They were an infestation. A blight upon their land. Creatures of darkness, daemons. They hid from the bright rays of sunlight and only came out with the appearance of grey clouds or a moonless night. They hunted their weak prey or fed off the magical energies from warlocks. Those creatures were monstrosities that should have never existed, but because of his people and their search for both knowledge and power, they did. And though he had never fought one before, these fiends were all that Daki knew.
During the two years he had been on the streets alone, he had been forced to run, forced to hide. Because if he were to be caught out in the open, he would have surely been supper. There were times however, when Daki would sneak out of whatever hole he had been hiding in at the time and steal from the corpses of dead, abyssal creatures. He was willing to do whatever it took, to survive in his now hostile world.
Daki had not been trained to be a martial artist. Instead, the years he had spent on the streets, helped him to build the speed and reflexes he would need to survive an encounter such as this one.
“Duck!” Taeo shouted from behind.
Daki could see it coming, even before the hare spoke and in response, Daki slid through the mud. Spears of blue pierced the ground seconds before he came back to his feet. It was an almost perfectly timed dodge.
He winced. “Sooner next time!” he yelled as he turned to face the blob.
“Well I apologize, oh mighty one!” Taeo hopped into the air. He somersaulted, coming down upon the slime with the heel of his foot.
It was a bad move as within a second, Taeo began sinking into it. The slime moved and merged around his limb. Daki watched both intrigued and horrified by the sight as the Hare began to struggle. Physical attacks really weren’t the way to go with this battle.
“I gave you a weapon didn’t I?” Taeo shouted. He was now trying desperately to pull his leg free, pushing against the slime with the other and pulling with his hands. “Use it!”
“Physical attacks won’t work!” Daki said.
“You… you dumb!”
“What?”
“Of course they don’t work!”
Daki glanced at the dagger and then back at the hare. “This is a physical weapon.”
Taeo let out a loud, sarcastic laugh. “Of course it is,” he said.
Daki frowned. Taeo knew that physical attacks wouldn’t work, yet he insisted that Daki use a physical weapon?
“Magic!”
“My magic can’t be used for fighting!”
Taeo sighed. “Hopeless…” he said. His voice sounded a little resigned, though Daki couldn’t tell if that was sarcasm as well. “Combine it you fool!”
Combine… combine it? Daki shook his head. No… combine them! His eyes opened wide as the realization came to him. It was true his magic alone couldn’t be used in combat, but he had heard about the ability to combine magic with something physical. He could add an element to the dagger which would then give it more of an effect against the creature.
“Alright!” he shouted back at the hare.
“Don’t ‘Alright’ me!” Taeo yelled back. His waist was now fully submerged in the goo and all he could do, was wiggle. “Just do it!”
Daki knew what Taeo was asking of him, but that was easier said than done. He was in many ways, still an infant when it came to using magic and knowing about a particular magic style versus actually using it were two completely different things. So he couldn't 'just do it' as Taeo had said. Daki needed time to think.
"We haven't got much time here," the hare said. His voice now had the slight undertone of urgency in it.
Daki clicked his tongue.
"Hey! Watch out!"
He looked up and instead of those blue spears flying towards him, it was the entire slime. It had begun to roll. “W-what?” was all he could say before he was forced to turn the other way and run.
“Y-you d-did-dn’t think it ha-d-d only one at-ttack did you?” Taeo asked as he spun around and around with the slime.
Of course he didn’t! Daki shook his head. No, he did. In all honesty, the thought had never really occurred to him that it might have more. But it made sense.
Even some of the weaker creatures from The Scar were more powerful than all but the most skilled warlocks. Perhaps not in intelligence or their own ability to use magic. But many had a very wide array of skills they were able to utilize. This slime was no different and as Daki ran from it, he couldn’t help but wonder what else it could do.
“D-do something!” Taeo said.
Alright, fine! Daki planted one foot in the mud, slid and then came to an abrupt stop, facing the slime.
It continued to roll towards him, showing no signs of stopping.
“You want me?” Daki said. “Come and get me!”
As the slime rolled closer and closer, Daki bent down. When he stood up again, slimy, sticky mud oozed from his palm. He didn’t know if what he was about to do would work, but it was the only thing he could think of. Taeo had told him to combine the two and so, that was what he was going to do. He slapped his palm full of mud into the dagger.
Nothing happened. Mud just dripped from the blade, plopping back to the ground where it had come. Everything went quiet and still as he stood there. Even the wind stopped and all that he could hear was the menacing rumble from that slime as it approached. Daki inspected the dagger again and his heart sank. Nothing had changed. It was still the same as it had been before. It didn’t work. Daki furrowed his brow and turned his gaze back to the slime.
“T-that’s it!” Taeo shouted. “Y-you’ve d-done it!”
Daki jerked his head back to the blade and… the hare was right. It was a subtle change, but still, he could see it. The mud on the blade’s surface was being sucked in. It vanished and was replaced by a very slight, brownish hue.
He raised the dagger to his eye level, inspecting it further. “Neat,” Daki said. He smiled and leapt to the side as the slime came barreling passed.
“Yeah, yeah I get it!” Taeo shouted. “It’s neat and all that… now do something!”
The slime came to an abrupt stop before slamming into a building. It paused, before rolling once again, toward Daki.
“You just don’t give up, do you,” Daki said. He raised the dagger to his side. “Alright earth dagger, let’s see what you got!” with one quick motion, Daki whipped the dagger towards the slime.
It flew through the air like one of the slime’s spears. A dangerous, sharp object armed with something else. The dagger pierced through the slime, entering its body. It was still visible as it came to a stop in the center of the blob. It pulsated and the slime’s body began to melt, turning into goo. A thick sludge as it came into contact with the mud.
Taeo slid out of its body with ease, like a knife through butter. “Phew,” he said as he touched the muddy ground. Taeo stood there, wiping the blue sludge from his brow. “That was close.”
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Daki nodded. “Ye… yeah,” he said. Now that the slime had been defeated and everything had become calm once again, he had time to think and to… look over the odd person standing next to him. Daki studied Taeo and Taeo seemed to be doing the same to him. They were both curious about each other, but for very different reasons.
“You’ve never seen a hare before?” Taeo asked.
“I have, but none like… well…”
“Ohhhh! None like me, is that it?”
Daki frowned and crossed his arms. “No,” he said. “I’ve never seen a hare that could walk and talk like a human.”
“Fair enough,” Taeo sighed. “I guess I’ve never met a warlock who didn’t know how to use magic.”
“What?” Daki said. He did know how to use magic! Just, maybe not as effectively as some of the more experienced warlocks. “I do know how to use it! Wasn’t that dagger proof enough?”
Taeo looked away. “That… was an accident.”
He growled at the hare and turned his head away. It was slightly embarrassing to have needed Taeo’s help to begin with. Daki had always thought he was good at what he was. The room he had been living in since his childhood, should have been proof of that. He thought he knew almost everything there was to know, only to find out now that he was probably sorely mistaken.
Sounds from The Scar echoed out of the giant canyon, ominous and terrifying. Most of the monsters down there, wouldn’t bother coming up to the surface. At least, the strongest of them wouldn’t. But the ones who were already close…
A slight tug on his arm, caused him to look down. Taeo was standing there, holding his sleeve.
“We’ve got to go,” Taeo said. “That slime you fought… it was among the weakest of the fiends who would actually come up here. Do you think you would survive if you got into a fight with another?”
Daki shook his head. This had been his first battle with one of those creatures and he was already exhausted. There was no way he could fight another. “You’re right,” he said.
“Good, then follow me.” Taeo didn’t wait for a response. He propelled himself forward a couple of times with his strong legs, picking up speed and then in true hare fashion, he was gone.
“W-wait!” Daki shouted, but Taeo continued to run. With those enormous ears, Daki wasn’t at all convinced that the hare couldn’t hear him. He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Here we go again I guess.” He set his sight on the direction that Taeo had run, which conveniently happened to be toward the guild hall and he sprinted forward.
If he was good at anything, it was the act of running away. Jumping and evading the jaws and claws of the countless, dangerous creatures that roamed their streets at night. So Daki ran with everything he had, trying to keep up with the hare and get to the place he had originally set out for. Daki leaped into the air as a large feline landed behind him. He weaved around slimes and slid under monsters who were too enormous and bulky to jump over.
It was only when he was too out of breath, when his lungs felt close to bursting and his limbs were rubber, that Taeo stopped and thus, Daki stopped as well. He bent over with both hands on his knees, supporting himself so he didn’t just fall over. Every breath was a heavy gasp. “A… are… are we… here?
“We are!” Taeo said. He pumped out his chest in a proud way. “Welcome to the guild, my friend!"
Great, monolithic towers loomed over them. Decorated with silver and gold and stained glass windows. They were the watchers over a land filled with despair, corruption and blight. Behind them, stood tall, a massive cathedral built to stand as a symbol in an age where hope was almost non-existent. It banished the encroaching darkness and as Daki stood before the mighty structure, he found himself rooted to the spot, unable to look away.
“Welcome… to The Guild!” Taeo shouted dramatically. His voice echoed back three times on the empty air.
Daki was at a loss for words. This was the place Mother Margie had asked him to go, but now that he was here, it seemed like a structure too grand for him to enter. It was a place where only the worthy could step foot within, a place where only the greatest were welcome.
“Let’s go,” Taeo said. This time, his voice was quiet and sincere, solemn.
Though he was still unsure about what his mentor had asked of him, he nodded. Would they accept the piece of paper in his pocket? Would it be right for him to ask that they looked over its contents? What had Mother Margie even written on the paper?
Daki exhaled. “Alright,” he said and followed the hare down the long path.
Two palisades stood on either side of them. Daki guessed these were used as a defense, keeping all the monsters at bay. Above, an enormous overhang blocked the moon from view, casting a shadow over them. It was held by six strong pillars and the door straight ahead of them was tall and arched. Though they could only see a black, swirling mass of shadow from the outside, when they walked through the door, everything changed.
The room lit up like a beautiful sunrise. Remnants of a magic long since forgotten, could be seen in several lights, hanging from the ceiling. Candles flickered and danced amidst an unfelt breeze. They cast a gentle, orange glow around the interior.
Daki couldn’t help but gawk. Like everything on the outside, it was giant sized. He was sure that even five full replications of his home could fit inside the space. After several moments of taking it all in, he allowed his eyes to wander and took note of some of the smaller details. A large desk in the center of the room with two curved staircases ten feet behind. To the right was a warm hearth with a crackling fire and around it were several soft chairs and couches. Tables and chairs were set up further back in a makeshift eating arrangement and seated at them, were a few individuals whom Daki assumed were all a part of the guild. Finally, to the left of the desk, Daki took note of the five, much smaller, arched doorways.
“What are those?” he asked.
Taeo shrugged. “Various meeting rooms and such. Why?”
Daki shook his head. “I… don’t really know,” he said. He couldn’t help but shake the feeling that something ominous might be hidden behind one of those doors. He turned his eyes back to the guild members who appeared to be enjoying themselves. A few of them looked up at him in turn.
“So whatcha think?” Taeo asked. “Is this as grand as you thought it might be?”
Daki shrugged.
He had always looked upon this cathedral from the top of Margie’s tower and even from that distance, the scale of the building was great. Its high towers always soaked up the sunlight and in the darkness of night, they released it back out, over the city. Shining like a powerful beacon, there to lead lost adventurers, back to safety. They reflected the silver moonlight away and thus, also acted as a ward. Warning any lurking monsters, that to approach, would mean their own, certain death.
The citizens of edge, looked upon The Guild, their hearts filling up with hope once again. Hope that one day, their lives will get better and hope that the daemons of The Scar would some day, disappear.
There had been a time, when he was that person, but Daki had already seen too much. “I used to think of this place as… one might think of a deity or a… god. A beast which could not be slain… ever. But a beast which was put here to serve only one purpose,” he glanced down at Taeo who then crossed his arms in response.
“And what purpose might that be?” he asked.
“To rid this world of evil.”
There was a long pause.
Taeo let his arms hang and stared into his eyes with conviction. “Not to fix the damage that had been done?”
“No,” Daki said. He believed it was already too late. The world had been wounded and that wound, was a mortal one. “There might have been a time when I believed that. Believed that this place could one day train a hero with the skills who might eventually save us all.”
“So… what happened?” Taeo asked.
Daki crossed his arms and bowed his head. “I grew up.”
The first night after The Scar had appeared, he had been lucky. Daki remembered being discovered by one of the more dangerous, surface creatures, before it had suddenly been incinerated by a female Warlock. That person, had been Margie.
A door creaked open on the other side of the room, causing Daki’s eyes to dart towards it.
There were voices and a parade of footfalls as several individuals exited the room. All of them appeared to be adventurers of various ages and skill.
“Hey Ramous!” a short woman shouted, as she bounded towards another adventurer and away from the group. Her blonde hair flapped along behind her and her armor creaked and groaned its protest as she chased after him.
A man who had already separated himself, turned, but said nothing.
“That was quite the meeting, wasn’t it?”
The man called Ramous, shrugged.
“I mean… can you believe that guy? Acting all high and mighty because he survived an encounter with a devourer.”
Ramous crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
Daki turned to Taeo. “What’s a-”
Taeo raised a hand to stop him. “That’s something you… don’t need to know just yet.” he rested an elbow on an arm and stroked his chin. “No… actually it’s best that you don’t know… ever…"
“But…”
Taeo shook his head. “It’s something everyone runs into eventually. I think…. Right now you just need to focus on him.”
A middle aged man separated himself from the group. He was tall with a few strands of grey running through his short, brown hair. His gown was long and flowing and he wore a pair of glasses. The most noticeable thing about him though, were his eyes. They were the eyes of someone who knew too much. The eyes of a man who had already lived in the world far longer than he intended to and was tired of it all. And the eyes of someone who had seen indescribably bad things.
“Him?” Daki asked.
Taeo nodded. “You have something you need to ask him right? Well… now’s your chance.”
Daki looked towards the individual and their gazes locked onto one another. This was the one person in all of Edge, who might have the answers he sought. With a resigned sigh, Daki stepped forward.