He merely turned away from the body speaking calmly. “She is useless to us.”

The female demon kneels beside the winged one’s victim, looking it over for any signs of life. After finding none she turned back to her leader, confused, not understanding what had just taken place. “What have you done!? You’ve killed the princess!!” She quickly got to her feet and walkied towards him angrily. “Without her we will never be able to open the gateway!”

The large, winged demon cared little about what he’d done and ignored the worried expressions of the others. “She is not the princess.” The other demons fell silent, this piece of information shocking them. “She is one of the princess' guards posing as her. The Princess herself is not here.” He turned his head back to the body now surrounded by a pool of dark red blood. “This woman was nothing but a decoy.”

The lion-like demon shook his mane, growling in a low tone. “We should have expected that the humans would not make this easy.”

The dragon turned towards him. The news was not at all surprising, after all, he was a creature that had fought and lived through many wars with the humans, probably the oldest of the demons left. “Humans are killed easily, yet they are so persistent when it comes to clinging to life.” This was a fact he knew from experience. If humans were not of this nature they would have already long ago won the war.

The winged leader swung his hand forward. “Search the castle. There may be some clues to her whereabouts here.”

All of the demons aside from the female scattered and began searching the castle, some more quickly then others. Maybe they were just quicker on their feet, or maybe they understood the situation better than others. For the princess was their turning point, and it was she, that was most needed.

The winged female turned to her leader, the annoyed look not having yet left her face. “My lord, dealing with this key has never been easy. Even on the day she was cursed we faced problems.” She turned back to where the demons had been gathered. “We can’t afford many more casualties… if more problems arise-”

The demon leader lifted his hand to stop her from talking. “There will be no more problems… and if there are problems they will be insignificant ones. We are only a step away from the revival of our power. Nothing the humans can do will be able to help them.”

As the demons searched frantically for any clue that would lead to the princess’ whereabouts, they failed to realize the eyes that were watching them. An old wizard perched high on a ledge overlooking the large, open throne room, watched the demons quietly from his hidden location. The wizard looked to be an ancient man, his beard longer than his robes with many well defined wrinkles aging his face. His thin fingers were wrapped around a magic staff with a sharp design to it. He stood as still as a statue watching the demons quietly, remaining unnoticed.

As soon as all the demons were out of the old man’s sight he turned away. He retreated back into a secret tunnel leading to a spiralling staircase. He hastily began to make his way up into one of the castle towers where he resided.

The domain of the powerful wizard was in a tower decorated with shelves of books and overrun by vials of potion. Desks filled with scrolls and the definite scent and feel of magic hung heavily in the air.

The wizard stopped at one of his potion-laden desks opening his arms, silently casting a spell affecting the area within his two hands. The dust and dirt smoothly lifted off of his desk, gathering between his withered fingers, swirling as if in a, strange dance, and then taking the shape of a young girl with long black hair.

He began to speak to the collection of dust, the strange particles being a way of communication to the young girl formed by the dust. This girl was the real princess the demons were so frantically searching for, and it was his duty to warn her of the danger that would be fast approaching her. “Princess, I have some urgent news. Please listen closely to what I must say.”

The small female figure turned toward him with a worried face. If it was an urgent message from the old wizard it was most definitely not good news. The small figure’s worry seemed to grow at the sight of the wizard’s concerned face. “Siren! What happened!? You do not look well.”

Siren the wizard answered her as quickly and simply as he could, trying to keep a calmness in his voice. “As we have feared the demons have come. They have massacred everyone within the castle including the king and queen, even the woman that poses as you.”

A worried, fearful expression filled the princess’s face when she heard this. She shook her head slightly from side to side, holding her hands to her aching chest. “...no.”

Siren began to explain. “Quickly princess, as we speak they are searching for clues on your whereabouts. You must leave as quickly as you can.”

A shocked looked filled the young girl’s face. “I have to go alone!?” Traveling alone with demons hot on her trail was the last thing she wanted to do. “Please send me a guard! There’s no way I can travel alone!”

“Princess, there isn't time for you to wait for one. A guard will do very little against the demons.” The wizard began to explain, trying to advise the princess that seeking such help would be meaningless.

The princess shook her head, crossed her arms and turned away from him, holding her nose in the air. The small dust figure refused to budge from her spot on the table. “I refuse to travel alone!!”

The old wizard sighed in a way that clearly expressed the stress of his many years. One thing he understood well was that when a member of the royalty made up their mind it was near impossible to try and convince them otherwise. He would have to let her have her way.

“Very well. I will send my pupil Echo to join you in the nearest town.” He paused for a second, as if trying to reach deep into the back of his mind to pull out the name of the town closest to her. Finally he found the title he was looking for. “Bronze Riverton. From there he will take you somewhere where you can be safe from the demons.”

The princess although slightly relieved to hear the announcement, was still not completely satisfied. Still she looked for more lenience from Siren. “Bronze Riverton is too far! I have no chance if they find me and I am alone!! Please you must-”

The dust suddenly breaks apart, the girl’s voice cutting off, the image of the princess disappearing and leaving Siren alone to stare quietly at the spot where the princess’s image once stood, softly settling dust all that was left of the magic link. He lowered his hands, holding and placing all his weight on his staff. “Hurry princess... as we speak they are following the trail of magic I used to warn you.”

The old wizard had promised to send someone to help the princess but other than him there was no one left in the castle. He turned to an owl sleeping on its perch near one of his bookcases, the only other creature to have lived through the demons’ attacks. Stepping forward, he slowly walked over to the perch that held the large snow-white owl that slept soundly in his spot. His feathers comfortably ruffled, head tucked behind his wing. The wizard lifted his hand and gently stroked the bird with his long, age-withered fingers. The owl woke from the touch, ruffled his feathers and yawned, as its eyes tiredly blinked open.

Siren placed his staff in front of the waking owl. The owl stretched his wings before climbing obediently onto the end of Siren’s staff, looking more awake than it had before. It stared at his master’s face with its large yellow eyes. “Echo...” The owl tilted its head at the old wizard mentioning his name.

With the owl still on his staff Siren made his way to the window of the tower and held out his staff through the window, the owl now outside of the tower. “Echo, you must fly to Bronze Riverton as quickly as you can! Wait for the princess there then take her to the castle in the west continent. She will be safe for the time being there.”

The owl hooted and opened its wings, displaying a wingspan that was as tall at the as the old wizard himself. With the sun peeking slightly through the darkness, the owl flapped its wings, lifting its body into the air and taking off into the early morning sky, following the orders its master had given him.

The wizard watched the bird become smaller as it flew from the tower. All of his hopes for the safety of the princess now rested on the wings of the white owl he had just sent away. “Please Princess... you must stay hidden from the demons, you can not be found. If you are, they will use you to free their master, and all will be lost.”

A door to a small cottage opened and the princess that Siren had summoned quickly ran out. Her long black hair falling loosely to her back, the hair that would normally curve around her face tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of her way for her supposed long journey. The princess came to a stop, and nervously looked from right to left, unsure if it really was such a good idea for her to be taking such a journey on her own. With a worried expression in all her features, she starts to feeling doubts playing heavily in her mind. “I can't possibly make it on my own ... there's no way!”

An old man grabbed onto her shoulder, the touch familiar to the princess so the sudden hand did not cause her to jump. He spoke to her in a friendly, casual voice, unaware of the danger the young girl was currently in. “Hold up there, Angel! Where are you running off to so early in the morning?”

Angel turned to face him, trying to hide her worried expression with a smile. “I have to leave town.” Knowing her friend would want an explanation she quickly answered the unspoken question. “It's hard to explain...” Although that wasn’t a real answer, it was a clear indication that it was something she did not wish to discuss. No one in this town knew that she was the princess and it was to remain that way, no matter how close of a friend they were.

The old man looked a little confused, not having expected such a response from the usually friendly and open young girl. “Really? That's a shame.” He took his hand from her shoulder, not wanting to hold her up anymore then he already had, a look of disappointment coming over his face. “The Hunter's Harvest is today as well, you're going to miss all of the action.”

The frantic expression began to leave the princess’s face. “... the Hunter's Harvest ...” She smiled as the details of the event fill her head. “Of course! The festival that challenges skilled men and woman to kill the powerful monsters of the woods!” She jumped up excitedly clapping her hands together. “Perhaps if I ask one of them!! Then I won't have to travel alone after all!”

The old man scratched his head as he watched the princess. He is more than a little baffled over her behaviour. “I don’t understand... What are you talking about?”

Angel turned her gaze toward the sky, the light was barely peeking through the darkness.. “This is perfect! As soon as day comes this town is going to be full of them!!”

Soon, early daylight graced the small town, and just as the princess had predicted, its buildings and streets begin filling with all sorts of men and women. The mass of people were not residents of the town, but warriors and hunters of all sorts, each looking forward to taking part in the Hunter's Harvest, a sacred event that took place once every year in this small town in the East continent.

The Hunter’s Harvest event that attracted competitors from all four continents was organized by a man named Lucid Black, a figure well known for running events all over the four continents. Due to the large monsters that infest the forests around the town known as Tachi, problems were continuing to rise for the people travelling to and from the small town. So every year the town thinned out the monsters’ numbers by holding a contest awarding a large cash reward to the warrior who is able to kill the largest creature out of the group of competitors. Competitors are given skill levels and rankings based on their chances of winning; Beginner, Basic, Experienced, Professional and Master.

In the centre of town a busy cluster of people gathered in the now thriving market. The competition attracted not only warriors of all ranks, but farmers and merchants as well. Things of all kinds were being bartered, auctioned and sold. Everyone who was looking to make a significant amount of money from the gathering of people the town had collected was there.

Within the loud collection of people a small gang of twelve men lounge on one of the merchants’ crates. The merchant of course not saying a single word of complaint, as these men were one of the lowest forms of society the East continent had to offer. The filthy, rebellious bandits lived without rules, sought after by those of the law and dreaded by all others. These twelve casually joked amongst themselves in the crowd. People around them, besides the merchant whose belonging they occupied, did not seem to realize the status the group held in life. Though there was one man in the group who stood high above the others.

This was their leader, a loud young man that acted playful and maybe a little too immature for what he was. None of them seemed the least bit worried over any trouble they would cause if their background was exposed.

This man looked younger than his actual age, more like a late teen then someone in his mid twenties. Even his attitude portrayed him as a young energetic individual with enthusiasm and excitement that seemed endless. His black hair was cut just long enough to hang to the end of his face and he wore a leather jacket fashioned with many belts and buckles as well as a scarf that gave him sort of a youthful boorish look. The most distinctive thing about the man was a scar from a blade that had cut his skin some time ago, running down the right side of his cheek.

He eyed the crowds of people with an amused and playful look on his face, as if he was inspecting each of the participants over, yet not taking a single one as a serious threat. “Look at all these people here to take part in this event. It's like they're hoping to win or something.”

One of the bandits began to laugh as he patted his leader on the back. “We all know how impossible that is! What with Hitsumi here!”

An unkempt, short member of the group nodded in agreement. “First place champion for three years running! There's no competition.”

Another member, who looked to be close to the age of the young leader, stared at the group, shaking his head at their words The last thing he needed was for their leader to get big headed. “Careful Hitsumi, you don't want to get overconfident or something like that.”

He was clearly the cleanest and most well kept out of the group. His long, untangled hair was tied back in a low ponytail, his clothing plain so that his appearance would not stand out from the ‘normal’ crowd. However, he was clean so he did stand out from the bandits. He looked out of place in the group and it was clear sometimes that he was, not only in appearance but in knowledge as well.

Hitsumi laughed, turning back to his close friend, and scratching the bandana on his forehead. “Don't worry Ashton, I’ll be just fine.” As if it would help prove his point, Hitsumi quickly grabbed a book from Ashton’s bag, ignoring the other bandit’s obvious disapproval. “I checked your stupid question answer book thingy, and it said ‘Something good will happen today.’ ”

He opened the book shoving it in Ashton’s face to prove his point. “See? The book speaks.” Just as Hitsumi had said, the book read ‘Something Good will happen.’

Ashton quickly grabbed the book from Hitsumi’s hands, and held it close to him like a fragile object of great value. “Do not play with my magic book! It's full of wisdom that far surpasses your own!”

Hitsumi rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “Ashton... that book is a crappy novelty item that you can buy at any souvenir shop for $25.”

Horrified shock filled his friend’s face. He clutched his book even tighter, refusing to believe what he had just heard. “What!? I did not just hear that... tell me I did not just hear that!” He turned away, making it look as if he had never heard, or even known Hitsumi in the first place, not even giving him a chance to apologize.

Hitsumi nervously laughed at his friend’s reaction. “Lighten up...”

While pretending Hitsumi didn’t exist Ashton’s eyes spotted a lone piece of paper held tightly within the pages of the book. The bandit quickly realized something was amiss and he turned back to Hitsumi with a look in his eyes like he was giving a lecture. “Let me make one thing clear Hitsumi. You will not get good luck by placing a bookmark on the ‘Something good will happen’ page.” He took the bookmark out, tossing it to the ground in disgust.

Hitsumi quickly snapped back, defending himself as best he could. “I don't see anywhere in that book that says I can't do that!”

Ashton raised his eyebrow at Hitsumi. Sometimes it was hard to tell Hitsumi’s stupidity apart from his immaturity and now was one of those many times. He closed the book, and then opened it once more to flip through the pages. “Let's see your real fortune for the day.”

He stopped the pages from turning at a random section of the book, the page reading. ‘Over Confidence will be your downfall.’

Hitsumi reads the words, then glared down at the book as if it were deliberately lashing out at him. “Traitorous back stabbing book!!!” He grabbed for it, attempting to pull it from Ashton’s hands.

Ashton quickly pulled the book out of Hitsumi’s reach. “Do not harm the book!! You'll ruin its magical charm!!” He looked more offended over Hitsumi’s action then anything else.

Hitsumi quickly made another jump for the book. “Come on! It’s just a book! I’m not going to hurt it. I only want to rip out that page!”

The other bandits in the group began to laugh in hysteria as they watched the two bicker, Hitsumi constantly trying to grab the book from Ashton’s grip as he continued to hold it out of his reach.

While in the midst of the chaos the two had caught themselves in, a prospecting young pickpocket spotted them. Seeing the two greatly distracted from anything besides the book, he saw it as a perfect opportunity to make a quick buck. He made his move, quickly executing his ploy, taking the wallet from Hitsumi’s pocket unnoticed by everyone but the person he had took it from.

Hitsumi quickly changed his targets from the book to the boy, jumping and tackling him to the ground before he could escape. The sudden scene startles everyone outside the small group of bandits. The bandits were by now quite used to Hitsumi’s unexplained and spontaneous conduct, and no one looked surprised in the least at this example of it.

The bandit leader chuckled at the younger pickpocket’s antics. He found it amusing that he had again been the ‘helpless’ and ‘unsuspecting’ target of a pickpocket. Was it really that hard for people to believe that he himself might be a thief? “That's got to have been your worst move today kid, stealing from a thief.”

The pickpocket struggled to get free, but Hitsumi wasn’t about to let him go so easily. Panicked over the fact that he had been caught, the hoodlum quickly tried to find a way out of the situation. He spotted a small sword strapped to Hitsumi’s waist, hidden under his jacket, He quickly pulled it from its sheath, slashing at Hitsumi causing him to quickly jump back to avoid getting sliced by the blade.

Running from Hitsumi leaves the young man’s mind, he had managed to seize the noisy bandit’s sword, which he now held in front of him menacingly. Hitsumi was surprised that the pickpocket had managed to get his hands on it. He looked back down at his empty sheath, then back at his opponent. “Attacking me with my own weapon!?”

The pickpocket sliced at Hitsumi but the bandit dodged it with ease. The young man does not look like he will leave without first inflicting pain on the one who had caught him. Hitsumi quickly looked around him for a weapon to replace his own. Anything would do, just as long as it could help him beat the boy and get his things back.

He spotted a young, shorthaired boy lying down on a bench. His eyes were closed and he was picking his teeth with a knife, completely oblivious to the situation that had caught so much attention. Always the opportunist, Hitsumi quickly grabbed the knife from the unsuspecting young man and used it to defend himself. The blonde jumped up in shock, looking frantically from side to side, trying to figure out what had just happened. His attention is soon caught onto the fight. He narrowed his eyes at the man holding his knife, not at all pleased with pickpocket lunged with the small sword at Hitsumi, who quickly caught the blade with the newly acquired knife and directed the attack to the ground, the blade hitting the concrete instead of him. Hitsumi held the weapon and in turn it’s wielder in place. Quickly Hitsumi kicked his legs out tripping his opponent and sending him crashing to the ground. While the thief is down Hitsumi quickly took his weapon back, returning it to its sheath. He pinned the boy down with his foot and took the liberty of retrieving the money that was stolen from him.

Hitsumi smiled, standing straight and proud with the pickpocket underneath him. The thief being one of the last concerns on his mind as he casually starts throwing the knife in the air and catching it repetitively. “Too easy, beating you was even more simple then stealing candy from a baby.” His mood changes as he thinks over what he had said. “Cause... you know... after you steal the candy from the baby it starts crying, and then you feel all sorry and bad about what you did. But unlike the baby, I don't feel sorry for beating you up at all!!” He laughed to himself, happy that he had won this battle.

In the middle of feeling confident about his victory he felt a tap on his shoulder He turned around to find the young boy he had taken the knife from standing behind him. Without waiting for anything to be said between them, the boy pulled back his arm and punched Hitsumi in the face knocking him to the ground.

The blonde silently walked over to Hitsumi’s fallen figure taking his knife back, the annoyed look never leaving his face. “Don't touch my things without asking.” With that, he turned and walked away from the scene.

Hitsumi sat up, glaring at the boy. He didn’t look to be in any higher social standing than him. A simple penniless traveler whose only belongings looked to be the archery set strapped to his back, which most likely supplied him with food and income. His clothes were plain enough to signify he was no one important, yet tough enough to handle the hardships of travel. This was something he obviously did a lot of considering his clothes were worn and caked with dust from travels. His hair was a light blond, cut longer in the front then back; it was only a little longer then Hitsumi’s. He was a definite pretty boy that girls would without a doubt swoon over.

Hitsumi quickly pushed himself to his feet, dusting his clothing off. “Who does that guy think he is!?” He was obviously bitter over the whole experience that had just taken place.

Ashton frowns, not surprised in the least. “Well you did take his knife without asking.”

Hitsumi looks back at Ashton, in shock and his jaw dropped. He was a little, surprised that his best friend would be on the side of the person that had struck him, a complete stranger that had just come out of nowhere and hit him for no good reason. “What was I supposed to do!? I was in the middle of a fight!!”

“Were you even planning on give it back to him?” Ashton quietly asked, as if already knowing the devious answer.

A long pause followed Ashton’s question. Hitsumi coughed, clearing his throat looking to the side. “It was a nice knife...”

Ashton opened his book, the answer clearing Ashton’s suspicions by landing on a page that read. ‘Finders Keepers.’

Hitsumi again lunged for the book, bringing the two back to the fight they were once in. “Tattletale piece of junk!!”

The two are interrupted when one of the bandits in Hitsumi’s group spoke up. “His name’s Li.”

Hitsumi is a little confused with the sudden information that didn’t seem to have a reason for being brought up. “...huh?”

“The blonde that hit you, his name is Li. He's the youngest one competing at the master level this year. Only nineteen.”

Although nineteen didn’t seem all that young, it was for someone in the master level, a level filled with only highly skilled professionals of many years. A grade even Hitsumi wasn’t qualified for even with having won three previous championships. Hitsumi happened to be in the rank just below master; ‘Professional level.’

Hitsumi frowned at the information he had just received. How was a pretty boy like that able to rank higher then him!? He had only known that person for only a few seconds but he had already pulled enough of Hitsumi’s strings to make him think fatal thoughts upon him. “Well then … Li, is it?” He growled at the name, the sound of him saying it making him even more bitter. “I don't think I like Li ...”

While all this was happening, Angel, princess of West, searches through the crowds of people hoping to find someone to help her in her short quest to Bronze Riverton. Unfortunately she can only find older, stinky, big, broad faced men, who did not quite suit her traveling companion tastes. “This is terrible!! Everyone is so rough looking ... I don't want to travel with such rough and frightening people ... if they're unshaven they can't be trusted ... if they don't have nice looking faces ... they might kill me.”

A loud voice rose above the crowds as a woman on a stage speaks through a megaphone to the people. “Attention everyone, the hunting grounds are about to open, please listen carefully as I explain the rules once again.”

As the announcer started explaining the rules to the crowed, Hitsumi looked from side to side, like many people he was a little bored with having to listen to the rules again. He then spotted Li getting his archery set inspected by a blacksmith before the contest. Hitsumi frowned, watching him in annoyance. “Punch me in front of everyone in town will you...”

He walked up to Li, pulling out his sword and stopping behind him. Li turned to face him, a stern look still on his face. Did the bandit come here for a fight? He held his hand over the handle of his knife ready to use it at any sign of danger. Hitsumi quickly lifted his weapon up slicing it down at Li. Li grabbed onto his dagger but was unable to pull it out before the sword swungs past him slicing into the blacksmith’s table behind him. The blade cut through the string on Li's bow making his weapon completely useless. Li furiously turned back to the bandit grabbing onto the front of Hitsumi’s shirt. “What do you think you're doing!?”

Hitsumi passively pushed Li’s hand from his clothing, placing his sword back at his side. “That's for punching me.” He turned, walking coolly away from the scene, leaving the fuming young man behind him.

Li paused, looking down at his dagger, he didn’t have enough time to pull it out to defend himself, if Hitsumi had been aiming for him instead of his weapon Li would had suffered a nasty wound, if not a quick death.

“He’s faster than me?” The quick-tempered blonde looked back at his weapon and pushed the fact aside when he saw the cut string. He looked back at Hitsumi who was now back with his group, punching his fist into his hand and cracking his knuckles. “I'll kill him!!”

The blacksmith, not wanting a fight to ensue quickly tried to stop him. “Hey, hey... it's alright sir, I can fix it before the competition starts. It will only take a minute. Free of charge.”

Li’s anger wasn’t lessened by the blacksmith’s free offer and still looks ready to get the pesky bandit back for his actions and attitude. “That's not the point!” Despite the worry of the blacksmith he stormed forward following Hitsumi, unable to let the situation pass.

The princess begins to worry over hearing the announcement. If she wasn’t quick to find someone willing to bring her to Bronze Riverton before the competition started, she would be forced to travel without a companion. She started to panic, frantically looking for a face that she might trust. “What will I do!? They're all going to leave soon! Then I'll have to travel alone!!”

It is at that moment her eyes catch onto the small gang of bandits led by the highly vocal leader. Seeing that his face was much more handsome than the others, aside from that awful scar across his right cheek, he seemed to be the most likely candidate in the crowd of ruffians as the town had gathered.

Angel smiled to herself as she began towards him. “He's not scary like the others! He'll work just fine!” She stops near him waving to get his attention. “Excuse me Sir! Excuse me!!”

Hitsumi looked over at the voice that was calling out to someone in the crowd, and spotted the young woman calling for the attention of someone within his group. The young, beautiful, longhaired woman with her hair tied back was wearing a dress that was simple yet at the same time fit enough for someone of importance, definitely more important then he, the bandit smiled an impressed grin; the girl was definitely cute.

He was about to turn away when he realized that she was looking right at him. He nervously looked to either side of him, seeing if maybe she was trying to get the attention of someone next to him, but only found members of his own bandit gang. He gingerly pointed to his face and asks “Me?”

Angel smiled running up to him, glad she caught his attention.

Finding that she was indeed staring at him, Hitsumi quickly dusted the dirt off his clothing from his recent scuffle, wondering at the same time what a girl as well off as her could possibly want with him. Careful not to let his voice sound too nervous, he timidly asked her the question running through his head. What could she possibly want with someone like him? “What is it?” He asked her, disguising his voice to make him seem unfazed by her approach.

The princess smiled as she dusted the dirt Hitsumi had missed off of his shirt, then started to size him up making sure his clothes didn’t have many tears or frays. She needed to be sure that he would indeed fit her standards. “You seem like a decent, clean shaven, trustworthy, un-ugly, non-rapist kind of guy.” Although he was far from financially fit, he still seemed acceptable enough to be seen alongside her, at least more then anyone else in the town.

Hitsumi is more than a little confused by the awkward introduction. Normal women didn’t run up to strangers and start dusting them off and looking one’s clothes over. He stepped back, not quite sure what to make of her. “... okay...”

Angel claspped her two hands together, looking as if she were going to begin begging him for something. “May I ask you for a really small favour?”

Hitsumi scratched the back of his head; it was rude for one not to at least listen to the requests of a girl, no matter how strange they acted. “I guess -”

“Good!!” Angel quickly interrupted, not letting the bandit finish his sentence. “My name is Angel, I'm looking for someone capable of escorting me to Bronze Riverton.”

While Hitsumi is occupied with talking to the princess, Li had been crawling through the jungle of legs in the crowd unnoticed, sneaking close enough to Hitsumi without being seen or suspected. He lay down at Hitsumi’s feet, tying a rope around Hitsumi's ankle. After securely tightening the knot he quietly backed away from the group, getting up out of the crowds unnoticed. With the other end of the rope still in his hand he silently walks over to a traveling merchant’s horse and carriage, tying the rope to it. After one final tug on the knot to make sure it was good and tight, he walked up to the horse tied to the carriage, slapping it hard on the rump, startling it and causing it to gallop away as quickly as it could, dragging the startled merchant’s cart with him followed the rope attached to Hitsumi’s ankle.

Unaware of the situation the princess continues. “So if you could just forfeit the contest and-”

“Forfeit!” Hitsumi interrupted her from saying anything else. Forfeiting the contest was definitely the last thing on his mind at the moment. “No way I can't d-”

Before he can finish his sentence the rope pulls taut and Hitsumi is gets yanked back and dragged behind the carriage along with the panicky merchant trying to stop the spooked animal. This was much to the shock of the princess, the rest of the bandits, and of course Hitsumi himself.

As Hitsumi was being dragged through the town by the rampaging horse and carriage, the starting signal played, announcing the beginning of the contest. All the participants began to leave the city, the event now underway. Li picked up his newly fixed bow, watching Hitsumi as he is dragged across the ground screaming past him. “That was for the bowstring.” He turned and walked away in the same fashion Hitsumi had when the bandit had cut his bowstring, leaving the town with the rest of the contestants.

Hitsumi managed to finally pull out his sword, cut the rope and free himself from the unpleasant ride. He eventually slid to a stop. “That's it...” He lay still for only a moment before jumping to his feet, his face red with anger yelling after the young nuisance. “This is war Li!!! WAR!!!”

A heavy look came over Ashton’s face. It looked as if their beloved leader’s mind was wandering far from the subject at hand. “What about the Hunter's Harvest?”

A growl escaped Hitsumi’s throat as Li disappeared from his view. Right now he had something more important to deal with then just the hunter’s harvest. “We’ll worry about that after I get that bastard back!” He quickly ran after the crowd of contestants, determined to get back at Li. His small gang of followers shrugged their shoulders at Hitsumi’s decision yet still followed their leader.

The princess panicked as she watched the one person that might have been able to help her, about to leave the town and probably never be seen by her again. “Wait!! What about me!?!? I really need you to take me to- WAIT UP!!!” She ran after them as fast as she could, praying that she would not lose sight of him.