The haunting cackles of the bests that had emerged from the portals flooded the air. The sun was blocked by a thick cloud of darkness, casting

an ominous shadow over the landscape. Lorean thrusted her fist in to the air, signaling the village's victory over the centuries long curse that had kept their powers

at bay.The villagers rejoiced as they each cast their own spell, opening new portals and summoning horrifying creatures from exotic and nightmarish dimensions. Elion

stood in the center, too shocked to respond to the events that unfolded before him. His thoughts returned to the man he passed on the way in to the village. Elion had

ignored the man's warning and now it seemed as though the world was doomed. "What have I done?" Elion asked himself, his voice inaudible over the shrieks of the

demonic beings he had played such a vital role in unleashing. He dropped to his knees, gripping large portions of his hair in despair. "What's wrong, champion? Is this

not the result you were hoping for when you came to our aid?" Lorean asked in a mocking tone. Elion ignored her remark, too distraught to even register what she had

said. "You have nothing to fear. So long as you stay out of our way, that is," Lorean said as she turned to open a portal of her own. Just as she was finishing her

spell, a sword slashed through the air, cleaving her arms off. Her cries of agony called for Elion's attention. His gaze was met by the man who's path he had crossed

upon entering the village. "I hope you plan on helping me clean up this mess," he said to Elion, "After all, you're the one who cause it." Elion stood, his legs

shaking violently, "How are we supposed to stop them? I'm just a man from a small tribe. I can't handle this." The man scoffed and turned his back to Elion, "You

defeated a dragon that was powerful enough to hold this power at bay. You're stronger than you think." Without another word, the man rushed off to combat the villagers

and the abominations they had conjured. After a few moments of thought, Elion made his way to the blacksmiths shop. He grabbed a new set of armor as well as a sword

and shield, then made his way to the stranger to assist him in combat. The man turned to Elion, "You handle the villagers, I'll handle the creatures. It won't do us

any good to kill these things unless there's no one around to summon more, but you won't be able to take on the villagers with these things attacking you." With their

plan set, the two parted and began their assault. Elion quickly sought out any villagers he could find, engaging each of them in quick duels. He found their powers

were limited to summoning, for the most part. With the exception of a few particularly powerful villagers, Elion handled them with ease. With the last of them

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defeated, he turned his attention to the beasts that circled overhead. He saw the stranger leaping from creature to creature, slicing his way through as quickly as

possible. He wasn't sure how the man got up there, but he was determined to join the battle. He climbed to the roof of one of the houses and watched for a low flying

demon. Just as he was about to make his move, one of the creatures attacked him from behind, crashing in to him and forcing him through a wall. He had little time to

recover, as the beast continued its attack, slashing rapidly at his shield. He blocked each attack as carefully as he could, biding his time for an opening. It became

clear that the creature wouldn't give him an opening, so he made one, bashing its arm back as it swung and plunging his sword deep in to the demon's chest. Though

victorious, he still had no way to reach the skies. He ran back to the blacksmiths shop and found a bow with several arrows in a quiver nearby. He rushed back outside

and opened fire on the demons above. Archery had never been a strength of his, but his time in exile had helped him hone his skills. Once he learned their flight

patterns, he began consistently hitting the demons, dropping them from the skies. Between his flurry of arrows and the stranger's impressive aerial assault, the demons

were dispatched in little time. The man crashed down a few meters from Elion, his sword impaling the final demon. He drew his sword out and returned it to its scabbard,

then turned to Elion, "Not bad. A little sloppy at first, but you have a knack for combat." Elion dropped his bow and fell to his knees once more, "I suppose. I just

don't know what I'm going to do now. I've lived my whole life with a false purpose. Blindly following a tribe that took advantage of me. When I finally ended that

wretched tribe, I formed my own, but I was foolish in my ambitions and forced them to exile me just as my first tribe had. When I found this village, I thought I had

found my purpose. It seems all I have left to do is wander this strange and unfamiliar world alone." The man offered his hand to Elion, "It doesn't have to be that

way. You can travel with me. At least until you get the swing of things out here." Elion took his hand and stood, looking up at him, "I don't really have any better

options. But before we go anywhere, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Elion." Still holding his hand, the man gave Elion a hardy shake and smiled, "I'm

Alexander. You'll meet my wife soon enough. We're both adventurers, but we often go our separate ways. It keeps things interesting and gives us something to talk about

when we meet up again." Elion smiled and nodded, "Well then, Alexander, lead the way." Alexander whistled loudly and was met with a large horse with several satchels

on its sides. "Don't worry, we'll get you your own horse when we reach the next town. I know the stable owner there. He'll give me a good deal, and you can repay me in

time." With that, Elion and Alexander mounted the horse and rode out of the ruined village. The horse was much faster than Elion could have anticipated. The journey to

the nearest town would have taken him nearly a month on foot, but they arrived in twelve hours, not accounting for rest. Elion looked around the town in wonder. He had

never been anywhere with any technology to speak of. Alexander brought his horse to the stable and struck up a conversation with the owner while Elion toured the town.

He found diners, taverns, inns, and much more. It was almost too much for him to comprehend. Just as he was becoming overwhelmed, Alexander returned to him. "I bought

you a horse and reserved us each a room in the local inn," he said as he handed Elion a small pouch of gold, "Here. This should be plenty enough for you to have some

fun while we're here. Make the most of it. Tomorrow, we're setting out for a town in another province. This is the last bit of civilization you're going to see for a

while." Elion excitedly took the gold and made his way through the town, buying samples of nearly everything they had to offer. He tried various types of food and

drinks, bought a new outfit, and took his horse out of the stable to practice before the sun finally set. He returned to Alexander, exhausted from his small adventure.

"Alright, Elion," Alexander said as they met up, "let's get some sleep. Starting tomorrow, you have a new purpose."