The rain falls.
As they fall, some drops merge, some hit the leaves.
Together, they play a grand orchestra, one of nature, one of purity. Each drop a masterful musician in a carefully constructed symphony written by the most masterful, knowledgeable, and talented of all: the world.
The ensuing cacophony tells tales of life, of death, of peace, of war. The hopes and dreams of every living thing, as well as of the Earth itself, they are all told in this piece, “The Seed of Life”.
After an eternity of relentless play, the piece finally comes to its climax:
...
The rain falls.
As they fall, some drops pass through the gaps between branches, or just trickle down from the leaves, and find a girl, standing alone, in the middle of it all.
Water makes its way down her golden hair; drops fall in quick succession, one after another.
Parallel to them, drops of blood make their way down the dagger in her right hand. They fall at a much slower pace.
The girl stands there, motionless. Her breathing is heavy.
Her blue eyes, vacant.
She sweats heavily; the rain makes it imperceptible.
Trembling, her wounded left hand holds a white, glowing object, with a vaguely crescent shape.
She takes a step toward the light.
...
The rain falls.
“Hey! Get your ass off the ground and bring the booze inside!” One man yelled.
A campfire remains lit in the middle of their camp, though its resistance against the rain was destined to be short-lived.
“This damned rain won’t stop. Where the hell did it come from anyway?”
A tall man with mildly long, curly black hair and brown eyes hurries beneath a canopy tent, seeking lodging from the rain. A cigar rests in his mouth, and in his left hand he holds a longsword, still in its scabbard.
He takes off his soaked leather hat and throws it at the ground.
“Tsk. Damn it all.”
Just beneath him, on the ground, sat a bald old man with a grey beard, holding a liquor bottle.
“From the sky!”
“Can it, you damned geezer.”
The old man burst into obnoxious laughter.
A younger looking man approaches the two, ignoring the rain.
“So what now Tusk? Yer gonna wait the rain or are we goin’?”
“Of course we’re gonna wait.” He takes a puff of his cigar. “Doing it now would only cause more problems.”
“If yer say so.”
The young man tries to go his way, but Tusk stops him.
“Hey. Who’s watching the lady?”
“The miss? But ye told us to stay away from ‘er? Do you want me to go-“
“You fucking idiots. Leave it, I’ll go to her myself.”
He pushes the boy out of the way and heads toward a large wooden shed at the other side of the camp.
“Okay ‘en.”
The old man smiles at him with what teeth he has left and shakes his almost empty bottle of liquor. The young man replies with a nod and an awkward smile.
...
“Come in.”
A man in his late 40s sits by a table, reading from a pile of unorganized papers. He has a quill in his right hand, which he taps metronomically at the table.
The room he’s in is expansive, but mostly empty. A couple of bookshelves, a few chairs and the table. A red flag depicting a green sword surrounded by stars hung on the wall behind him.
The door to the room opens, a slim man, about 30, wearing fancy attire walks in. His skin is very pale, and he wears square glasses. He closes the door behind him, swiftly but gently.
“Pardon my intrusion, sir.”
“What brings you here now?” His voice is deep and raspy.
“I come with a report regarding the matter of the daughter of the Bulwark family, Miss Eilith Bulwark, who was scheduled to arrive here today to meet with your son.”
“So? Anything happened?”
“Yes sir, it would appear the carriage she was being transported in was attacked.”
The man slams his hands down and gets up from his chair, yelling.
“What!? Attacked!?”
“Yes, sir.” The man readjusts his glasses.
“Impossible! What happened to her!?”
Stolen story; please report.
“It would appear she was captured by bandits and is now being held captive near Jade river. They probably plan to demand a ransom for her release.”
“How could this happen? What became of her guards? Surely that arrogant fool would at least have guards to accompany her?”
“Yes, sir, it would seem they were wiped out.”
“Wiped out!? What kind of incompetent fools did he hire to protect his own daughter that got wiped out by some ruffians!?”
“We can’t yet discard the possibility that there is a skilled fighter among them, sir.”
The man sits back down.
“Oh heavens, what will I do once word gets out that the daughter of the Bulwark family got kidnapped by bandits in MY land!?”
“I believe our current priority should be to rescue Miss Eilith, sir.”
“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right.” He lets out a sigh. “Julian.”
“Yes, sir.”
“This is a matter of utmost urgency. Can I entrust you to lead the rescue?”
“Of course, sir. I shall do it.” The change is subtle, but his gaze becomes colder.
“You will be compensated, of course. Take as many men as you see fit. Make sure she comes back unharmed.”
“Yes sir. In that case, I will take with me one of the guards as well as one thousand gold pieces.”
“Then go. You can take the earth-dragons. Get this done with as soon as possible.”
He readjusts his glasses again.
“At once.”
Without another word, he opens the door and leaves.
“After all that effort to get rid of the pests plaguing the forest... Some fucking bandits... Unbelievable.”
His brow furrows even more, his face contorting into one of pure rage.
“They will pay.”
The nobleman taps his quill much faster now.
Down at the armory, Julian is making preparations for the rescue mission.
A large, seven foot tall man approaches him. He wears a breastplate, and has impressive musculature; he looked like he could break the average man in half with his bare hands. It was the chief swordsman of the province.
“Julian!” His voice was extremely deep.
“Chief. A situation has arisen. I will need the assistance of one of your men. It can be any one of them, they won’t require to fight.”
“Hmm. Got it.”
The chief turned to face his soldiers, who were resting and polishing their weapons. He takes a deep breath...
“ZACHARYAH! COME HERE BOY!”
His booming voice rumbled through the air, shaking every man in the room to their very core.
“That was highly unnecessary.” Julian thought. He readjusts his glasses right afterwards.
From the crowd, a boy, very visibly a young teenager, hurried over.
His dark skin resembled of roasted coffee beans, his black hair was messy and unkempt, but his most eye-catching trait was... his eyes. One eye was golden, while the other a faint gray, almost completely white. They shined with determination, having an almost angelic look.
The chief puts his hand on the boy’s shoulder and looks at Julian.
“This is young Zach! He’s fourteen. He’s an aspiring swordsman, and a talented one at that! Don’t let his age deceive you; he’s been training with us for almost two years already!”
Julian looks at the boy, evaluating him.
It’s true, his physique at the very least is remarkable for a boy his age. I’m sure he already possesses some control of Mana.
“I see. And you were thinking he could use the experience?”
“Exactly right! I think everybody deserves to see you in action at least once!”
“Oh please, you know I’m already well past my prime.”
“Hahah, I can’t even imagine how terrifying you would be if that illness didn’t stop you.”
Julian readjusts his glasses.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot it’s a sensitive topic...”
“Don’t worry about it. In any way, I should make myself scarce. Time is of the essence.”
“Alright, see ya’.”
The chief pats the boy on the back and gives him a nudge to follow Julian.
“Follow me, Zacharyah. I’m heading to the treasury.”
Zach begins following him, his eyes brimming with excitement.
“Have they taught you how to ride an earth-dragon yet?”
The boy nods positively.
...
The door to the shed creaks as the man enters it. It’s poorly lit, with just an oil lamp resting nearby, its light reflecting off a variety of armors and swords stored in the shed. The air is damp, and many drops of water fall through the cracks on the roof.
“Hey there, missy.”
Sitting at the other end of the shed is a young-adult woman with short black hair. Her hands and feet are tied with rope.
“Release me at once. Or you will regret it.”
“Whoa there miss, calm down, huh? You’re going to be released, soon enough. It’s just that we need to go ask a little favor of your father, but the rain is putting a stop to that plan right now.”
“Where’s my maid? What did you do to her!? Answer me!”
Tusk grins, his face warping with malice.
“Oh, the one with the blue hair? Wouldn’t you like to know? Perhaps I should show you...”
Despite his taunts, he didn’t have any intention of touching her. Knowing the head of the Bulwarks, if he simply let her go without a scratch for a handsome sum, it was likely the Bulwarks wouldn’t pursue the matter further.
Little did he know, however, he had acquired the wrath of a completely different family. One which wasn’t nearly as merciful.
...
The rain falters.
Julian and Zach quickly approach the campsite, riding the earth-dragons.
They weren’t actual dragons, far from it, just very large reptiles. They were notoriously difficult to tame, and even then, it was much easier to do than with most beasts. This difficulty, combined with the fact they were way too fast and powerful for regular travel, made them a very unusual means of transportation, one only used in rare instances or in battle.
This was one such instance.
Julian carries with him a large sack of coins, presumably the one thousand gold coins he had requested in order to ensure he could get Lady Eilith back safely.
Zach carries with him only his sword, though the intention is for him to not use it.
They ride through the main dirt road, now practically mudlands due to the heavy rain.
They soon cross Jade river, and begin moving parallel to the stream, moving substantially slower to avoid the trees in the way.
In the time it takes them to reach the camp, the rain has stopped completely.
“Would you look at that, the rain’s gone. Not much longer now, miss.” Tusk is sat on a stool in the middle of the shed, now filled with the smell of tobacco from his cigar.
The door to the shed slams open, the sound startling the woman who then looks towards it. Tusk slowly turns his head around to see who it was. It was the young man.
“Boss, there’s a, uh... situation.”
Tusk looks at him in silence. He gestures with his hand for the man to continue speaking.
“There’s these guys, they say they’re here for the lady.” He points at the woman. “They say they have money to get ‘er”
They’re here for her? How did they find us? The Bulwarks couldn’t possibly have received the message yet.
“How much money?”
The young man looks outside of the shed and yells,
“Hey! How much money do they-“
He’s interrupted as Tusk pushes him out of the way and heads over to greet the visitors, unsheathing his sword.
A butler? And a kid? Riding earth-dragons? Who the hell are these guys?
“State your business. Who are you?”
Julian readjusts his glasses. More than a dozen bandits surround them, brandishing their weapons.
“We’re servants of the Saphir family. We come here because one of the daughters of the Bulwark family was scheduled to arrive in our estate, however we have received intel that she was being held captive by the Jade river. I believe this is where she is being held; am I mistaken?”
Saphir family? I knew setting up camp by the river would be a bad idea, damn it.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Tusk grasps the hilt of his sword tightly and throws his cigar to the ground.
“There’s no need for violence. I propose that her freedom be exchanged for the sum I have here.” Julian raises the sack of coins, displaying it clearly. “One thousand gold pieces.”
The camp falls into complete silence.
One thousand!? I planned to ask for half of that! How much money do the Saphirs have!?
Julian gets off the earth-dragon and walks toward Tusk. Uncertainty filled the villain’s eyes. He hands over the coins.
“You can check its contents.”
Reluctantly, Tusk grabs the sack and opens it, lowering his weapons in the process. Julian watches him, with his hands behind his back.
Tusk inspects the coins. He puts his hand inside the bag and deep into it, moving it around, watching as it formed waves. The coins were like a sea of gold.
The offer was legitimate. One thousand gold coins. Tusk couldn’t help but contain his smile.
“You have a deal.”
“Grateful.” Julian narrows his eyes, looking down at the bandit. “Now then, about Miss Eilith.”
“She’s in that shed over there. We wouldn’t dare lay a finger on her, of course.”
“Good. Zach.”
Zach gets off the earth-dragon and heads over to the shed.