"You can't do that!" I yelled even as I pointed at the man buried under the wooden wall.

Taryn glanced at the handiwork he'd wrought, before shrugging. "Yes I can? I just did it."

I yelled at the sky in frustration, before glaring at Taryn. "You can't just throw people around, and you can't steal their property."

The surrounding cobblestone road that led to the southern gate of Vicna was filled with the poor and average, all of them interested in what had happened.  In the distance I could hear people yelling, shouting which came from the direction of the sound of footsteps.

"A child isn't property," Taryn told me, his eyes narrowed as he glared back at me.

"I understand, I don't care for slavery either, but if you start stealing slaves and punching the owners the guards are going to get upset," I tried to explain to Taryn. 

He was crude, dumb and far too strong for his own good, but for some reason I still wanted to try and help him out.  I could only assume it was due to some innate urge to repay him for his previous help, when he managed to keep me from getting drugged and kidnapped by the merchant's guards.   

"Don't worry, this makes thirty-seven."

It was a response I could only frown at.  "What?"

Taryn adjusted his hold on the child, as he began to study the surroundings. "I'll show you, if you come with me, but it'll take us a while to reach it," he said. It was a very poor explanation. He began to walk away from the scene of the crime, toward one of the alleyways that was shrouded in shadows and filth.

Why? I wanted to scream so loudly that people would've cowered in fright, children would've cried and the Gods would have slapped me and told me to be quiet. I was faced with two choices at that moment, I could follow him into the alleyway and be an accomplice...

Or I could face the three town guards and two legionnaires that quickly approached my location. If push came to shove I could probably talk my way out of it, or at the very least appeal to the legionnaires using some well placed names, but there was always that off chance they might be corrupt. In a town filled with slaves and slavery. Surely that would never happen!

I went into the alleyway after Taryn. As the guards reached the throng of people drawn by the commotion I was certain many people would point toward it. While I began to run down the alley I also realized I had no clue where anything was in this town, out of all of us I had probably traveled the least.

My lack of geographical knowledge on the town included where the alley led to, if it even went to anywhere. I wondered if Taryn knew the town, but at that thought I saw him up ahead. He was casually strolling down the alleyway as though nothing was wrong, while he whispered words to the child in his arms. The crying had quieted down and the kid clung desperately to him.

When I caught up to him he turned his head to glance at me, then nodded in recognition before he kept walking on without any words spared to me. I had to fight the urge to punch him again, but instead I glanced over my shoulder to see if we were being chased.

There was no sign of a single person directly behind us, so we followed the curving path until it split into two directions. One of the paths went right and the other left, both had no visible end and twisted around buildings. The alleyways were dark, dirty and had a faint smell of human excrement. It was quite likely this was where hobos came to relieve themselves, a fact that made me want to bathe even more than ever before.

Was it really too much to ask for a bath? I grumbled at the thought and waited for Taryn to continue on. However he had a worried look on his face as he looked in the two potential directions he could go. "This is bad," he told me, before he gently handled the child over. Soft words were spoken to the youth, before the kid clung to me.

It was the first time I really got a chance to look at the girl, which took me little time to figure out at that close of a proximity. Her filthy clothes were tattered, most likely due to the severe whipping she had suffered. Her hair was spiked, long and a metallic look, a sign of one of those from the Vharani. The desert dwellers of the Empire, their hair was tougher, their nails sharper and their fighting instincts supreme.

Most Vharani outside of the desert were slaves, and kept as literal guard dogs. Chained outside in the rain, fed scraps and bones, they were shown no kindness by most owners. I felt a tear well up at the thought, and then hugged the little child to my chest. "What's the matter?" I asked Taryn, as I fought back the urge to start crying.

An answer to that question came without need for words, as from all three directions I could hear the sounds of footsteps. They had a metallic hint, a sign that whoever was approaching wore armored shoes. A moment later five men came into view, with three behind us. The two legionnaires from before had somehow managed to get ahead of us and cut off our escape route.

I knew what was coming, and also knew that the legionnaires were unbelievably strong thanks to their armor. However I also knew what Taryn was like, a fact I was reminded of by the killing aura he started to produce. He had begun to grin, as he backed up against a wall. 

"No killing!" I yelled at everyone, though it was mostly meant for Taryn.

Taryn clicked his tongue in response. "Fine," he muttered, with one foot placed against the wall, "Get up against a wall and don't move."

Even as I began to place myself against a wall at his request, he'd already pushed off his own and dived into the three normal guards. His right hand lashed out, gripped the head of one guard and used it as a club to bash against the head of a second guard. The two collapsed instantly, while the third had no time to respond when Taryn lashed out with a strong kick to the chest.

The third guard flew back some five feet, hit the ground and refused to get back up. The legionnaires on the other hand offered more of a challenge, when Taryn swung into action so did they. While heavily armored they moved with a speed that seemed impossible, while my skin tingled with the sensation of magic.

I knew what it was, as I knew the legionnaires well. When I was only three my mother vowed that I was going to be the strongest daughter ever, so she took me and placed me into the Legion. The Legion of the Empire was their greatest army, designed for fighting against any internal and external threats imaginable. Most legionnaires were placed at the center of battle formations, they were immoveable and unbeatable.

Their training program ordinarily started at the age of eight, whereas I was placed in it at the age of three. A normal child would not have survived that, they would have broken themselves before two years had even passed. I was not like most children, all due to my parentage.

Before I could even speak in full sentences I had already begun to grasp the basics of using a sword, and before I had even reached adulthood I was capable of winning in most hand-to-hand fights against grown men. What I learned during my time there was much, plus the secret to the legionnaires strength.

There are three forms of power in this world. One is the power of the mind, of mental strength and willpower. People who can think themselves strong can force themselves to be strong, and those with enough willpower can exceed the boundary and do the inhuman. Skara was a prime example of that type of empowerment.

Then there are individuals who are able to manipulate their soul, then draw it out and use it to boost their strength and hinder their foes. Vandross Rose was one such person, as was my mother. When one fought my father you burned, normally not for real but it felt like it all the same. The weakest of people would suffer actual burns, so it was rare that my father utilized his Presence if allies were nearby.

My mother in turn made one feel frozen, ice crept over you and held you tight. It was very hard to move if you fought her, unless you had the capacity to resist. Most people did not, and I most certainly didn't the last time I had felt her Presence. The tightness of her ice, the state of being frozen was so absolute that it was possible to stop breathing, to develop frostbite and to acquire hypothermia.

The Legion of the Empire employed those individuals as much as they could, but they came in a limited supply. In order to bolster their strength they utilized enhancement equipment, magically enchanted gear that increased the strength of their users. While garbed in the armor of the Legion one would feel infinitely stronger and far more durable. Some men could handle this, though some became obsessed with the power. The few that were weak and unlucky even had their souls twisted and had to be slain.

So when those two legionnaires rushed in I believed that Taryn would not be able to handle them, while he handled the three guards. I reacted with minimal thought, my free hand that held no child swung out and my fingers snapped. I visualized what I wanted of the Shatterblade, and the bracelets on my wrist dissipated.

A trident formed in my hand, one that I slammed out at the closest legionnaire. He was shocked as the weapon almost pierced his armor, and lifted his left arm up to knock aside the bladed tips. "A tool!" he yelled out in warning to his friend, though it had already been noticed.

The second legionnaire stepped toward me, sword whipped out from the scabbard in half a second. The blade was well kept, shining in the dull light that filtered into the alley, but it was standard legionnaire equipment. The man delivered a quick stab at my body, aiming to hit where the child was not kept. I wanted to thank him for that consideration of the innocent, though I had no time to talk. My mental focus adjusted as I willed the Shatterblade to change once more, the trident shifted and turned into a thin tower shield.

The shield clanged down against the loose cobblestone of the alley, the sword stopped immediately as it struck the exterior a split second after it had formed. Both legionnaires paused at that, they had not anticipated an ever-shifting tool but rather a one-off. Almost nobody had one like the Shatterblade, the mere creation of a new one was banned by the Empire.

"No more messing around, don't worry about the slave!" the first guard snapped at the second. He was clearly the superior, and also had made a wise albeit harsh choice. He pulled out his own sword, brandished it in front of him while he waited for an opening in my defense.

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Against one legionnaire I could probably win, I knew their usual style of fighting and their capabilities. However two of them in close quarters, while holding a child, was pushing it and I began to run through my mind the many different ways I could approach this scenario. Every one ended with me getting chopped down, most likely after the kid had already been fatally wounded.

A shadow flitted past with a rush of wind, and I realized Taryn had grown tired of waiting on me to finish the fight. He had been polite enough, allowing me to try and be helpful while he finished off the normal guards, but he was not infinitely patient. As he swept past he flashed a grin at me, though this time it seemed more childlike than the predatorial ones from before.

The suspected commander of the legionnaires flinched momentarily due to the arrival of Taryn, but he would have no time to recover as he met the wall behind him by force. Taryn grabbed ahold of his face and thrust him straight back against the wooden wall. The man crunched into the wood, before he roared in pain and anger. With the hand shoved against his face he lashed out at Taryn, blade poorly aimed given how Taryn covered his eyes with his palm.

Taryn responded to it well, he swept his arm up and knocked the sword out of the commander's hand. The sword flew off into the sky and arced toward the ground deeper into the alleyway, before Taryn casually punched the commander square in the jaw. As Taryn retracted the hand he had used to punch the legionnaire he also removed the one which gripped the soldiers head.

Down went the first legionnaire, while the second could only watch with a combination of awe and fear at what had happened. Most of the Legion were well trained so they were accustomed to seeing strong opponents, however Taryn pushed past the boundary of what most considered strong.

He took one step toward the remaining soldier, then his form blurred and snapped to in front of him in the blink of an eye. His body had crouched down, and as he rammed his fist out he attempted to transfer the momentum of his forward lunge into an open palm strike. It hit square on the stomach of the legionnaire with enough power that the metal armor cracked, and an indent of the hand formed.

If it had been a regular foe, like one of those traitorous guards who worked for the Merchant, the man most likely would've died. The Legion were made of sterner stuff and this one helped to prove that fact, the legionnaire staggered back while he coughed loudly and dropped his sword. "Dear Gods what are you?" he groaned, before he pulled out a dagger from his weapons belt at the waist.

Taryn grumbled something under his breath, before he glared in my direction. I fully understood he was blaming me since I had requested him not to kill anyone, so he had to hold back. The fact that he had yet to draw his sword once more danced through my head, and I shuddered again at the thought of Taryn using an actual weapon. Before the fight could escalate I stepped forward, drawing the attention of both the legionnaire and Taryn.

"Leave us alone and we won't cause any more trouble, fall over and pretend you were knocked out," I offered to the legionnaire, as I focused on returning the Shatterblade to a dormant state. "In the name of General Sciroco, I do swear this."

The legionnaire, who looked ready to give his life in order to stop Taryn, paused at that sentence. He straightened his back, then winced as pain radiated out from the injured stomach. "So you know the Rock?"

I sighed in relief, if it had been someone who didn't know Sciroco I most likely could not have stopped the fight. "Yes, he was one of the men who trained me before he became a general," I told the man. I flashed a smile at him, then bowed ever so slightly. "I apologize for our actions, but my companion had no wish to watch a child get whipped to death."

The legionnaire did not even hear those last words, he only heard the first part of what I had said. The soldiers eyes darted over my face, my hair and every other part of me as though comparing against some mental image. His eyes widened slowly in recognition, I could almost feel the fear he felt at that moment. With a clatter of half-broken armor he knelt down on both knees, placed his knuckles against the ground and bowed his head. "I did not know you were the daughter. My apologies for my insolence and please ask your father for my forgiveness," he murmured in a submissive tone.

That right there was why I never talked to people about who I am. I gave a sad shake of my head, then started to walk down the path to the right. After a few steps I turned, glancing back at Taryn who had taken on a confused look, and put my free hand on my hip. "Coming?" I asked, before I turned without awaiting a response and continued on. My occupied arm tightened about the young slave girl, one who I hoped would not become even more of a problem in the near future.

Taryn shook his confusion off and skirted past the kneeling legionnaire, before he followed after me. I could already hear the questions coming and had begun to think of ways to avoid answering them.

♪ ♫ ♬ ♫ ♪

During the middle of the night Taryn and I rested on top of a flat roof, looking down on the western gate of the town of Vicna. I had acquired a cloth and some water along with a bucket and had worked on cleaning myself and the slave girl off. "Wumi," I murmured to her as I worked carefully on her wounds and scar marks. "I'm sorry I didn't stop that man from hitting you."

Wumi had curled up defensively, she always seemed to be in that sort of state naturally. If one counted the amount of scars on her body it took little imagination to understand why she had that habit. She looked up at me, then winced as I touched a sore spot. No words came from her mouth, most likely she had beaten even worse if she had made any sound when whipped.

"She'll be like that for a while," Taryn called out from off to the side. He was out of the line of sight, due to my urgent commands that he do so before I disrobed. I had placed him on guard duty and so he sat near the edge of the roof with some bread and cheese in his hands. Where he had gained the food I did not know, nor did I ask. "They're always like that at first."

That mysterious way of talking again, it grated on my nerves. I finished cleaning off Wumi, a name that Taryn said meant 'Gentle One', and helped her into some clean clothes. They had been stealthily acquired by less than legal means, though the owners would not notice their disappearance for at least a few days.

I felt infinitely better, while it wasn't an actual soak the act of wiping off the dirt and dried blood I had accumulated was wonderful. Not only that but I no longer smelled, and as I walked out from our little corner of the roof I twirled around happily. I inhaled the air with the rich scents that cascaded together, it smelled glorious and there was a hint of a type of flower interlaced with fruits and even cooked bread.

"A wonderful night!" I declared, more for myself than anyone else. Wumi stepped out after me, though her steps were quiet and cautious. Her body was hunched over with arms close to her chest, and a worried expression on her face. She kept a slight distance from me and carefully edged over toward Taryn. When she got close she tugged at his sleeve, which he reacted to by gently patting her on the head.

"Don't worry, tomorrow we leave," he told her. It was odd to see him when he cared for the little girl, an infinitely softer look that made him seem almost fatherly.

A cloud on the northern horizon could barely be seen, crows or something. I squinted at the shadowy mass, then shrugged as it mattered little to me. Instead I chose to sprawl out against the ground, my eyes turned skyward. When I looked straight up the skies were blissfully clear and every star glistened brightly. No matter where I went in the world those stars were always there, always waiting to be viewed by me.

As I watched the stars sparkle I slowly fell asleep.

♪ ♫ ♬ ♫ ♪

Wumi poked me in the cheek with a soft touch, so gentle it was almost pleasant. Then she poked me a few more times, and I woke up and glanced at her. "What?" I asked, attempting to sound gentle even though I was aggravated. I had wanted to sleep longer.

She responded by backing away even as she lifted one hand and pointed at Taryn. The black garbed man with silver hair and green eyes had stood up and started to adjust his clothes. At some point during our journey he had completely given up on the bow and arrows, though I suspected it was due to using them as a front to hide his strength.

He had a single weapon at that time, a mysterious sword he had yet to draw. His clothes completely covered his body save for his neck and face, all of the fights had yet to put a single blemish on them. He saw me awaken, and nodded toward me before speaking in that irritatingly calm voice. "Sun is up, time to move out. I signaled Shorty to meet us outside the gate, we'll have to jump it due to Wumi. We don't have much time."

I struggled to take all that information in even as I thought to argue, then realized that he was completely right. Any slave wearing a collar had to have papers, and the collar itself was a device that required a magical tool to remove. I stood up and scanned the rooftop, noting no differences from the previous night. "Wait...jump it? And what do you mean we don't have time?"

"Contingency plan," he said, as though that would explain everything, before he picked up Wumi with his left arm and carefully held her against his body. He moved toward me before he rudely scooped me up. "We needed to make sure the Merchants friends would be too busy to follow us when we left."

The bell tower sounded.

A chill ran down my back, at the sound I felt goosebumps and my mouth went dry. I could feel my pulse quicken as my eyes went wide, and I looked in the direction of the bell tower. The purple flag was waved toward the north. It was a situation I had only witnessed once before.

Without waiting for me to talk Taryn charged across the rooftop, and then leapt off of it toward the twenty foot tall wall. He landed on it, loudly as wood beneath his feet cracked, and then leapt off of it again toward the western area outside of the town. Before we hit the ground I had a glimpse of panicked guardsmen running around, some yelled at us to stop.

Shorty and Skara were nearby, their wagon was parked on the outside of the town and Skara was shouting to us. Their words didn't matter, all I could hear was the bell tower. Even Wumi knew what it meant, a noise so terrifying to the normal person that she had begun to cry. There was only one time the bell tower would ever be used.

The Plague had come to Vicna.