Cas balanced the sheathed sword sloppily in his hands, feeling the weight of it. It was deceptively heavy for such a basic looking sword, especially noticeable since the hilt and sheath were made completely out of a light coloured wood. Taking a second to stare at his reflection in the blade, Cas sheathed it once more, noticing how it looked like a basic, if smooth, plank of wood when sheathed.

The blade itself followed the lead of the sheath, being as basic as possible, and was just over an inch in width, extending to a length of just over 70 centimetres. The blade was one sided and had no curve, just a single medium-sized straight blade, whose bladed side curved slightly to a point at the end.

Cas felt overjoyed with his haul, settling the sword carefully into his waistband, parading himself around like a knight returning from a victorious battle.

Swaggering around the village, his sword swung to and fro, making it hard to miss even if you were trying.

Heh, yeah, I've got a sword.

The village people shot him congratulatory gazes the first time around, but when he had looped around the village seven times they couldn't even find it within themselves to humour his posturing any more, hoping instead that if they ignored him he would stop. Just as Cas was about to make his eighth trip around the village however he tripped rather spectacularly and found himself face planting unceremoniously onto the cobblestone pavement.

"...Fate makes a fool of us all."

Cassius mumbled dejectedly into the rough cobblestone, trying his utmost to sound wise.

"Mubl... Bbbl... Rbba..." A voice interrupted Cassius' contemplating, and he turned to look at the newcomer, his face darkening when he saw the man.

A homeless geezer was staring Cassius down, his dirty and sandalled foot extended out to where Cas had tripped, toes wiggling, somehow mockingly so. The haggard gentleman locked gazes with Cassius, all the while downing a gourd of, what one could only assume was bottom of the barrel, swill alcohol.

"You did this?"

Cassius queried, trying his best to sound intimidating, though the fact he was laid spread eagle across the ground betrayed his posturing.

"Mbbl babbl hrrel."

Cas was the only one in the village who could understand the drunken beggars ramblings.

"Be careful? I could hurt someone with that? Hurt someone with wha-"

The old man used his hand not currently occupied to remove a sheathed straight sword from within the chest region of his tattered garments.

That looks rather similar to my- Aaaand that's my sword...

"Look... friend."

Cas struggled, gradually managing to right himself from his fallen state, standing upright and patting the dirt from himself.

"The sword is sheathed, how can I hurt anyone? So if you'll just-" Cas reached for the sword but the hand holding it moved it just slightly out of his way.

A temper tic betrayed Cas' fake smile, and he briefly debated jumping the old man outright.

"Right, I've learned my lesson so-"

Another failed grab.

"Give!"

fail.

"It!"

fail.

"back!"

fail.

"Fine!"

Cas stepped backwards, his chest heaving with rage.

"You asked for this old man!"

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"

Cas grabbed for the sword, his hands blurring in his eyes. Each grab countered by the old man moving the sword just slightly out of his way, infuriating Cas even further. Hitting the ground with a thud, Cas could only power through with pure willpower, his meagre stamina long since depleted.

"Ya really gonna head for The Beginnings with these skills?"

The old man seemed to sober up out of his stupor for a brief moment.

"Oi! I was hand picked by Princess Janiel wouldn't you know."

Cas stood straight and proud, chest sticking out and only slightly heaving from exhaustion.

"Hand picked?! Pei! You're a sacrifice kid. All the men in the village drew straws and you came up short! Aint no one want this 'privilege' son. Do you even know why the Royal family makes villages produce a bodyguard when their scions travel to The Morrow?"

"... For wealth, glory and victory?"

"Wealth, glory and victory... Are you mentally damaged kid? They just want more disposable bodies to protect their own. You're less than a street rat in their eyes, best believe it."

"Yeah... Well... I drew the straw, didn't I? What else can I do but go along with it?"

"You weren't even supposed to have a choice you damn runt! You put your straw in there when the chief gave you specific permission not to... What are we gonna do with you, eh?"

Cas' posturing deflated at the old beggar's words.

"You gotta understand kid. It costs the Jannifer family an arm and a leg to invite as many guards as they do. The low-born guards that they recruit en-masse for every trip? They got a less than 50% survival rate. They reckon if they throw enough bodies at it, their kin will move onto The Morrow safely. You need to protect yourself first and foremost Cas. The Royal family cares naught for you, why should you care any for them?"

The old man pushed the sheathed sword into Cassius' grip, just in time to hear the click clack of horse hooves approaching from the distance. Sharing a worried glance at the old beggar, Cas darted off towards the town square, rounding the corner to see a majority of the village gathered. Pushing his way through the crowd, Cas dipped under the arm of a fat butcher only to come face to face with a grand sight. A ruby-encrusted all-gold horse-drawn carriage sat before him.

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A large man parted from the numerous professional looking guards that surrounded the carriage in tight formation. He moved towards the front of the gathered villagers, unfurling a large scroll before them.

"Village of Lutewidge, by order of Her Majesty Queen Fenrir Jannifer, send forth your offering."

Giddy with anticipation, Cas pushed himself outside the circle of villagers, almost tripping over his own feet in the process. The villagers looked towards him with pitying gazes, but none moved to see him off.

"Cassius here, but you can just call me Cas. Reporting for duty!"

The aging royal guard looked Cas over, head to toe, clearly not overjoyed with what he was seeing. The guard started to speak but before he got a word out, closed his eyes and sighed into his hand.

"Very well. Cassius of Lutewidge, join formation."

Onward! To victory, wealth and glory! Cas puffed his chest, enjoying the attention from the villagers, and made his way towards the grand carriage he would soon call his resplendent transport. Unfortunately when he got close, the royal guard held out his hand, pushing Cas back. His butt hitting the floor, Cas' confused face looked up towards the guards, who's weapons were half way out of their sheath, every single one of them staring at Cas in angered confusion.

"You... Are you dense? Get your ass back with the others."

The guard pointed harshly towards the back of the retinue, his scowl deepening even further from when he had evaluated him. There was a group of nearly twenty civilians pilled together in a weak formation, standing off behind where the swarm of royal guards stood. Each of them seemed not much different from the villagers you would find ambling around Lutewidge, they stood without any semblance of armour, and one short man didn't even possess a weapon of any sort.

Chuckling weakly in response to the guard, Cas took his place with the group, noticing that his attempts at starting conversation were met with muted apathy, each of the civilians in his group nervous to the point of tears.

Well. Cas guessed it could be worse.... Right?

******

Janiel sat, enjoying the tea her guards had brewed her, Rati and Gifu waiting on her hand and foot. The area they had stopped in seemed to be the town square of one of the numerous villages and towns they had stopped off in on the way to The Beinnings. Personally, Janiel didn't understand why her family had to go through the rigmarole and expenses involved in procuring so many peasants and paying their due through The beginnings, but her head guard Rati had assured her that the trials they would encounter on the way to The Morrow would often require sacrifices, and who else better to sacrifice than a nobody from a no-name village?

Of course, she understood that all too well, but it didn't mean she was happy with them parading her esteemed self around these filthy villages just to recruit these serfs. She'd be more than happy to wait at the portal until her guards had accrued these sacrifices, but alas, her mother had chastised her, telling her that "It's important for us Royals to show ourselves every once in a while, our presence calms the normal folk." Psht...

Janiel enjoyed Rati and Gifu going wide eyed at her impromptu impression of the Queen, only calming down once they made sure no one was in hearing distance.

"Missus, you are not so much above reproach that you can mock the Queen, yes? Scions have died for less, no?"

Rati reminded her, hands clasped over each other and eyes curved in forced glee. Still treating her like a newborn calf. His half-rat ears flattened against the top of the mop he called a hairstyle.

"I didn't realise I was in untrustworthy company. Would you prefer I act as if you are someone I need to keep secrets from, Rati?"

Janiel almost let her expression waver, she didn't need to be that harsh towards him, he was only doing his job of course, but she had been travelling all day, and the frustration of waiting had finally caught up with her.

"My apologies missus, it is my fault that I am not powerful enough to assure our privacy, yes?"

Janiel scoffed, parting her attention from the half-rat, no longer bothered about upsetting him. Looking outside of the one-way curtains of her carriage, she saw a half-wolf boy part from the crowd, meeting the Caller of her guards.

"Cassius here, but you can just call me Cas. Reporting for duty!"

'You can call me Cas'... Janiel stared down her personal guards, daring them to mention the giggle she had only just barely managed to contain. Rati sat with his trademark smile, and Gifu remained expressionless, never one to speak, or even move, out of turn.

The boy nodded towards her Caller, and then... Walked towards the carriage? Gifu reached for the hilt of his sword, only to let it go once the Caller knocked the boy on his ass.

"Boy wants to travel in carriage? Doesn't seem bothered about service, yes?"

The half-rat chuckled, perhaps the only one in the kingdom who would speak to princess Janiel like such.

"The line between courage and stupidity is as thin as sword tip."

Gifu spoke up for the first time today, the shout of the coachman starting off once more their journey towards the portal. This what was it... Ludewite? Ludgewit? Regardless, this village was the last of their stops before heading towards the portal, and the anticipation of finally being able to set foot on the journey that would end in victory, wealth and glory for Janiel made her giddy with excitement, she couldn't help herself as she pulled her sword close, staring off out of the window towards the ever present spiralling beam of light that stretched to the sky.

The Morrow awaits.