The attack came in the night. A time of day when Natalai was at her weakest. The Kingdom of Ilfore was just West of Ellmoore and tensions had grown all over Fenrir as battles raged in the North… Battles that didn’t concern the people of Ellmoore or Ilfore, as far as Natalai knew. Awoken by screaming and fires being set, Natalai rushed to ensure her students safety. Since that fateful day when the sun chose her as its vessel until now, Natalai had trained student after student in her dojo. However, nothing could have prepared them for this.
Ilfore was a peaceful nation and the King never showed ill will to the people of Ellmoore. Not only was this attack sudden, it didn’t quite make sense. Things were not adding up and Natalai wanted to search for answers, but the safety of her people was more important. She checked their rooms and saw them still asleep, so she hollered and screamed for them to get up. To prepare themselves for battle and grab whatever valuables they could.
When Natalai made her way outside she could see the destruction Ilfore brought with them. Catapults hurled rocks into their buildings, most of which had been set ablaze by now, forcing Natalai to watch her own weapon of choice laying waste to everything she held dear. Her dojo was at the Northernmost part of Ellmoore and required you to travel up a few stairs to reach it, so she knew they were the last line of defense when in reality they should have been the first.
As the Ilfore knights approached the dojo, many of Natalai’s students rushed to face them. She joined them in battle. Even if she could not use her fire powers, she was still a formidable foe and easily one of the best hand to hand fighters on all of Fenrir. Unfortunately for her students, the knights of Ilfore were covered in armor from head to toe and it made it difficult for them to land attacks that could harm the knights. This didn’t stop Natalai’s blows from finding their mark though. Each strike, even through armor, had devastating results as Natalai danced through the Ilfore army in front of her.
Despite her best efforts, Natalai’s students soon grew overwhelmed and those fortunate to not lose their lives in the scuffle retreated back into the dojo. Natalai took a few more knights down before following her students inside. She tried to calm them and prevent hysteria, but with their entire city burning in the distance it was hard for her to do so. Soon her students became scattered throughout the dojo as the knights of Ilfore invaded. Natalai pushed through some of her own students and made her way deep inside the dojo. Luckily for her past heroics, Ellmoore gave her the biggest establishment for her and her students. She pushed deeper, occasionally being cut off or stopped by a knight that she quickly disposed of.
Pushing through… Fighting… She made her way to her destination. A golden bird statue said to be the most important item in Ellmoore. It was bestowed to her after she saved Ellmoore from the beasts that ravaged their crops. Standing in front of the statue was one of the knights of Ilfore. This knight was different. His armor was similar to the ones outside, but sticking out of the top of his helmet was a red feather.
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“I wondered how long it would take for you to get here,” said the Knight.
Natalai planted her right foot in front of her and readied herself for battle.
“Is the only language you speak battle?” the Knight scoffed. “Natalai, chosen daughter of the Sun. Natalai, wielder of flames. Natalai, Fury personified… For someone who never leaves Ellmoore you seem to be gathering an awful lot of titles.”
The Knight finally turned to face her and removed his helmet. “Hend Seversen, Knight of Ilfore, Mastermind of Bloodriver. Not as many titles as you, I’m afraid, but mine bear more meaning.”
Before Hend could continue, Natalai shot forward and caught him off guard with an elbow to his chest. The attack forced Hend to fall back into the bird statue. Before it could hit the floor, Natalai grabbed one end and Hend grabbed the other.
“You protect this like you know what it is!” Hend yelled.
It was true, Natalai didn’t know why Ilfore would come for the statue, but she knew her opponent wanted it and that was enough to defend it. She lifted her foot up and caught Hend square in the face, forcing separation then ran for the door. In the next room three knights were waiting for her and she launched herself forward striking down the first knight, then tripped up the second before delivering a flying kick on the third.
Now free once more, Natalai rushed the entrance, but a boulder from a catapult crashed through the front door and Natalai was forced to dodge out of harm’s way. Forced to find another exit, Natalai ran to the room to her right. This was one of the largest rooms in the dojo and the place where Natalai held most of her classes. To her surprise, Hend beat her there and many of his knights stood behind him. Each knight had their sword pointed at the back of the neck of one of her students.
Frozen in her tracks, Natalai raised her arms in surrender. “Take me,” she finally spoke. “Just don’t harm my students.”
Hend laughed. “You’re in no position to bargain, fire girl. That’s not how this works. I’ll be taking you all. The students are just here to make sure you comply without fighting.”
The Knights of Ilfore won that day and Ellmoore was theirs. Natalai faced her first and biggest defeat and let her students down. When they were all taken to Ilfore she thought they would be executed, but the King of Ilfore had other plans. Apparently, Natalai and all of her students had been sold as slaves to the Kingdom of Sabbia. Hend escorted them to a boat that would see them across the sea. He made sure to see Natalai eye to eye one last time. Of course, at night.
Natalai with hands and feet chained together stood at the entrance to the boat ready to deliver them to their new home. She had no idea what awaited her on the sand continent, but she refused to back down from Hend. The Mastermind of Bloodriver went to speak, but Natalai headbutted him, causing his nose to bleed instantly. His knights came to his defense as he backed away from her.
“Pray, Knight of Ilfore. Pray. Every single night. That I never step foot on this continent again, because if I do I will burn Ilfore to the ground with a fury unlike any seen before.”