Renzen was in the courtyard that sprawled out alongside the Guild hall. He stretched his legs out in a deep lunge back and forth in the short lush grass. It had been a few weeks since Renzen had a proper fight. Catching the bandits by surprise the night before was the only combat he had seen since his foray into the woods surrounding Tynemouth and Barkroot, and he was eager to test his mettle against an actual combatant. He relied heavily on the mastery he had achieved of his own body to both defend himself and harry his opponents. Renzen favored speed and precision to inflict wounds with his bare hands and feet. His years of martial training had taught him various pressure points and areas of weakness in elven anatomy, and the knowledge transferred nearly entirely to humans. His clothing did little to offer protection, but it was light enough to be practically non-existent, and allowed him a much greater range of motion than any armored foe. If his reflexes failed him, his elven skin was resilient and could deflect smaller blows that might otherwise pierce human skin. His most alien feature, aside from his sharpened ears, were his fingernails. They were polished to a pearlescent sheen, and had a hardness akin to a stone. When combined with his viper-like alacrity, Renzen’s jabs could puncture flesh with ease. He took advantage of his unique natural weaponry when hunting for food. He would chase deer and boars, able to keep pace with their panicked flight with his elven fortitude, before leaping onto them and piercing his hand deep into their chests to stab their heart like an arrow.
The tattoos that adorned his arms forecasted his fighting style. Both limbs were wrapped in striking black ink that painted a coiling viper snaking their way from just above his elbows to his wrists. From there the heads of the vipers opened, dividing the top half of their jaws along the back of Renzen’s hands, with his thumbs depicting the lower jaws. When held at a certain angle, his hard and slightly pointed fingernails appeared to be the wicked fangs of the ersatz serpents. Renzen cracked his knuckles against his palms as he observed Imp exiting the Guild hall. He scoffed at the obscene display of weaponry that decorated her entire body, and called out.
“What, worried a sword alone isn’t enough to beat an unarmed man?”
Imp did not respond to his taunt, but hurried over to join him in the courtyard. A small audience of the other Guild members followed behind her, interested to see how the ensuing skirmish would play out. All but the short ginger-haired man accompanied her and settled in a small crowd to the side. Imp strided to face Renzen and stopped about fifteen feet from the elf. She tilted her head and gave a small pout.
“I thought you said you’d have one arm tied behind your back?”
Renzen’s eyebrows met in a look of equal surprise and bewilderment.
“Unless you’re worried one arm alone isn’t enough to beat a woman?” Imp winked, satisfied with her retort.
Renzen’s pride would not let him back down from the challenge. He pulled at the corded rope belt that helped fasten his pants, and using a swift chop from his hand as a makeshift knife, severed a length of the rope. The belt had plenty of slack to give, as it was fashioned with two decorative loops that served no practical purpose. After adjusting the belt to account for the newly abesnet material, Renzen looped the loose section around the back half of his belt. With surprising dexterity, he shackled his left wrist to that small of his back.
“Happy?” Renzen spoke and flung his free arm in an exaggerated shrug.
Imp lowered her head and smiled, but her eyes never left the lock of Renzen’s own gaze. Then she reached for the pack of javelins and hurled a short spear toward her quarry in a single motion. Renzen was alarmed with the speed at which she had loosed the javelin. It had nearly reached his leg before he processed the attack and leapt out of the path. The spear embedded itself into the soft soil, the sharpened head completely vanished beneath the grass.
“You’re really trying to hurt, aren’t you?”
“I trusted you wouldn’t just sit there and take it.” Imp replied, advancing toward Renzen and tossing the handaxe from her belt up into her hand.
Renzen gritted his teeth and lowered his body into a more aerodynamic stance. A burst of speed sent him barreling toward Imp, right arm braced in front of his face, prepared to tackle her to the ground. Just before his charge reached her, Imp buckled her knees and dropped backward lying flat on her back. The unexpected maneuver was a success, and Renzen had already launched himself completely over her flattened body. Their faces met for a split second as Renzen’s momentum carried him. Imp wore a devilish grin and swung her handaxe. The head of the axe clipped Renzen’s left leg as he toppled past Imp. A chorus of gasps were emitted from the small crowd that observed their contest. Renzen tucked his body into a tight roll, and he was able to readjust his positioning to face the woman as he landed. His ankle stung. He glanced down to assess his wound and observed a small gash that began to trickle blood.
“Are they really going to draw blood? Shouldn’t you stop them?” The blonde haired man said to Bayin.
“This is dangerous work we’ve consigned ourselves to, Ladd.” Bayin replied, not turning his face away from the fight. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they don’t maim themselves. But one must not be afraid of danger. All good training is going to require pain and effort.”
Ladd frowned and continued to observe the warring duo, but a clear look of dissatisfaction shone on his face.
Imp twisted her torso so that she lay on her stomach, but kept her eyes on Renzen, who maintained his pose low to the ground supported by his hand. Infuriated that she had landed the first blow, and a good one at that, Renzen pounded is fist into the soil. He searched his brain for his next tactic. The delighted smile that Imp wore at all times tugged at his concentration. It unnerved his resolve and made it difficult to focus. He shook his head then started a dash at the prone woman. After a few steps he stamped his foot into the earth and made a vertical leap. He reeled in his long limbs and flipped through the air in a tight ball. When he was directly above Imp, he contorted his body in a strange series of movements that seemed to miraculously redirect all of his momentum. Instead of launching himself over the woman yet again, he instead darted directly down, his heel leading the meteoric descent. Imp responded by stabbing her fingers into the dirt beneath her and heaving herself forward. Renzen watched as it appeared almost as if she was swimming through the earth, her body gliding across the courtyard just enough to clear herself of Renzen’s accelerated divekick. His foot impacted the earth and sent loose soil skyward in a cloud of dust. After narrowly dodging the attack, Imp rose to her feet. She hadn’t even turned back to face him before already drawing her sword and arching her blade in a slash that tore across Renzen’s right shoulder as she finished her pirouette to face him. Renzen grimaced and instinctively raised his arm to inspect the wound. Only his fingers were able to reach the slash, but he could feel that it was three inches across, though thankfully not terribly deep. He unleashed a snort of anger before dropping into a crouch and sweeping his leg wide.
The attack was swift, and Imp could not react in time. Her legs were thrown out from under her. She yelped as she inverted her sword and stabbed it into the ground to steady herself. Renzen had already begun to follow through with his next assault before Imp could halt her fall. A knee careened toward her chest and crashed against her sternum, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying back a good five feet. Her sword remained half entombed in the earth near Renzen as he returned to his ready stance and prepared to press his assault. Imp was able to study and determine his plan of attack as he closed the distance. Imp took a large breath to refill her lungs with the air that Renzen’s knee had stolen and grasped the neck of the halberd on her back with her right hand. Renzen anticipated a stabbing forward lunge, and broke to the side as he approached the seated woman. Imp’s feint proved successful. Her left hand had unsheathed one of the daggers along her boots and she was able to quickly bury it directly into Renzen’s right calf as it landed next to her. Renzen let out a pained scream and stood above her, stunned by the attack. Imp took advantage of the placement, and delivered a brutal uppercut between Renzen’s legs. The crowd of Guild members let out a combined groan of empathetic pain. Renzen’s vision flashed with blurs of color as the pain from the combined blows harried his senses. Had it not been for his extensive training and discipline, he would have collapsed and ceded there. However, Renzen was able to overcome the pain with mantras that he repeated in his mind, transforming the torrent of pain into a sea of anger that could be wielded against his opponent. He redirected his thoughts and focused the surge of anguish into a brilliant burst of energy. With the newfound clarity that the redirected pain granted him, he looked down at Imp. He grabbed her by the hair and wrenched her body to the side, flinging it across the courtyard in an impressive show of strength and ripping out a few of her wavy black locks. As her body spun out across the field, Renzen lifted his right calf, balancing on his left with no apparent effort. Gritting his teeth, he removed the dagger that was sheathed in his taught muscle. A fountain of blood sprang forth from the wound for a second before Renzen flung the dagger aside and dug his fingers into the open canyon left by the blade.
“You have to stop this, this is going too far!” Ladd entreated Bayin yet again. “He is going to bleed out!”
“Elves are hardier than you and I, and much more so than typical humans. You should not underestimate them, especially those hailing from Zenorsthalla.”
Kelek’s ears perked up at the wizard’s reply. He hadn’t heard that name before, and was curious where it could be. And was Bayin implying that he, and Ladd for that matter, were something beyond normal humans?
The crowd watched in awe as Renzen removed his hand from his wound and no more blood gushed from the site.
Was he a Harnesser too? Kelek thought to himself. Did he heal himself with magic?
Renzen placed his foot back on the ground. Blood dripped from his fingers, but the gash in his leg remained dry. His left ankle still dripped from the axewound, but it was not severe enough for him to bother treating. Imp rubbed the back of her head, rising from her scrambled position on the ground.
“I’ve figured out your tricks, woman.” Renzen called to her from across the courtyard.
“You wait for your opponent to make their move, and respond with a tailored counterattack. You’re a skilled fighter, I’ll give you that.”
Imp chuckled to herself and called back to Renzen.
“At least it didn’t take you too long to realize that you shouldn’t just mindlessly flail at me.”
She drew her bow and clutched three arrows in the fingers of her right hand. To Renzen’s surprise she made the first move. Instead of firing directly at him, Imp quickly shot two of the arrows into the sky. Her movements were fast, but by no means impossible to follow, yet Renzen couldn’t track where she shot the third arrow. His question was answered as it sped toward him. He barely jerked back in time to keep the arrow from finding its mark in his shoulder. The fletching slid along the slice that was left from her sword, causing a great sting of pain that Renzen had to redirect in his mind. It occurred to him that the first arrow was a distraction. It forced him to look upward as her second arrow was shot toward him and the third launched in the sky again to maintain the distraction. He smirked at the cleverness of her trick. Renzen bounded across the field with the grace of a gazelle. At his final leap, he extended his foot in a jumping kick toward Imp’s face. She ducked to avoid the impact, as Renzen expected.
With a similar incomprehensible twist in his body from earlier, Renzen altered his trajectory and landed lightly upon Imp’s back. Careful not to cut his bare feet on the blade of the halberd, he pushed himself off of her and spun around to crash his elbow into the side of her skull. Imp was thrown to the side from the force of the impact and struggled to maintain her balance. Her jaw was crooked, and the taste of blood began to fill her mouth. Despite her pain, she continued to regard Renzen with a wry smile, and glanced toward the sky. Renzen shot her a confused look, before following her gaze upward. The skybound arrows were not merely a distraction. A sickening squelch sounded as one of the missiles fell and planted itself deep within Renzen’s left shoulder. Both of his arms were growing numb from the excursion, and he could feel the intruding arrow limiting his range of movement. The second arrow must’ve been launched with a differing velocity, as it had barely crested its parabola. As he looked back down he saw that Imp had already unsheathed her halberd and was charging toward him, ready to stab. Thanks to the difference in size, he was able to reach past the head of the weapon and grasp the neck. He pulled the polearm forward, continuing its momentum and pulling his knees to his chest in a jump. Rotating his body backward and still grasping the halberd, he planted both of his feet against Imp’s chest and launched himself away. Imp could not contest the sheer strength of the elf and had to relinquish the halberd, lest her arm be pulled from her torso along with the weapon. Pain mounted in her chest that was already sore from his earlier knee strike and she recoiled backward. Renzen dropped the disarmed weapon to the ground and sprinted toward the staggering woman. With surgical precision he struck at each of her leg joints with alternating kicks, forcing her to topple forward. As she did, he whipped his body back and raked his hard nails across her face as flung his arm upward. Then he reached down along her back and gripped the top of leather trousers before she completed her fall and flung himself across her back. He twisted around her in a curious dance and the crowd let out a gasp as his goal was revealed. The final arrow was falling at a fearsome speed and Renzen positioned himself across Imp’s back so that his bound hand rested directly in its path. Just as the lethal splinter was set to pierce Imp’s back, Renzen’s shackle fist clenched around its haft, completely halting its course. Placing his thumb and forefingers around the length of the arrow, he then snapped it in half to punctuate his impressive feat.
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A smile flashed on Renzen’s face, followed by eyes that grew wide and a sharp breath inward. As his body was resting on the back of a kneeling Imp, the small gathering of spectators was unable to see the cause of his fright. Then it became clear to them. Imp’s right arm was raised across her chest and twisted back toward the elf. Blood trickled down her forearm, a vibrant crimson against the faded black leather. A wet smack of sound escaped as she removed the dagger and stabbed yet again. The strikes were effective, as they tore through Renzen’s kidney. His face grew sallow and he could do nothing but gasp as Imp continued her stabbing for a third time. Kelek observed in horror as his new friend was being mutilated.
“Alright, that’s enough.” Bayin said loudly with a stern tone that sent a shiver down Kelek’s spine.
Imp did not heed him. She let out a scream of anger that contrasted the cheerful demeanor she held the entire battle til now. Blood began to seep from the four scars that Renzen gouged into her face. She stabbed him a fourth time, this time twisting the knife with a hard clockwise turn.
“I said enough!” Bayin’s voice shouted so loud, Kelek was sure the rest of Tynemouth might be able to hear it. He slammed the butt of his staff into the dirt and the sapphire mounted in its head unleashed a brilliant gleam. Color seemed to drain from the world, and the sound of wind and birds that acted as the background for the skirmish could no longer be heard. Kelek could not move his eyes. His gaze was fixed where it had been just as the wizard cast his spell. He could only see Renzen, twisted in a pose across Imp’s back. The vivid green of the courtyard’s grass had been replaced with a lifeless gray, and even the vigorous hues of Renzen’s blood shared the dull alabaster color. Bayin seemed unaffected by the curious magical display. He strode toward the belligerent pair, robes as bright and blue as they were normally observed. The head of his staff continued to generate a pulsing aura of magical energy. Kelek could see the sage shake his head in disapproval as he lowered the tip of his staff toward the tangle of bodies. Another blinding flash of light emitted from his staff’s gemstone, and the bodies of Imp and Renzen disappeared. Bayin supported himself on his staff as he seemed to stumble slightly before color began to rush back into the landscape. Kelek blinked and tasted copper on his tongue as he readjusted. Ladd ran toward Bayin.
“You doddering old fool, you should have done that before they almost killed each other!”
“Mind your tongue boy.” The wizard replied weakly. Bayin began to falter before bending over. Kelek feared he might fall, but the wizard instead allowed Ladd to support him and walk him toward the Guild entrance. Kelek rushed over to help but Ladd stopped him.
“He is my grandfather, I’ll take care of him. He’ll be fine, he just overexerted himself. Go join Festus in the hall.” Ladd walked slowly with Bayin to the entrance.
Kelek joined Dmitri and Renault as they entered the Guild.
“Well, do you reckon that’s a win for the lady then?” The bandana wearing man asked Kelek. “I’ll be honest, I entirely expected the elf to win. Not saying a woman can’t be an effective fighter mind you. Just- I mean he’s an elf!” The man had a cynical bite to his tone that reminded him of Renzen’s manner of speech. Kelek replied.
“I guess if Bayin hadn’t stepped in she probably would’ve killed him, aye. I’m just hoping they’re alright. What did he do to them?”
“Ahh, I wouldn’t worry about that. Old ocean robes wouldn’t let one his charges die on their first day. That’d look bad. It’s not the first time he’s had to whip out that trick, nor the first time on Imp.”
“Really? What happened?”
“Mind you I wasn’t there, so don’t take my word as gospel. But way I heard it, she was out scouting some flooded ruin when she got jumped by a gator.”
“Gator?”
“Aye, lizardman or what have you. Scaly bastards what love gnawing on human bones. Anyways, she and Bayin were checking out the area when this big brute jumped outta the water and snapped her up his jaws. Way she told it, the beast chomped her leg clean off afore Bayin managed to stop time. Cut the trip right short that did. Old man patched her up and they turned around back here. So don’t go worrying about your elf buddy, he’ll be fine.”
Kelek was astounded by the information he just heard. The fact that Bayin was capable of not only healing mortal wounds, but stopping time whenever he desired, was so outlandish that Kelek could barely comprehend it.
“How long ago was this?” Kelek asked. “I thought this branch only opened just under a month ago.”
“Aye, right you are. Imp was the first applicant. Wily lass camped out in front of the brickwork until they finally opened the doors.”
The trio reached the bar where the short, ginger-haired man was finishing his second meal. Kelek gleaned his name was Festus from Ladd’s order.
“Pardon me, Festus right?”
The man gave a single curt nod.
“I must ask, I haven’t seen a dwarf before, much like an elf. What brings you to this part of Panpatriam?”
“Dwarf?” The man replied. His tone was heated and he had a gruff, yet slightly melodic accent.
“Call me that again and I’ll stick ye in the ribs with this ‘ere screwdriver. I’m a human, same as you and those two arseholes. I was born this way. Don’t begrudge a man his height.”
Kelek blushed and apologized. “I’m terribly sorry sir, I didn’t mean to cause offense!”
Festus looked at Kelek for a second with an open mouth frown, before his face lightened considerably and he laughed.
“I’m just busting yer balls, boy. I don’t give a shite how you talk to me. Life is too short to get worked up over pleasantries.”
Dmitri and Renault laughed behind him, and Kelek breathed a sigh of relief before addressing the cajoling pair.
“By the way, I caught your names from Bayin, but which one of you is Dmitri and which is Renault?”
They looked at eachother, likely thinking to play a prank, but decided against it. The bandana adorned man spoke.
“I’m Dmitri, tin can here is Renault. He don’t talk much.”
Renault gave a small nod, causing the full helmet to clang against his plate mail.
“Aren’t you uncomfortable wearing that all the time?” Kelek inquired.
“On the contrary actually.” The reply came from Dmitri. “He is perfectly happy sweating his ass off in that walking prison. Makes ‘im feel safe. He may have a queer way of going about his life, but I wouldn’t have anyone else watching my back. Me and this bastard have been working together for years”
Bayin and Ladd had finally reached the doorway and stepped inside the hall. Dmitri clapped his hands together and reached in the deep pocket of his leather trenchcoat.
“That reminds me, Festus. Be a dear and take a look at this thing. It’s been jamming far too often, and the last thing I need is it blowing up in my face.”
Dmitri produced a curious object that Kelek had never seen before. It appeared to be a steel pipe about six inches in length with a bulge at the base. Past the base was a wooden handle that seemed to comfortably nestle into Dmitri’s palm. Festus took the implement and inspected it keenfully.
“What is that?” Kelek leaned in toward the mysterious object as he asked.
“Oi, never seen one of these? I suppose they are pretty new. It’s a fusil. You pack it full of black powder and set it off with a little spark. Sends a piece of metal straight at the poor bastard you pointed it at faster than lightning. Makes an arrow look like a slug it does”
“Aye, these things are fascinating.” Festus chimed in. “The craftsmanship is so varied. I’ve seen and worked on two dozen different pieces already. It's a beautiful artform”
“People never stop coming up with fun new ways to kill each other.” Dmitri remarked as he leaned back in his stool.
Kelek stood and excused himself from the group so that he could see how Bayin and Ladd were doing. The wizard had removed his hat, revealing a mane of gray hair to match his beard.
“I must apologize that your training will have to wait for tomorrow. I have acted foolishly and must recover my strength. Let this be your first lesson in wielding magic, it takes a tremendous amount of energy. Were I not so advanced in my years, mayhaps my feat would not drain so.” Bayin’s features were weak and his face drooped. Despite this, Kelek could still see the tendrils of magic that flitted around the whites of his eyes with the same vivaciousness as before. Sitting next to him, Kelek noticed that Ladd carried the same remarkable feature in his eyes.
“Are you a wizard too, Ladd?”
“No, I haven’t the gift for it like my grandfather does. I just joined to train my body and become a capable warrior. Maybe one day I’ll be able to join the royal guard in Regnarce.”
“If it isn’t too much of an imposition to ask, please tell me about the curious nature of you and your grandfather’s eyes.”
Ladd chuckled. “Oh it’s no imposition. We are Aursols. As far as everyone seems to know, Aursols are human, though we typically live about twice as long, and have one other notable difference.” Ladd pointed a gauntleted finger to his eyes.
“It seems to be a dominant trait, like dark skin. Aursols that have children with ‘normal’ humans pass the eyes and longevity to their offspring. I guess those aren’t the only gifts they pass on. Aursols tend to have a higher likelihood of being Harnessers. Though I drew the short straw on that ability.”
Kelek mumbled a sympathetic apology.
“Ah, don’t fret. Magic is a frightening practice. I’m content to train with the sword. Besides, King Barthael doesn’t trust sorcerers to join the ranks of royal guard.”
This was the first Kelek had heard of this behavior. He knew that King Barthael ruled the entire human dominated portion of Panpatriam. A kingdom that covered the majority of the center of the continent and stretched to the eastern coast. His castle resided in the massive capital city of Regnarce, which lay in the heart of Panpatriam. His rule stopped at the dwarven owned foothills that lined the western edge of the land. The dwarves were ruled by their own king, but Kelek knew nothing about him. He also knew that the elven forests of Thorompa that stretched from coast to coast in the north had their own form of governance, but nothing of their rulers. He made a mental note to ask Renzen about it later. The southern end of the continent housed a sprawling desert, separated from the temperate fields of central Panpatriam by a row of jagged spires that formed the Berestra Mountains. The only city he knew of in the desert was Nasarah, and even then the name was all he knew.
“Do you know what your grandfather did with Renzen and Imp?”
“I’d imagine he closed up the worst of their wounds and put them in their beds. He may have collapsed on the spot if he sent them any further away.”
Kelek nodded and excused himself. He made his way upstairs, gripping his arms and feeling outclassed by the impressive gallery of adventurers around him. As he stepped up the wooden staircase he looked back over the collection of faces. Dmitri, Renault, and Festus were huddled over the fusil and poking at it while making indiscernible suggestions. Ladd laid a hand on his grandfather’s shoulder and gave him a kind, soft look. The anger that lit his face earlier at the wizard’s passivity was gone. Kelek smiled to himself as felt a sense of belonging. All of the members had made him feel welcome, despite his lack of ability in comparison. Festus clearly had the skilled brain of an engineer, and Renault and Dmitri carried themselves with the confidence of battle-hardened veterans. Ladd was the only member that Kelek felt was his peer. Both of them were young and had an air of inexperience. He looked forward to fostering friendships with each of them. Continuing toward his room, he stopped for a moment at the door that had been open the previous night. The one that housed the brassiere. He thought about knocking on Imp’s door, but decided it was best to let her rest. He continued to the end of the hall and reached the door that housed his and Renzen’s sleeping quarters. Light poured through the open hole where the doorknob used to be. Kelek pushed the door inward and found Renzen lying on his bed with his eyes closed. He stepped forward and Renzen opened his eyes slowly to observe him. They exchanged friendly smiles, something that still caught Kelek as odd, given the elf’s fierce countenance. Renzen coughed before clearing his throat and asking Kelek.
“So… Do I owe that bitch money?”