Kaine groaned in pain as Lara’s magic worked itself into his arm, the sound of bone popping back into place filling his ears as he sat over one of the Treanix’s bodies, entering his newly gained stats as he waited.

{Jor Mungandr}

{Character}

Race: Dark Elf

Total Level: 9

Martial Level: 6

Arcana Level: 3

Crafting Level: 0

Main Faction: None

Reputation: Neutral {All}

Guild: None

Title: {The Reckless}

Racial Title: {First of the Dark Born}

{Equipment}

[Elven Civilian Shirt]

[Elven Vest]

[Elven Shoulder Guards]

[Elven Knee Guards]

[Elven Helmet]

[Bandage Gloves]

[Vine Belt]

[Elven Sabre]

[Elven Civilian Pants]

[Elven Boots]

{Arts}

[Martial Arts]; 6

{3} Neutral Points

-Strength / 10 -

-Agility / 12.50 (10)-

-Dexterity / 13.75 (11)-

-Vitality / 6-

-Perception / 10 (8)-

[Arcane Arts]; 3

-Intelligence / 5-

-Spirit / 5-

-Expertise / 3-

-Sense / 5-

-Aura / 3-

[Crafting Arts]; 0

-Brightsmithing / 0-

-Enchanting / 0-

-Handicraft / 0-

-Leatherworking / 0-

-Blacksmithing / 0-

-Tinkering / 0-

-Alchemy / 0-

-Ritualcraft / 0-

-Herbalism / 0-

-Gathering / 0-

-Mining / 0-

-Woodchopping / 0-

-Hunting / 0-

-Cooking / 0-

-Minstrelcraft / 0-

-Sigilcraft / 0-

“Haha…that healing spell came up useful after all huh?” Jedd mused as she rubbed her fully healed yet still sore shoulder.

“H-Hopefully I w-won’t have to use it t-too much…” Lara added, finished with healing Kaine’s arm.

“Yeah.” Kaine sighed, glancing at the Covenant who waited for them nearby, then Dark as Sinclair chewed him up over his behaviour. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but knowing them well enough, he could very well guess as Dark simply smirked away.

Lightly sighing, his attention was then caught by movement within the darkness in the distance, the Dimlands themselves laying too dark to see into, Kaine figured that his ability to see in the dark was not fully available as he lay surrounded by bright light.

Yet he caught glimpses of movement within it, putting him on edge, as a sensation of danger filled him whenever he looked in its direction.

He couldn’t shrug off this feeling…as if he could sense something inside, watching them, following them. It edged him into standing up, wanting to be gone as far away from here as quickly as possible.

“You all done?” Clayton mused as he lay leaning onto his pole-weapon, “Good, let’s move then.” He said, glancing at the Dimlands himself, his eyes briefly narrowed before he returned to looking ahead.

It didn’t help Kaine’s feeling, although he followed without speaking a word of it.

Continuing their journey through the ravine, Kaine’s mind was at the point of bursting, a headache plaguing him as everything so far only pointed to the worst.

Maybe I should just…

He thought, glancing over at the Dimlands, he doubted anybody could follow him if he decided to go solo.

Between Nova’s insistent master, Dark’s musings, the Crow’s inexperience with the game’s combat, and his own psyche failing him every second step…Kaine was nervous, of what else could go wrong.

Kaine was wary, alert to everything around himself, more so than usual.

Noticing, in his state of vigilance, a group of figures ahead and slowly approaching them.

Kaine paused then.

“It’s back up,” Clayton assured from the back, “Keep moving.” He told them, and Kaine did.

Eyeing the approaching group of what he could now make out as more Covenant soldiers, he also noticed that their own escorts had over time taken to move at the back of the group.

At first, Kaine thought they were just watching everyone’s backs.

“Is the first village close by then?” Roy asked, relieved to take a break.

“No, we’re only half way there, we’ll make things easier on you now though.” Tuck answered, seemingly in his usual grumpy tone.

“So you’ll be taking care of the trash monsters from now on then?” Kaine asked, glancing back at the Covenent, silence dragged on before one of them answered.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.“ Clayton finally said in his usual lazy demeanour, Kaine thought it might have been his imagination, yet Sin obviously had noticed something.

Glancing over to his old comrades, Sin clenching her pole-arm’s staff tightly and eyes narrowing as she gazed at the group ahead, whilst Dark kept watch on their own guides, was all the warning he needed from them.

Something was wrong, Sin knew it and if anything, Kaine trusted her instincts on people above all.

Fuck, now what?

He thought, gazing at the approaching Covenant, there was more of them then there was of Kaine and his comrades now.

We can’t take them on…They’re too many and stronger than us.

He knew they didn’t stand a chance if an actual fight broke out.

He knew he needed to do something…

His eyes moving from crow to crow, his gaze then briefly settled on Jedd, seemingly she as well was growing more anxious as they came closer to the new group.

Maybe we’re just paranoid?

Kaine tried to reason after all they had recently been through, but there was no reason as to why there were that many Covenant approaching them now that they had reached half way.

Then it struck him, there was a reason.

That bastard…he didn’t argue against Covenant guiding us…And even if we had Military guards instead that’s a whole lot more Covenant than Tsarra could probably afford to send!

Realising that they had been set up all along.

And the fighting…We haven’t been moving straight, we’ve been moving closer to the Dimlands! Fuck! They’ve been leading us into the monsters to tire us out!

A cold anxiety then filling him, Kaine breathed in a long silent breath, calming his nerves and mind.

He glanced about once more, Jedd and Roy both were on edge, yet the rest seemed unaware, whilst nearby Dark and Sin seemed ready to jump at their own shadows.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

This situation…

Kaine met Dark’s glance then, and Dark smirked back.

Pausing in his steps, Kaine then turned to him, “You know what?” he mused as he unsheathed both his weapons.

As everyone else paused in their steps then, each Covenant guide clenched their weapons tightly as they focused on him.

“I’m tired of this bullshit,” Kaine said as he stared at Dark, who also unsheathed his own katana. “How about we settle this the only way we know how?” Kaine offered, preparing himself into a stance, he aligned his feet, ready to charge.

“Hah, I was starting to think you’d never ask.” Dark mused, as everyone else looked at them with confusion.

Sin though caught on to their act, but even she couldn’t have foreseen what they did next.

“Six on four, what do you think?” Kaine asked.

“Eh, sounds like they should be fine.” Dark responded, his smirk widening into a grin, “Two on eight though, think you can keep up?” He then asked.

And Kaine smiled, “Only one way to find out.” He said.

“What are you tw-” Velnor began to ask, cut off then, as the both of them turned around.

“Nova! Sick ‘em!” Kaine shouted, and out of his pouch soared out a blazing demon, whipping up into the air before suddenly diving down into Clayton.

Kaine and Dark though rushed off, running at full speed they charged not at the four Covenant who stood with them, but towards the group of eight approaching them.

Sin too engaged then, spinning around as she twirled her naginata, the blade collided with Kla’ris and Velnor’s halberd staffs, completely unexpecting the attack, she knocked both of their weapons aside. “It’s a trap! They set us up!” Sin exclaimed, as her form grew, gaining the features of a Wolf, she then lunged at the disarmed Covenent.

Suddenly met with Tuck as he stepped in, blocking her attack, still that left two enemies down to their side-arms and Clayton swinging wildly at a ravenous demon of flame.

Jedd took her beast form right after, “Sons of bitches, gah! I swear if that moron dies!” She swore, glancing back at Kaine and Dark rushing off, she turned to face Clayton as an aura of crimson engulfed her body. “Crows! Engage!”

“Fuck it,” Farvo shouted, unstrapping his cannon, he took aim at Tuck who lay confronting Sin, deflecting one another’s attacks blow for blow…Until suddenly a blasting sound filled their ears, Tuck’s halberd exploded into splinters right then and there as he tried to block Farvo’s projectile.

Doing little to stop the high velocity stone, it did slow it down enough for him to step aside, hitting him in the shoulder instead of dead centre. The sound of bone cracking as it still hit the soldier though, truly began the fight.

As the four Covenant faced off against the six adventurers, far off, two of them raced towards eight more Elven warriors.

Dark’s form rising as the appearance of a tiger mixed into his human shape, his speed doubled in that moment, rushing forth ahead of Kaine.

Kaine, who’s eyes now shone a vivid green, wide open and revealed as the slits that they were.

Rage filled him, as he clenched his weapons tightly.

As he rushed after Dark, he watched as the Half-tiger reached the prepared Covenants, all eight of them taking a defensive formation with four halberds aim into his path while the other four stood behind them with sword and shield ready.

Expecting a full-frontal assault, they did not know Dark’s fighting style as Kaine knew it.

As the adventurer suddenly jumped, landing mere centimetres from being impaled by the halberd’s points, Dark leapt up into the air three times as high as he just had. Acrobatically soaring over all eight soldiers, he passed his free hand’s thumb across the back of his blade, chanting as he flew.

“Path of Blood; Lacerate!” Dark called out as he then landed behind them, the second line of Covenant trying to quickly turn around, they weren’t fast enough as his Martial Ability activated.

His blade shining a blood red, Dark slashed widely as he turned, sending forth a crimson energy in the shape of a sharp edge through all four of the nearest enemies.

Seemingly passing through them without effect, their eyes could not follow the four quick slashes Dark’s hands produced on each target locked-onto, only a trail of red was visible as all four where then suddenly pushed back and into the halberd wielders.

Distracting them further, Kaine saw his opening right then.

As he grimaced, “Fear the very sound of my voice.” He chanted, and a chill shuddered through each Covenant, as he too leapt into the fray.

Landing over two of the pointed halberds and bringing them down to the ground with his weight, Kaine lunged forth with both weapons, stabbing into two of the Covenant’s chests.

Feeling though his blades being completely deflected by their armour, Kaine leapt away and retreated, as did Dark put several meters between the enemy and himself.

Gazing at the recovering Covenants, Kaine saw not a scratch left on them as they shuffled their formation.

Two halberds and two shields now facing each of them, with the shields up ahead and the halberds behind them and held high, Kaine’s chances of survival worsened as had his grimace.

Their equipment is too damn good.

Kaine thought, having felt its toughness first hand, he could barely see any openings on their bodies for even his smaller blade to penetrate through. Seemingly formed out of plates of metal and a tough leather-like material, minimal space lay between their helmets and chest-plate or it and the shoulder-pads.

“Not a scratch on my part, how you doing?” Dark mused from the other side, as each eyed the other.

“Similarly shit.” Kaine replied.

“Advance, surround and destroy.” Then ordered one of the soldiers, and the entire unit moved as commanded, fully dividing into two groups, each advanced on the two adventurers while spreading out to surround them.

“Oh, just great.” Dark grumbled, “So what’s the plan?” He asked as the both of them now lay encircled.

“Thought you didn’t listen to me anymore.” Kaine mused.

“Clam it, you always have a plan.” Dark added, as the Covenant further enclosed around them.

“Sure,” Kaine said as he spun about, keeping tabs on each approaching foe, he had studied each one closely. “I’ve got a plan.” He said, suddenly rushing forward as he spun, Kaine evaded low and below one halberd’s strike.

“Oh good, cause I don’t fucking wanna die today!” Dark shouted out, also suddenly rushing forth, holding his weapon ready to slash into a shield-wielder. He watched as the Covenant held their shield ready to block.

Lowering his katana, Dark leapt forwards instead of attacking.

Hitting the shield at high speed with his boots, and pushing the Covenant a step back, Dark used him as a spring board to leap right over and land several meters out of the encirclement.

Kaine though was met with blow after blow, as the Halberdier spun her pole-arm about expertly, forcing Kaine to carefully evade with each step he took, before then finally striking back.

Taking a step away, Kaine threw his copper short-sword, disrupting the Covenant’s flow of attacks before suddenly charging into her with his sabre. Aware he couldn’t inflict sufficient harm, Kaine aimed to disarm her as his sabre’s blade stabbed into her main hand.

The gauntlet stopping any actual damage to her flesh yet the blow was strong enough to knock the weapon out of her grip, combined with the spinning motion she had been during in tangent with her other hand, this lost her the weapon for merely a few seconds as it fell to the ground.

But seconds was all Kaine needed, as he dodged away from the second halberdier’s range when they reached him, Kaine too escaped the encirclement. Re-joining Dark as they both now put distance between the still unharmed eight Covenants, Kaine though was now down a weapon.

“Alright, plan, now?” Dark quickly asked as the full unit immediately moved to surround them, briefly glancing at Kaine, Dark caught a just as brief sight of him turning around and dashing off.

“Run.” Kaine said as he did.

“W-What?!” Dark was taken aback, also turning about he easily kept pace with the Elf that was Kaine.

“Their equipment is too good, but it’s also heavy and clunky, they can’t keep up with us!” Kaine mused.

“Run…That’s your fucking plan!?” Dark exclaimed, glancing then at the rest, Sin and the others seemed to be holding their own against the four they had been left with, although the same couldn’t be said about Dark and Kaine as they ran.

“Stop.” Kaine then suddenly said as he just as suddenly stopped, turning around to face the approaching Covenant. Although his intuition proved to be correct, still the sight of each Halberd wielder standing their ground as they aimed their weapons like javelins sent a chill crawling down his spine.

“Are they…” Dark managed to say before the four Elves began their spell casting.

“Combined our weapons form, combined they enclose and hold thy enemies bound! Imprison!” Each of them chanted, and their weapons shone a bright green, as vines and leaves grew out of them.

Each halberdier then threw their halberds, sending them soaring through the air far too easily for Kaine’s liking, as they slightly scattered from one-another and soared into his and Dark’s direction.

“Shit, leap off!” Kaine exclaimed, turning back around once more to run, Dark needed no more of a warning as he dashed off at top speed. Easily escaping out of the halberds’ range.

Kaine though ran as quickly as he could, hearing the whistling of wind behind him as the weapons fell on either side, he rolled forwards just as the wall of branches and vines grew behind him. Rising quickly, he merely gave the wall of green a glance, all too tall for even Dark to jump, Kaine continued to run.

“How the bloody hell did-” Dark began to ask as Kaine reached him.

“Slow and heavy, yet they’re city guards? They’ve got to have some CC capabilities, probably ranged too, I expected something of the sort but that’s…” Kaine mused as he paused for a brief breath, “That’s over-powered. Now keep fucking running.” He added, glancing back momentarily only to see the cage of plant life disappear into the ground and the soldiers regaining their weapons.

Dark held no qualms with this plan now, as he too turned tail and ran, the same chill going up each of their spines as they heard the chant once more. And once again Dark easily evaded it, with Kaine lagging behind him, barely making it out of the imprisoning flora.

As a vine entangled itself around his left foot whilst he leapt away, stumbling him. Kaine rolled to the ground with a painful groan.

“Fucking hell we can’t just keep running! They’re gonna catch at least you!” Dark warned.

“They’re getting used to our speed, you’re right.” Kaine agreed, kicking the living vine away from his leg. “That’s why I’m not running anymore.” He then said, rising up from the ground, he did turn around to face the darkness now behind them.

Dark followed his gaze, “You’ve got to be shitting me.”, as they both stared straight into the Dimlands, and the pitch-black darkness that was the Dark Rim beyond.

Pitch-black, for Darkhour, but barely dim for Kaine as his eyes settled.

Revealing the field of low grass filling the Dimlands, and the jungle of short but thick trees within the Dark Rim.

“I…barely see shit in there.” Dark admitted, “You?”

Kaine grinned widely as the wall of branches behind him began to dissipate, “I’ll be fine.” He told him.

Turning away to give Kaine his back then, Dark eyed three of their group moving off to aid their losing allies against Sin and the rest, “Sorry.” Dark then apologised coldly.

Kaine didn’t ask why, he only chuckled bitterly, knowing the answer as he saw Dark’s morphed legs tense up.

Glancing at the approaching Covenants as the prison of flora fully faded, Dark sighed, “I’m never going to live this one down.” He mused, before suddenly rushing off.

Leaving Kaine alone, Dark took the long path around the Covenant, using his greater speed to rush towards the rest as three more Covenants moved to outnumber them instead.

Kaine glanced back as the remaining unit of five surrounded one side of him, three shields and two halberds, they held him between them and the Dimlands.

“You’re surrounded, surrender.” Spoke what Kaine figured was the officer in command.

Chuckling once more, Kaine returned to face the darkness before him.

“You have nowhere to run, you’re outnumbered and outmatched.” The officer warned further, “Come on boy, don’t make this any harder than it needs to be. You don’t need to die here.”

“No, no I don’t.” Kaine mused, as his grimace widened into a grin. “Yeah, you have the numbers. Yeah, you have the equipment.” Turning around then, each Elf’s eyes widened at the sight of his own, each of them paling too as Kaine’s skin warped to dark.

As his hair faded into dark blue, joined by strands of green.

Revealing his Dark Elf appearance, Kaine then faded into the darkness behind him, “But I’ve got something better.” His voice whispered out, as he blended with the shadows.

The shadows, a familiar space for Kaine, as he watched his enemies turn to confusion.

Here he felt safe, here in the shadows Kaine felt at home.

Part of darkness, escaping the light.

You see what does not, in turn, see you.

Partly light, but embrace the darkness.

Whispering out each part of the chant as it appeared into his view.

Spell {Camouflage} has been learned!

Arcane experience gained 95/300

And if he wanted to survive, Kaine knew.

As he held his breath, feeling his way through his own body with this strange energy called mana, that he somehow controlled.

Light as a feather you tread.

The illusion surrounds you, engulfs you, removes you.

Removed from the sound of reality, this illusion hides you.

Sound now avoiding you, as you avoid it, as you become silence.

Kaine knew as he spoke the next chant.

Spell {Silence} has been learned!

Arcane experience gained 145/300

A shadow himself, he would have to become.