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The Town of Nearbrook

Raia and Vin entered the shop at the edge of town, the door creaking as they stepped through the threshold. As the middle-aged but sturdy man turned to glance at them, Raia attempted to explain why they were there.

"Raia, good to see you again. I suppose I should have expected to see you here, but I'm afraid I have no need for any wild game you may be selling right now," he then notices Vin walking in the door behind her, "But it seems you have other things on your mind at the present. But who is this man with you? He's not from around here, I can see that much, and you wouldn't just bring someone in my shop without a reason."

Vin tried to keep his composure while explaining himself, and holding back any information pertaining to his past life as he and Raia both went into the details of what happened in the forest and why he was there now.

Vin nervously spoke up, struggling to find the right words to say. "The imperial army is coming for me, and I have no idea why. They took my home away, and still I'm yet to hear any explanation. The uncertainties, the unknowns... they are piling up all around me. I don't know why I should ask for your help, but Raia claims that you can do something for me. I'm not sure what, but whatever it is, I'll be truly grateful for it."

Raia nervously filled in the blanks whenever Vin paused, her stomach tensing as she saw Bastian's eyes narrow with suspicion. Bastian the shopkeeper intently listened but seemed to be at odds with himself over helping them, unsure of how it would interfere with his own past. They could sense his hesitation and unease, knowing that their fate was yet to be determined.

When they'd finished their story, Bastian leaned against the shelf thoughtfully. "Hmm... That's quite a tale. You're keeping secrets, that's all right. I can certainly understand why," he said with a knowing glance at Vin, "But don't be too hasty to make decisions until you understand the consequences."

Vin explains how the imperial commander after him recently was named Captain Hurdo.

Bastian's face grows stern as he says, "You had a run in with THAT Hurdo? He's a captain now? How interesting..." He turns and runs his hands along the shelves behind him, as if he is searching for something. "When I left the service, he was but just a whelp. He had a fierce aura about him though." He grabs an object off the shelf and places it on a nearby table, some sort of medallion.

Vin looks at him with apprehension, unable to tell whether Bastian still has any ties to the military or not. It dawns on him that this man may know something about him that he wasn't aware of. Vin's heart started pounding a bit at the thought of those imperials being close. He felt the anxiety growing inside of him as Bastian stands behind the counter and regards him with a stern expression. Bastian suddenly leans forward over the shop counter and fixes his gaze on Vin.

"Relax, boy. I could care less of the imperials about as much as you do. I left for a reason. But if I were you, I wouldn't be wasting time in this little town. When those soldiers come to Nearbrook, you need to be long gone." His voice takes on an ominous tone and he adds, "If I know anything about Hurdo, he'll be here soon enough and he will not stop until he finds you, even if it means chasing you from town to town, even across borders."

The man slowly turned towards Raia, his expression pained, but his eyes intense and wise.

"I'm no longer a warrior; I'm just a shopkeeper trying to make a living. Yet still, I suppose I could help the boy out. But it's a risky business, so I'll need him to do something to prove himself. Take him to the....test."

Raia's brown eyes widened and she took a sharp breath as she processed his words before her face softened into a smirk. She knew that if Vin passed this test, Bastian would do what he could to help them.

"I have have one condition for you, girl," Bastian said with a slight edge in his voice, "You stay with him and keep him safe, and with that being said you need to see more of the world than just the forest and towns surrounding Nearbrook. Go with him on his journey, but see to it he passes what I mentioned."

Raia's smile was faint and her nod barely perceptible, but Vin took it as affirmation. His confusion was clear on his face, but the look of relief in his eyes told of his hope that he would pass whatever test was coming. Bastian returned to stocking the shelves, his mind filled with memories of when he had helped another young man many years before.

"So," Vin began, "What kind of test will I be taking? Is it like a school exam or something?"

Raia's grin widened and she said, "Not quite. The test will be more mental than anything else, but there are other elements involved. Do you see that tent down the road? That's where we're headed. An old lady there will be the one who needs to speak to you."

Vin followed Raia, his mind spinning with questions about what he was getting himself into. But he knew this was the only way to get Bastian's help.

The two stepped into the tent, where an aged and withered woman seated at a table with a single coil of rope greeted them.

Raia pointed to Vin, "Ma'am, this is Vin, he was...displaced from his home, and now has a chance to prove he is worthy of Bastian's help. We are here for the test."

The woman's eyes rose to meet Vin's, "You come for test? Aye, you be a sturdy young man. Perhaps you do just fine."

She handed him the rope then stepped away from the table and struck her foot upon the ground. A gaping hole opened up, deep enough for a human to fit in.

"Take the rope and go down. The cavern awaits you and you test." Her gaze ran over Vin with a keen eye before adding, "Best hope that you can fend for yourself, else all this effort of you will come no good. You best just remember, key to making it through is perseverance."

Vin's confusion was etched into his face as he looked at Raia, and he cautiously asked, "Go down? Cavern? What kind of test is this? Am I going mining in a cave? Am I looking for moles?"

Raia gave a throaty chuckle and shoved him forward, saying, "Oh, you'll see. You do know how to tie a rope so you can go down a hole, right?"

Vin rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yes, I know how to tie a rope. The monks actually taught me some things." He continued in an ironic tone, "I never thought I'd ever use a rope in this fashion, but here I am...tying a rope to go down some hole in a tent. This makes so much sense, in fact I'm just impressed that I'm going to do whatever this is."

With the rope securely in place, Vin descended first and called up to Raia that he could barely see. As she prepared to go after him, the elderly lady gently grabbed Raia's arm and warned her with a whisper:

"I know you be down there before, but best be careful as always girl."

Raia nodded her understanding and started her descent. They both arrived at the bottom of the hole to find a cavern waiting for them. Vin was itching to know what was down here.

Raia tiptoed forward, her hand feeling ahead of her in the total darkness with Vin right behind her. She felt something cold and hard beneath her boot. She scooped it up, and a spark flew as she struck it against the rock wall beside her. It was flint. She walked forward towards a pile of kindling that was left there for anyone taking the test. She used the flint against a piece of metal she had to create a spark onto the wood. She blew delicately on the embers until the crackling of kindling and glowing orange light filled the cavern. Stretching her neck up to take in the sights around her. Vin could make out a small passageway that hadn't been visible in the darkness.

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Raia's eyes widened as she took in her surroundings, happy to see this place again. The walls of the cave were constructed of brick, carefully fitted into the rugged bedrock, testifying to a great civilization that once lived here. Her gaze shifted to Vin, who was awestruck as he attempted to decipher a carven symbol on the wall.

"It is said that this symbol represents a meeting place," Raia began, "Where long ago kings of men and kings of elvics used to come to talk and discuss the matters of this world."

Vin spun around, his interest piqued. "Elvics? What is that?"

She explained, voice brimming with reverence. "It's said they possessed greater power than even our greatest warriors today; they had fairer cities, wiser monarchs and an understanding of nature and the divine that we do not possess." She chuckled slightly and said, "They were also known for their pointed ears."

Vin was astounded as he examined the carvings from the ancient elvics. He had never read about this civilization in his home's library, and it raised so many questions. He turned to Raia, desperate for answers. He was a bit off put that a great people like this could disappear.

"How could a great empire like this just vanish? Where are they now? Surely they still exist somewhere."

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Raia nodded in agreement. "Right, it doesn't make sense does it? I don't know what really happened to them, that part wasn't told to me. Some people think they fled to the south, while others believe they were banished, which makes no sense to me because the humans empires at the time weren't strong enough to do that. But no one knows for sure."

She looked sad for a moment and then seemed to shake off her thoughts as she gave Vin a hard look. "There's no time to ponder this now. You have a test to complete and I'm not going to let you fail because of daydreaming!"

Vin felt a mixed emotion of awe and sadness as he followed Raia deeper into the ruins, wondering if he would ever uncover the truth behind this forgotten civilization. He was glad he learned about the elvics, and was eager now to press onward.

Raia grabbed an unlit torch off the wall and used a nearby kindling fire to light it. As they ventured into the winding passage, the orange light of the torch illuminating the rocky walls around them.

Raia broke the silence, "The ancient people didn't want just anyone stumbling across this place, so they made sure it was mostly inaccessible to the common folk. You had to be both quick-witted and have endurance to make it here. You'll see what I mean, but after we get through this passage, I will have to follow your lead for the test to be true."

As they continued onward, Raia stepped behind Vin and pushed him forward as he was now supposed to take the lead. Vin suddenly stopped as they exited a hallway beyond the passage. He felt a distinct cracking sound under his foot, and when he glanced downwards he saw bones mixed in with the dirt. A small spark of flame fell off Raia's torch down into a pit in front of them, revealing a large accumulation of bones - human bones - scattered across the deep floor. Vin realized what she meant about the difficulty of getting here and feeling a surge of trepidation, he spoke up:

"It seems I'll need to be careful here, won't I? I'm not scared of bones or death or anything, it's just preferable that I don't lose my life." He slowly extended his hand to take the torch, "I'd better watch my step - hand me that torch will you?"

Upon receiving the torch, Vin extended it in front of him, illuminating a broken path across the chasm, a path of pillars standing alone in the darkness of the pit. He surveyed the precarious arrangement of pillars cautiously, realizing he'd have to leap across them very carefully to make it across the other side.He steadied his nerves, took a deep breath and then leapt to the first one. He made it with ease, feeling an odd sense of satisfaction that his training with the monks was actually going to pay off here. He quickly jumped to the second pillar with no issue at all, almost surprised at how easily he managed it. He turned and motioned for Raia to jump, but she was already right behind him. He shifted his weight onto his left foot and prepared to leap to the third. It seemed stable enough at first, but as Vin's full weight settled on it, he felt it begin to tilt slightly beneath him. His heart pounded as he realized a simple misstep could cause him to join the skeletons below, but that wasn't enough to stop him. Vin and his companion leapt from one rocky pillar to the next, his eyes wide with wonder, as he counted the twenty pillars that had stood between them and the other side.

The flickering torchlight created shadows that danced on the stone walls and illuminated pieces of ancient jewelry that glinted from something beneath the dirt. As Vin walked further forward, he heard a faint click sound beneath his feet, and a low rumble reverberated through the cavern. The walls shook ever so slightly as some dirt and rocks crumbled from above, and a rat scurried away from the direction they were headed.

He stepped cautiously forward, and his torchlight illuminated the walls of a narrow trench. Its sides were slick with oil, and Vin touched it to the flame. Suddenly, a trail of fire raced up the walls, igniting a brilliant orange light that flooded the chamber. In the distance, a group of shadowy, man-like shapes seemed to move.

Vin stared in shock and pointed, "What is that?! Are they human?"

Raia shook her head, her eyes determined. "They're artifacts of some kind -- left here by the elvics a long time ago. The legends state they are animated by some form of mystical power. We're going to have to fight them."

Vin stood in readiness, his stance one of clear skill and experience. Raia noticed the detail and smirked. "Let's go then -- show me what you can do!"

The first stone warrior ran up to Vin, no weapons of any kind, its cold eyes burning with a fierce determination. Vin quickly dodged it and pushed the stone humanoid to the ground, and it stopped moving with a loud thud. Another approached him, this one throwing a flurry of punches; Vin blocks them and counters with extraordinary speed, sending this one onto its back, motionless. One of them runs up to Raia, but she quickly dispatches it with the grace and finesse of an expert archer. One comes with weapons made of stone, but it is also easily taken out with a few quick jabs from Vin's sharp punches. More and more appear and approach, yet all are quickly overcome by the duo's superior skills.

Vin felt a chill run down his spine as he saw the final stone warrior approach him, its stance and form a flawless copy of his own. He had trained with monks in the monastery many years ago, and this almost felt like he was fighting against an echo of himself.

"This should be interesting," Vin said, feeling the fire inside him awaken as he prepared himself for a battle that felt like a test of his inner strength.

Raia stepped back warily as the two began to spar; blow for blow, they matched each other perfectly. Vin threw punch after punch, but the stone humanoid blocked them with expert precision. The humanoid attempted to grab him and pin him down, but Vin redirected the attempt and pushed it off. His every move was mirrored by that of his opponent; there was no way to overcome it by mere physical force alone.Vin knew what he had to do. He whispered a silent prayer before diving into the depths of his being, feeling the strength of his innermost power surge through his body like a blazing fire. He threw a powerful punch towards the stone humanoid with all his might, and all at once it was gone - nothing more than ashes blowing away in the wind. He had overcome his greatest obstacle - himself.

Vin looked forward with a clenched fist and said with a determined voice, "I guess that stone man missed one important detail about humans, our will and our past experience. Regardless of what happened to me in life, it built me to be who I am today. I am strong because of what I've been through, and I'll continue to grow stronger. I understand that now. I will always continue to strive to be stronger so I can protect the ones I care about in the future." Vin said.

Vin gritted his teeth as he stepped cautiously through the chamber of the stone men, all inactive, hoping they would no longer respond to him. At the far end of the room was a large, mysterious stone door, and he walked up to it defiantly. Vin eyed the enormous stone door at the end of the chamber, surrounded by motionless, looming stone figures from a bygone era. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and pressed against the door with all his might. Nothing budged. He searched desperately for something to help him, almost asking Raia before he remembered this was his to pass alone. Despair started to seep into him, until he recalled the old lady's parting words about the key to success: Perseverance. He repeated it like a mantra, and felt a jolt of energy course through him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed against the door with all his strength. After a moment, it began to creak open and dust cascaded down around him like rain.

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Inside was a smaller chamber filled with old, empty chairs arranged in a circle. Vin could almost hear the voices of ancient kings and queens echoing around the room, their words deciding the fate of empires and peoples. His heart beating quickly, he stepped into this place of power and imagined the words and rulers here that may have changed the world.

In the center of the circle of chairs was just a small circular table, on which a delicate pendant hung from a gold chain. Vin walked up to it, as though the pendant was inviting him to take it, and he grabbed it, feeling a surge of both power and hope resonate within him, and he felt as though he just passed some great trial.

Raia spoke up, "That was the whole test for you. It may not have been much physically, but I think you understood it. Let's get back to Bastian, I know he'll want to talk to you since you have that pendant now."

Raia led Vin to a passage way beside the circle of chairs that led back to the surface on the other side of Nearbrook. They then made their way back to Bastian's shop and went inside. Bastian was pleased to see them back, and Vin having the pendant with him.

"It's about time you returned. And as promised, since you passed the test, I'll help you. But I want you to understand one thing," Bastian said as he approached Vin, "If you keep true to yourself, keep true to your past, and keep fighting for tomorrow, then no obstacle can overcome you. Something I always told my soldiers under my command was this: what you fight for isn't always your country or your king, but you fight for the freedom of your loved ones and the hope for tomorrow."

Bastian hands Vin the medallion he grabbed earlier and attaches it to the pendant, as it was the missing piece.

Bastian tells him, "Hold onto that, it's a sign for some people."

Vin smiled warmly at Raia and Bastian, a small glint of gratitude in his eyes. His voice was soft yet confident as he thanked them both, his words filled with understanding, "Thank you for believing in me. I know whatever this journey brings, I just need to remember who I am, and it's okay to admit when I need the help of my friends too. I hope to count you among them".

He knew the journey ahead of him would be difficult, but with their support he could face anything. Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself of the strength inside him, and the comfort in knowing he didn't have to face whatever was in front of him alone.

"Now, let's get down to business Vin. I've been doing some looking around and asking about involving what's been going on. I have an idea of what it is, in fact I was hearing some rumors about ten years ago that..."

Bastian was interrupted by a forceful knocking at the door:

"This is the imperial guard! We're about to come in! We are searching for a fugitive. Let us do what we need and we'll be on our way!"

Bastian bellowed ferociously as he pounded his fist against the hard wooden table, sending splinters flying through the air.

"Hurdo! You dog, you got here sooner than I expected. Vin, it's time to go. I have a hidden route nearby that will get you to safety. Just move that crate and beneath you'll find a tunnel that will take you to another part of town close to the local fishing spot. I'll keep these soldiers occupied and meet you over there."

Vin wanted to help out, but he knew it was better for him to leave. He understood that if the soldiers realized Bastian was involved in this, it would only cause more trouble. Together with Raia, Vin took the tunnel, a hastily dug out underground passage with makeshift torches lighting the way down with no signs of luxury or extras; just what was necessary. After a little while in the dark, they emerged on the other side near the fishing spot where Bastian was already waiting for them.

Bastian gritted his teeth with fierce determination. "I always knew that tunnel would make itself useful one day."

"How did you get rid of them so fast?" Raia questioned.

"Girl, you know I'm no fan of imperials but I'm a former general and they can only shove me aside for so long, thankfully their commander Hurdo isn't here," Bastian exhaled a deep breath of relief.

Vin anxiously spoke up, "Well now what do we do? We can't go back to town, they'll see us!"

"You two are going to Sundale," Bastian commanded in a hurry, "Raia knows the way - cut through the woods and you'll be able to evade Nearbrook, then stay on the main road. When you get to Sundale, seek out Kaes. He was a soldier under my command and left when I did. He's a fine man; show him your pendant and tell him I sent you. Say that I am helping you - he'll understand." He paused to take a breath before speaking in an anxious tone, "Now get going before the imperials get any bright ideas!"

Vin and Raia started moving quickly, but carefully, to the tree line and into the woods. Bastian watched them go, his fists balled up in frustration and dread as he hoped they reach Kaes in time.

He looked up and sighed again, "Let this work, please. I can't lose another one under my watch. But I just can't shake the feeling that something worse than those imperials is coming his way, I can feel it."