Princess Iria streaked through the dank and dimly lit stone hallways of Decoa’s decrepit castle. Her rapid footsteps echoed loudly through the corridors as she ducked through crumbling arches and dodged mildewed furniture. She advanced deeper and deeper towards the evil mage’s chambers at the center of the fortress; barely pausing to crush the monsters who tried to stop her.

Iria rounded another corner to find a large group of desperate defenders.

Before her a dozen ogres were crammed together in a narrow passage in an effort to impede her advance. They were armed with simple clubs but wore full sets of ornate black armor. Their protection impeded their movement yet disclosed hardly any potential weak points. Upon seeing her they crouched slightly to further limit her possible attack locations.

Iria flashed a toothy smile at the fear evident in the ogre’s dull eyes and bolted forward. Step after step she increased her speed until her targets could barely keep track of her movements.

Her cloak whipped around her, allowing her armor to twinkle in the torchlight. It was custom made by the finest of craftsmen in the Lorian Kingdom who had worked for nobility for generations. The unusual armor stopped at her shoulders and knees, revealing arms and legs that looked almost as strong as she truly was while allowing her the movement to do feats similar to the one she was about to do.

As she drew closer she shifted her footing and leapt towards the wall, her immense speed keeping her from falling off. The ogres swiveled their heads and separated slightly in response to her unexpected speed.

Exactly as planned.

Finding a solid perch, the princess shot herself into the air above the beasts. She straightened out horizontally and spun through the air between the ogres heads before landing behind them. The ogres twisted around in time to hear her sword click back into its sheath.

The group hobbled a couple steps forward before halting and collapsing. Thick green blood seeped out of the edges of their armor and pooled on the floor. With their final muddled thoughts, the ogres realized the girl had managed to strike at the gaps in their armor when they had their necks turned. She was truly a monster beyond comprehension.

Somewhat bored of fighting weak enemies as well as fighting alone, Iria elected to wait for Laux to return from investigating another path. Iria was anxious to move forward but wanted to avoid getting scolded later for leaving him behind. Plus fighting as a duo with the great Hero was definitely a lot more fun than solo. But if he knew that, he would let it go to his head, she thought as she leaned against the wall to rest.

Some time later the Princess heard Laux enter her hallway. The Hero had removed his helmet and excitement shining in his sage green eyes. He rushed over to Iria to report his findings only to trip rather ungraciously over the ogres on his way there. Twice. Without missing a beat either time, Laux righted himself, picked up his helmet and continued forward.

Iria stifled a laugh and decided to spare him a comment on his falls. Instead she reached up and cleaned a bit of ogre gore from his vermillion hair. “How were the other passages? Did you find anything?”

Acutely aware of the cyan eyes attentively peering at him, Laux stumbled into his report. “No, there wasn’t anything to be found. Well, there was but there really wasn’t - except there kind of was.” He gave an enthusiastic smile as he finished his report only to have it slip away when he saw the Princess’ look of confusion. Laux refocused with a shake of his head and started again.

“The monsters throughout the castle resemble those outside its walls. As such, resistance is minimal. I found a few well furnished rooms which I believe belong to the Sinful Six. Despite the situation, it appears they are currently out on a mission.” He paused his report and leaned against the wall as well.

How strange, thought Iria, Decoa’s prized commanders are all out? The Sinful Six were a group of highly trained soldiers who had defected from the elite first battalion and joined the Dark Mage’s army. She knew their strength individually was almost on par with Laux and herself. Leaving Decoa unguarded with the Lorian army marching towards the castle was foolish.

The situation was unlikely but Laux had never been wrong before with his reports. If what he said was true, their task had just become much easier. Iria and the Hero could now focus solely on finding and eliminating the wicked mage.

The princess noticed that Luax had begun to fidget and was glancing around the room. Was there something he had forgotten to mention? She motioned for him to finish his report.

Laux cleared his throat and continued. “One of the passages I took led down to the basement. It was pretty empty down there as well. The only noticeable thing was a strange tree with purple leaves breaking through the floor.” The Hero thought about the ominous feeling he got from the tree but chalked it up to stress and elation about what else he had found in the basement. I have something more important to tell the Princess - no, Iria - anyway.

He stepped away from the wall and prepared to keep talking. Except now he was cognizant of the bodies around him as well as the state of his armor. In such a dilapidated fortress, fixing the latter issue would be difficult but the former could be solved just by leaving the area.

“Let’s move somewhere else,” Laux suggested, keeping a straight face. Iria, however, caught the slight movement of his eyebrows as he spoke and immediately declined.

“You need to tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing, we just need to move somewhere else for a few minutes.”

“Did you notice something? Is it one of the Six? Is there a trap?” Iria spun around trying to see what could have the Hero so on edge.

No! This isn’t working! Laux lamented as Iria scrutinized the area. Now there was no way to get her to leave. He pondered for a moment about what he should do.

Ah! Good idea!

This would be easy and fast for the great Hero Laux. He got Iria’s attention and gently grabbed her by the shoulders. He lifted her up into the air above his head and placed her so she was facing away from the ogres.

Ah! Bad idea!

Iria’s face donned an incredulous look mixed with anger, confusion, and a variety of other emotions. Her ears were tinged red at being treated like a child. While all of her thoughts were plastered across her face, Laux managed to remain stoic as he cursed himself internally. He had to fix the situation as soon as possible.

Laux reached out, picked her up and put her back to her original position.

“Why did you move me again,” shouted the indignant Princess.

“Sorry!” Laux panicked then picked her up once again and moved her back again.

Instantly he recoiled as a fist sliced downward, barely missing his chin. A large gust of wind crashed into him, forcing him back a step. He raised his hands in surrender and prepared for his punishment.

“Explain” came Iria’s command, fists at the ready if she didn’t like his response.

Laux cautiously reached forward and pushed her hands down. “I’m sorry but I need to finish my report. There are no enemies or traps at the moment but I need to talk to you before we continue. In the basement there was something else other than the tree. We can grab the rest of it when we’re leaving but I was able to grab this.”

He rummaged through a pocket hidden in his armor and pulled out a small item wrapped in fabric. His hands shook as he held it and cold sweat slid down his back. Even fighting four members of the Sinful Six the year prior hadn’t made him feel this way. Swallowing, he pressed on.

Laux unwrapped the object and lifted it. Iria held her breath as she saw what was inside. The torch light shone on the gold colored flecks splashed across the delicate deep blue petals which stretched out in the shape of a star. A sweet scent emanated from it and filled the area. Deep in the bowels of the destroyed fortress, Laux had found an incredibly rare flower: the Amrin. The beautiful plant only grew in magic rich areas and was so difficult to find most people would go their entire lives without seeing it. Laux had found a room filled with the planters containing the flower; a truly extraordinary find for the Lorian Empire’s economy. More important than anything else, however, was that it was Iria’s favorite flower.

Then Laux knelt down on both knees - an ancient Hero's tradition - and presented the flower to Iria. Her eyes widened as he spoke. "I know this part of our journey is not over yet but I can't wait for the next one or the one after that. Your strength and wild heart may scare away some but to me they are just parts of the most compassionate and brave girl in the world. We've known each other since we were children and back then I already knew back then that I wanted to know you and be by your side for the rest of my life. And so for this adventure and the hundreds to follow, would you permit me the honor of asking you to marry me?" The usually carefree Hero bore a serious expression as he offered her both the flower and his future at the same time.

"My father won't approve of this." The Princess spun away from the Hero and covered her face. Laux deflated at her response. He readied an apology when Iria suddenly turned back around. She had tears in her eyes and a poorly hidden smile. She placed one knee on the filthy floor and took his hands. "So that's why we need to finish this and get back to the palace. We will have plenty of time with the continent at peace. Whether it takes five hundred days or five hundred years, we will convince him.

"And when that time finally comes," Iria slowly pulled the flower from his fingers and tucked it behind her ear, "I am sure you will already know my answer." She gently kissed his forehead and pulled him up from the ground. Glowing with joy, the Princess skipped ahead, hand outstretched, primed to end this war and begin the next one with the King. Laux dashed forward and gripped her hand as they ventured deeper.

Dodging traps, conquering ambushes, and tearing down walls, the hunters barged their way through the castle in search of their prey. By the time they reached the door to the mage’s chamber, the building - much like its monstrous inhabitants - was in pieces. Unlike the rest of the castle, the door was made of proper wood and the antechamber before it was lit by pirate laid inside of sconces.

With little fanfare, the Princess and her Hero burst through the door into the chamber beyond. The room was huge, roughly the size of two Katanian amphitheaters, with a ceiling that curved into a dome high above their heads. The walls were lined with colossal bookshelves overflowing with books and vials. In the middle of the room was a desk blanketed in papers hosting illegible handwriting flanked by chests bursting with magical tools and more chunks of pirate. Small glowing orbs slowly bounced around the chamber, illuminating the room.

The room was markedly devoid of people. Most notably: the Dark Mage.

Princess Iria motioned with her hand for them to search the room more thoroughly. The duo crept around the room, careful of any potential traps and rifling through some of the piles. Other than the sheer level of disorder, the chamber seemed normal. After a few minutes of searching they convened at the desk.

“There’s no sign of Decoa still being here,” Iria complained, “The most recent notes on the desk are dated from at least two weeks ago. Maybe he left with the Six.” She leaned on Laux like a deflated waterskin and grumbled, “He was supposed to be here.”

This was another side to the princess that Laux was lucky to see. In publix she always appeared detached but in private she was prone to complaining if things were not exactly how she wanted - especially when it came to fighting strong opponents. Laux offered an explanation to calm her. “Our reports have him here as of less than three days ago. Decoa probably went into hiding when he saw you fighting his troops.”

Iria jumped up to face Laux and put her hands on her hips and let out a giggle. “You're right! He definitely ran away! That stupid mage must fear the First Princess of the Lorian Empire and her trusty companion! We… ” her voice abruptly faded away, her eyes narrowing as she noticed something over Laux’s shoulder.

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Confused, Laux turned around to see one of the bookshelves shaking slightly before swinging outwards. From a small tunnel carved into the wall a man walking backwards appeared. He was soaking wet and naked except for a towel wrapped around his waist. He whistled a simple tune which he swayed lightly to. His thin frame gave an air of agility rather than weakness. Both arms were enveloped in tattoos of magical symbols which connected to similar ones that ran along either side of his spine.

He shot an arm up into the air and spun in place to face the room as his whistling ascended into a crescendo. The strange man froze when he saw the interlopers, increasing the number of confused people in the room by one. His gaze shifted around the room to see if anything had been put out of place. Everything seemed fine until his eyes fell upon the entrance.

“My door!” he shrieked, running over to the ruined entryway. “What is wrong with you people” came his desperate question as he fell to his knees and picked up the scattered pieces of the door. “I just had this installed last week! Do you have any idea how hard it is to teach a slime woodwork? Why did you break it?”

Iria and Laux stood in stunned silence at the pitiful sight before them.

The latter limpy answered, “Uhhhh, well I guess we could have just opened it but that would have kind of ruined the element of surprise...”

Iria lunged between the two men and unsheathed her sword with a flourish. "I am Princess Iria of the Lorian Empire. Sole princess and heir to the throne. Are you Decoa the Dark Mage, human kind's greatest threat?" She kept her blade pointed at the man’s back as she continued. “If you are, stay there and prepare to be executed for your crimes.”

"Sole heir, huh? You seem to say that a lot. So the bastard daughter of the foolish King thinks I don’t know about her little sister?"

“Hey- ” Laux halted at Iria’s raised hand. A strong reaction would just confirm the man’s claims. “I have no sister. I am and always have been the First and only Princess of the Empire and will be its future queen. Now, answer my question: are you Decoa or not? Although I wouldn’t think he would be someone as weak looking as you.”

Slowly pivoting on his foot, the soggy man turned his attention to his interrogators. A wicked smile materialized on his face as he brought himself to full height. Extending his hands to his side he acknowledged the name given to him. “I am indeed Decoa! The scourge of humanity and envy of the gods. Come and kill me if you think you can.”

Immediately, a humming noise began to fill the room as both sides prepared to fight. Muscles tensed and magic symbols began to flicker to life. The air and walls began to vibrate as the amount of magic stored in the room increased sharply. Mortal combat was about to begin with the future of the world hanging in the balance. Iria shifted into the Outerland’s anti-magic stance with her feet at shoulder’s width and her sword held above her head with one arm.

In the instant before Iria could initiate her first move, Laux stepped forward and raised his hand above his head like a student at the Academy. Both Decoa and the Princess glared at him for interrupting the final battle but he was unfazed. There was something important he had to say. If he waited any longer things would definitely get worse for him in the long run.

“Hey Decoa,” Laux asked, “do you think you could put some clothes on?”

The tension in the room fizzled out like a candle and the two others stared at the Hero as if he was either the bravest man in the world or the most stupid.

“How is that even important right now!?” questioned Princess Iria.

“Yeah man, what the hell? You’re killing the mood” added the Dark Mage.

“Shut up” Iria hissed at Decoa. Her attention turned back to her partner. “Look. It doesn't matter how he’s dressed. We’ll fight and win and we just have to take his body back as proof to the King of our success.” She ignored Decoa’s objections to the possibility of him losing.

“That’s great and all but I’m going to be the one carrying his corpse and I don’t want to carry a naked guy all the way back to camp.” Laux directed his next point to the mage himself. “And it is not appropriate to fight a lady like that. Especially not a Princess. I mean, everyone knows you’re evil and the perpetrator of thousands of heinous crimes but do you really want to die looking like a creep?”

Decoa tried his best to come up with a counter argument but could not think of any. While he did not expect to lose in combat he had already been defeated. Crestfallen he trudged back into the hidden tunnel with a promise to return with more clothing.

Laux sighed deeply in relief. He really had no interest in carrying a bare corpse. Even more so, he was glad he had kept his princess from any potential mishaps. Despite being displeased with the fight being postponed, Iria understood his true intention and nodded lightly in thanks.

After a few minutes of anxious waiting the bookshelf swung open once more and out stepped Decoa. He now wore a blood red cape emblazoned with magic symbols and black clouds. It was open at the front and exposed a white tunic with “Decoa” stitched onto it in blue. In a different situation, the outfit would have sent Laux guffawing to the ground. Today, however, the dress made it seem as if the mage was making light of the warriors.

“I’m back - ”

Ignoring the welcome change in appearance, the Princess rocketed towards Decoa. Her strike came down with enough force to shatter rock but was stopped just short by a barrier of air the Dark Mage had summoned. Iria jumped backwards to the far side of the room to analyze the situation. Decoa remained where he stood, a lax look on his face as he too surveyed the room.

Laux was crouched down with his sword pointed out in front of him. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes darkened as he became engrossed in combat. His body was completely frozen and his breathing was almost unnoticeable.

The Princess was grateful he was the one there with her. Now more than ever before, their ability to coordinate in a fight without needing words would be necessary. With one last deep breath she readied herself. She let out a low whistle to initiate the duel and received an immediate response.

Both the Dark Mage and the Hero released their magic simultaneously. Whips of fire shot out of the ground around Laux’s feet and began to lash at Decoa who deflected them with shields made of water and stone. The attacks slammed into each other repeatedly, shaking the ground and filling the room with debris. Stray attacks crashed into walls and bookshelves, wreaking havoc and further limiting visibility.

Iria took advantage of the distraction and bolted around the perimeter of the room. Decoa nodded lightly, causing bricks from the walls to dislodge themselves before reforming into spears and rocketing towards Iria. Her instinct screamed that she would surely die if she took a full hit from a single projectile. She narrowly dodged and weaved between the attacks and slid closer to the mage. Abruptly, the ground at her feet liquified and began to pull her in.

Instead of heading to her directly, Laux ceased his barrage and transferred the flames to his sword. His charcoal-colored blade now glowed blue as the blaze engulfed it. A roar erupted from his throat as he launched himself forward, shattering the ground where he stood. The sword pierced through the shields forcing Decoa to dodge. The distraction gave Iria time to escape the trap and reposition.

The Mage pranced in circles as he patted away embers on his cloak. “Don’t mess up my cloak dude. It was a gift from my cousin.” He ducked a swing from the Hero’s sword. “Stop talking while you fight then,” Laux spat. Decoa placed a hand to Laux’s chest and sent him flying with a gust of wind. “See? That’s what’s wrong with you heroes and nobility. You are waaay too stiff all the time. This world has so many rules forced onto it and you chose to place even more on yourselves? That is madness.” He cackled and created icicles which shot towards the Hero.

High above purple lightning arced out of Iria’s boots attaching her to the ceiling. A sound like the rumbling of thunder seeped into the room and more lightning crackled out to envelope her body. The slabs under her feet seemed to undulate with the force in the area. Plunging her sword through a beam she sent large chunks crashing down. “Rules are meant to keep the peace of the world. Without them we would have nothing but the chaos that you espouse!” With a shout she launched downwards toward Decoa, jumping between the falling stones. The tip of her sword plunged into her target with a blinding flash and deafening crack. It was as if though lightning had struck inside the building.

Decoa smirked as he looked up at the Princess through his shield made of ice. Even then he began to sweat a little. She had broken through the first eight layers he had cast. It’s time to end this. Good thing I was thinking about what to say in the shower. “This chaos is the only true freedom in this world. I have rejected the rules those landolent gods imposed on us. The rules and laws of man mean nothing to me now. None of them know of the struggle of the common man. My soldiers and I are free. But above it all, I make my own rules.”

With his final line Decoa’s eye began to glow white and the symbols across his body all began to shine through his clothes. A discharge of raw magic erupted at his feet, launching the Princess against the ceiling and across the chamber where Laux caught her. Streams of all the elements that could be controlled by magic climbed into the air around the Dark Mage. Ice, water, earth, fire, lightning, and the rest collided together with earsplitting booms. They surged together into a three meter wide ball above his head.

Laux desperately searched for a way to escape with the dazed Iria in his arms. He knew there was no way they could withstand the strength of the upcoming attack. Decoa was wielding enough energy to level the entire castle at once and showed no sign of exhaustion.

Just as Laux shifted to flee back into the antechamber he heard fingers snap. A tiny portion of the orb of energy lanced towards him. He shot out a hand and created a barrier of fire hot enough to burn away most materials known to man. The orb crashed against his shield before puncturing through and slamming into him. His armor crumbled and the impact rammed him into the wall.

The pain was indescribable. Half of his vision had gone black, he knew his arms were broken, his back was undoubtedly fractured, and he was sure one of his lungs had been punctured. But that meant nothing at the moment. The flames he had wrapped Iria in dimmed away. She had not taken as much damage as him but her arms and face had burns on them. Even so she looked up at him with gratitude shining in her ocean eyes. Tears welled up in Laux’s in response.

Let’s get you home. He placed her against the wall and turned back to Decoa. His legs shook and his breathing was ragged. The Hero spit out blood that was pouring into his mouth and labored to lift his sword with his shattered arms. “The rest… all at once… you weakling… watch me win this,” he whispered through ragged breaths.

Decoa pondered the broken Hero. “Too bad you never managed to push past the rules which chain you down. At least I can offer you a taste of freedom through death.” The rest of the collected magic arced towards Laux who gathered the last bit of energy he had.

“Twin Flames Ignite,” Laux gasped. The familiar flames flooded out from his hand and onto the blade. With a mighty yell he angled his blade upwards, taking the magic head on. The veins in his arms burst while his feet cracked the stones. His knees gave out and he kept his arms in place. So long as he still had strength, no more harm would come to the woman he loved.

Using the last of his magic Laux deflected the magic upwards. It crashed into the ceiling above and detonated, vaporizing the supports for the room and the castle above it. He was sure he heard Decoa yelling as the fortress began to collapse down on them. There was little chance even the mage would survive something like this after using so much magic. The Hero tried to turn back to Iria to shield her but everything had gone numb. He crumpled to the floor. Above him another chunk of rock came crashing down. At least she can use her speed to get out.

Just before he was crushed, the rock veered course and landed a little ways off. Iria’s face appeared above his as she used her remaining magic to divert the falling rubble. Blood poured across her face from a wound on her head. Laux tried to grab a spare handkerchief to wipe off her face. He knew how much she hated being dirty.

Oh man, I can’t move my arm. Laux knew Iria was too injured to carry him out. He needed to find a way to get her to leave.

“Hey. Hey, you did good,” she whispered, her dusty cheeks streaked with tears, “come on, we need to get out of here. We need to go get my father’s blessing. I’ll make sure he says yes.”

“I’m not sure we got him though,” the Hero mumbled. “The King is kind of scary. You need to tell him just how strong Decoa is.”

“That - that doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about that right now. Just give me a second to think of what to do.”

“You need to leave.”

“NO! You’re not allowed to say that. I forbid it.” Iria choked down a sob. Her magic was running out. They didn’t have much time left. Suddenly a slat slipped past her defenses and threw her to the ground. Laux wanted to scream her name but everything was becoming harder to do. More of his vision began to darken.

Iria scrambled back to her Hero and used the magic she had reserved for escaping into reinforcing the barrier. “But what about our next journey? And the one after that? And the one after that one? You promised that we’d be there together!”

“I told you I was here to protect you. Your life comes first Princess.”

“Don’t call me that. I forbid you from calling me that anymore either.”

“It looks like you may have to go on a few journeys without me. It’s been a while since that last happened, right?”

“But I don’t want to go on an adventure on my own or with anyone else. I wanted it to be you. Us. I want to keep fighting and living by your side forever.” She now allowed herself to properly cry.

“Hey, if you say that kind of thing, it’ll go to my head,” Laux muttered.

Iria laughed softly. “Yeah, I know it will.” She placed her hands on his face which made him grateful that he could still feel the warmth in her hands.

“Hey, Iria?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

Laux felt his consciousness beginning to fade. He was somewhat comforted by the thought of joining his master wherever souls went after death. Although, before that, he had to check on a couple more things.

“Hey, Iria,” he repeated.

“Yes, Laux,” she answered patiently.

“Do you love me?”

“Of course.”

“Also, was your answer going to be yes when I asked you again later or - ”

“Obviously you big dummy,” she proudly answered, smiling down at him from so far away, “anytime and anywhere the answer was always going to be yes.”

Laux nodded slightly. “Thank you.”

With each blink the world got further and further away but Laux kept his eye focused on hers. Rather than a dark world he wished he could sink into the sea that threatened to continue bursting from her eyes. He hated making her cry yet was happy that he was able to protect her in the end. Wherever he was going, he would make sure to remember the face she made, much in the same way he remembered all of the rest of them.

With his final thoughts he remembered an old saying, “For every beginning, an end. For every end, a middle.” He had reached his end but was sure the middle was something even the gods could be proud of.

Then the life of the Great Hero of the Lorian Empire, Laux Venou, dwindled away into the dusk.