Master Vencer is walking down a large rocky cliff. He is walking slowly and his head is swinging in different directions constantly, as if he is on the lookout for something. His footsteps are coordinated and make no noise, as he carefully places them in spots with no loose rocks or noisy surfaces. He makes his way to a sharp turn in the cliff and peaks out from it. Only half of his head is visible from the other side, but even so, a spurt of flames is sent hurtling towards him. Vencer jumps back as the spot he was previously located gets burnt to ashes from the flames. Vencer is still airborne when a fireball gets sent flying at him. He reaches out his arm and uses wind magic to try and change his trajectory. He aims his arm up and shoots himself downwards, hitting the ground with a loud thud. But before he can catch a breath, another fireball is sent towards him. Vencer put his hand on his sword which was still in its sheath. Suddenly a white line is formed at the fireball's center, and it gets sliced in half which forces it to dissipate. Vencer pats down his pants and begins walking again. After a few more steps, his eyes turned to face his left. In an instant after, Kiliano appears to his left with his sword behind his waist, ready to strike. Vencer grabs his blade and unsheathes it with incredible speed. CLANG! The two of them clash. Vencer maintains his footing and pushes Kiliano off him, sending the boy flying into a large boulder nearby. Vencer holds his stance and slowly advances toward the ruble where Kiliano landed. Suddenly, fire began to form around the rubble, and a huge spiral of flames burst from the boulder. The rocks break into smaller stones and get sent flying in different directions. Kiliano rises, and turns to face Vencer. The fire dissipates, and Kiliano disappears. Vencer stiffens his stance and prepares for another attack. Nearly ten seconds pass before Vencer notices a large shadow is being cast over him. He looks up to find a giant rock, nearly the size of the Zuri'el mansion, falling towards him. Vencer's eyes widen and he prepares to stop the rock using his fire magic. But before he can, Kiliano jumps behind him with his sword at the ready. Vencer is caught off guard and focuses all his mana into forming a barrier with fire. Kiliano replies with his own fire, as he envelops Excalibur in flames and swings towards Vencer. BAM! A large piece of rock smashes into Kiliano, which sends him flying backwards. This gives Vencer enough time to generate some flames around his arm. He raises his right arm and begins to form a hand sign with his left, "Fireball!" A giant ball of fire forms by Vencer's right hand. The fireball is noticeably denser than Kiliano's and produces its own aura which melts away the rocks surrounding Vencer. He releases the fireball and it flies towards the rock. After less than a second, the two forces collide, CRRRRACK! The giant rock breaks into pieces, and those pieces quickly catch on fire and turn into ash. Vencer turns his attention towards where he sent Kiliano flying. Kiliano's arm shoots out from the rubble and slams onto the rocks crushing him. He uses his leverage and emerges from the rubble once more. His face is dirty but he has no scratches. "Phew, that was a close one wasn't it master?" He says with a smile. Vencer smiles back, "Yeah I must admit… you almost had me there. Using the rock both as an attack and a diversion was pretty smart. But you hesitated there for a second. I'm pretty sure you're subconsciously holding back so you don't kill me. Haha, I appreciate it!" Kiliano scratches his head, "Well I'm not sure about that. But I don't wanna kill you so I guess it makes sense." Vencer throws Kiliano a rag, and he catches it. Kiliano wipes down his face and hands it back to Vencer. The two of them begin walking South once again. As hours pass, the sky begins to dim, and the two of them try to find some shelter for the night. Kiliano spots a large cave in a small valley in between two mountains, "Hey master, I believe I've found our inn for the night, hehe." Vencer turns to see the cave and nods, "Yeah that'll do just fine." The two of them walk down a small cliff and into the cave. They continued deeper into the cave and eventually, their gaze met with another. Kiliano and Vencer stopped and stared for a few seconds. A loud grumble came from farther into the cave. Kiliano raised a finger and lit a flame. The entire cave lit up and revealed a group of baby dragons. "Oh crap…" Vencer says as he begins backing away, "...Kiliano, I believe we've stumbled upon the nest of a dragon. Judging by the babies, I believe they're basic Red Dragons, but I'd rather not kill one now. Let's get out of here while we can." Kiliano nodded and the two of them ran out of there. They made their way out of the cave, up the small cliff and into a plateau. The two of them stopped to catch their breath and looked around in front of them. THUD! A loud crashing rang from behind them, and a large shadow was cast above. Vencer and Kiliano swung around, and met their gaze with a giant Red Dragon. It was so big its eyes were nearly the same size as Kiliano. Its teeth were as big as Vencer, and its head was bigger than the cave they came out of. It roared with massive intensity, as its throat began to glow a deep orange. "Run Kiliano!" Vencer said. The two of them planted their feet and bolted the opposite direction of the dragon. A large burst of flames followed behind them but they outran it easily. The two of them ran through the plateau and onto a small path. They continued running until they made it into a dense forest. Vencer stopped running, "I think we're okay in here. The trees should give us enough cover." Kiliano stopped and fell on his back, "Phew! That was one angry mamma! I'd hate to deal with that thing while it's in a bad mood." Vencer layed down on a rock and got himself comfortable, "Alright, I'm gonna go to sleep. Wake me up in a few hours for lookout duty." Kiliano propped his head up, "What!? No fair, why do you get to sleep first?" Vencer was already fast asleep. "Sigh, whatever dude." Kiliano got up and took off his belt. He placed Excalibur on a rock next to Vencer. He sat on top of a rock and closed his eyes. His body began to emanate a small aura around his body. The aura protruded nearly three inches from his body, but it was dense, and held a perfect flow while also staying calm. He held this position for hours. By the time it was early morning, Kiliano opened his eyes, stood up and hopped off the rock he had been sitting on. He walked over to Vencer and generated a small water bubble. It began hovering over Vencer's face and fell onto it. "Gyuh…!" Vencer's body popped up from his sleep, "...W-w-what is it!?" Kiliano laid down beside him, "It's your turn to go on lookout, so get up." Vencer grunted and stood up. He walked over to the rock that Kiliano was previously sitting on, and sat down. Kiliano closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.
In the morning, Kiliano woke up to the smell of smoke. The air around him was covered in a grey mist. He took a deep breath in and coughed. "C-crap." He stood up and looked around. The forest around him was on fire, "Vencer! Why didn't you wake me up!?" Kiliano turned to face Vencer, but he was fast asleep. "Idiot, wake up!" Kiliano stomped on Vencer's stomach, "Gyuh! What is it Kiliano!?" Kilino's face turned red, "The forest is on fire you moron! Why didn't you wake me up!?" Vencer yawned, "Yeahh, sorry 'bout that I fell asleep." Kiliano snorted and turned away from his master. He walked over to his belt, grabbed it, and put it on, "Alright master, let's get going before we get caught in the fire." Vencer nodded, and the two of them continued walking South. As they made their way towards the end of the forest, the foliage around them became less dense. "Master Vencer, why did the forest burn down?" Vencer contemplated in his head for a second before replying, "Well… if I had to guess, it was probably that dragon we ran from last night. It's probably hunting us, since our scent was in the cave where its babies were." Vencer's tone was nonchalant and laid back. But Kiliano was panicking. The dragon they had encountered yesterday was bigger than any other he had seen before. "Master I must admit… I'd rather not fight that thing if we can avoid it." Vencer nodded, "Yeah, I agree. That thing was huge wasn't it!? I don't wanna get eaten hehe." Kiliano raised an eyebrow, "Yeah right. I doubt that there's any dragon in the world that could kill you." Vencer laughed, "I appreciate that, but there are monsters in this world that even I can't handle." This surprised Kiliano, but he didn't comment any further.
Once the two of them made it to a clearing, Vencer stopped in his tracks and took a look around. He ducked down and hid his presence, "Kiliano…" He whispered, "...Stay low, and don't make any noise. That damn dragon is still here." Kiliano immediately ducked down into the grass. The two of them waited for a few seconds. "Aw screw it!" Vencer popped up and started walking farther into the clearing. "Oi, dragon! Get out here, I'm gettin' bored!" The forest behind Kiliano became disturbed. Depper in, the trees began to crack and fall to the ground. GREAAH! The dragon emerged from inside the forest, and started flying towards Vencer. Kiliano got up and ran towards his master. The dragon flew above his head at incredible speeds, and landed in between the two of them. Its tail swiped downwards. Kiliano dashed to his left, barely dodging it. He started sprinting up the dragon's tail and onto its back. He glanced downwards, to find Vencer parrying the dragon's frontal attacks. It used its giant claws to swipe, but Vencer parried every attempt. Kiloano made it to the dragon's neck and unsheathed Excalibur. He began generating mana into his sword as he raised it. The dragon's eyes peered back, and it jumped up from the ground, going airborne. Kiliano had no time to latch on, and he fell off the dragon. But before he fell too far, Kiliano stuck out his right hand and used wind magic to propel himself upwards. He flew high enough to latch onto one of the dragon's tail spikes. It noticed this and began shaking its tail back and forth. Kiliano held on for dear life. As he glanced down to the ground, Kiliano saw Vencer generating magic with his arm in the air and his palm facing the sky. Maybe he was going to form a fireball? Suddenly, a shadow was cast above Kiliano and the dragon. He looked upwards to find a giant rock hurling downwards. It landed on the dragon's back and sent it falling to the ground. Kiliano released his grip onto the dragon's tail and began falling to the ground as well. The dragon smashed into the ground making a large boom. Kiliano landed onto the ground shortly after. He held a stance and began walking over to the dragon. Vencer came up behind him and tapped Kiliano on the head, "Don't worry, that thing isn't going anywhere for a while. Let's get outta here." Kiliano nodded, and the two of them fled once more.
They continued walking for the rest of the day. By the time it was nightfall, Vencer spotted a village, "Hey Kiliano, I believe I've found a place to stay for the night!" Kiliano had been looking under a huge rock when Vencer told him this. He let go of his grip, which made the rock fall downwards, sending dust flying into his face, "Cough cough… Oh okay… Where?" Vencer smiled and pointed just beyond the mountain they were on, "We'll be staying at an inn tonight." Kiliano's eyes widened with surprise, "Really!? We haven't been to another city in like… a year? Why now?" "Well I believe we've been on the run from a dragon a bit too long. Let's relax." The two of them made their way into the village. Once there, Vencer found an inn and they walked in. Kiliano took a look around while Vencer got them situated. The inn was large, and had fancy decorations around the lobby. Vencer tapped on Kiliano's shoulder, "The room's ready, let's get going." "R-right." The two of them made their way up a flight of stairs and down a long hallway before reaching their room. Vencer opened the door and they both walked inside. The room had two beds, a large bathroom and a kitchen. It was nearly twice the size of the inn Kiliano stayed at in Karth. Vencer casually placed his things on the closest bed to the door and walked into the bathroom. Kiliano took a second to soak in the glory of this, and walked over to his bed. He placed down his belt and backpack, then sat down. Kiliano took out a sheet of paper and a pencil. He placed them on the desk next to his bed and began to write a letter to his friends in Sumerst.
To my dearest friends,
I've heerd that the three of you have finally met up after all these years. I am glad. Please take care. I am going to meet the three of you in Sumerst shortly. Unfortunately my journey will not be short and I most likely wont make it for another year. But I promise you all that we will meet up again. Take care.
Kiliano.
Once he finished writing, Kiliano packed it inside an envelope and walked downstairs. He left the inn, and made his way to a postal office. He walked inside, placed his letter on a desk labeled Send Off, and left. By the time Kiliano made it back to the room, Vencer was on his bed meditating. Kiliano walked past his master's bed and into the bathroom. After using the facilities, he went to bed and fell asleep. In the morning, Vencer freshened up in the bathroom while Kiliano walked down to the lobby to check themselves out. He walked over to the lobby desk, "Excuse me ma'am…" A lady popped out from below the desk, "...I'm here to check out of my room." He handed her the key and walked out of the inn, waiting for Vencer. After a few minutes, Vencer came out of the inn. He turned to Kiliano and said, "Alright, let's get going South!" As the two of them walked down the street, Kiliano noticed something, "Hey master… I've noticed the weather getting colder and colder the closer we get to The Thirteen Kingdoms. Why is that?" Vencer began thinking to himself for a few moments before answering, "Ah right. Well it's because of Shyzen. I suppose his unnatural presence has caused the weather to change drastically in The Thirteen Kingdoms. That just goes to show how truly monstrous the guy is." Those words made Kiliano wince. Afterall, he was supposed to kill Shyzen. But doubts began flooding his mind. "Master…?" Vencer looked over at Kiliano. "...Do you think I'm cut out for such an important task? How am I supposed to kill The God Of Gods?" Vencer's face saddened slightly, "Well… I believe you've become a very capable warrior. And I suggest you don't underestimate yourself. Comparing yourself to someone who's known as The God Of Gods will only crush your self esteem. Just remember… you don't have to fight him by yourself. The only job that you must accomplish is getting in the finishing blow before he heals." Kiliano seemed less tense after hearing that. But his doubts still lingered.
Further South, close to the kingdom of Sumerst, master Gannon, Lura, Nyleah and Nazeem are making their way to the capital. "Hey master…!" Lura ran forward to catch up to Gannon, "...How much longer till' we make it to the capital?" Gannon smiled, "Well, Lura. I believe we have made it." Once he said that, the two of them made it over the peak of the mountain they were walking on. The other side of the mountain was scattered with stone buildings. They spread out evenly and were occupied by people. Gannon turned to face the three teenagers, "Alright everyone… we've made it to the capital of Sumerst." They continued walking down the mountain, as they made their way to the giant castle that started on the mountain's base and stretched out for nearly a mile. "Alright you three… just so this is known… Once we make it to the main castle we'll meet up with Solomon again. But make sure to show your respects to the Queen. She tends to have a rather short temper, so watch out." Nyleah tensed up, Nazeem went pale, and Lura snorted. The four of them made it to the base of the mountain and entered the castle. Lura looked around, unimpressed, "I gotta say… this place isn't all it's hyped up to be. I expected the main castle of a kingdom to be a bit more furnished." Gannon chuckled, "Oh no, this isn't the main palace." Lura swung her head over to Gannon while making a surprised look, "W-wait what!? Where the hell is it then!?" Nyleah tapped her on the shoulder, "Lura calm down. We should maintain our composure when in a royal palace." Lura snorted, "Well, as master Gannon just said, we aren't!" Gannon knocked on a giant door made of black metal. Once the three teens saw the door, they shut up and walked over. Gannon placed his hand on the door and began generating mana. The door began glowing, and after a few moments, opened up. The four of them walked into a pitch black room, and the door behind them closed. Master Gannon began emanating his aura, and it started to light up the room. After a few seconds, the light blinded everyone. And as it began to fade, their vision cleared, and they were now in a well furnished room, with tables lined across on each side. "Follow me..." Said Gannon, as he started walking down the room. "...Now we are in the royal palace." The three of them made their way to another black metal door. Gannon knocked on the door, "Alright we're here!" After a few seconds, the door began opening slowly. As the door swung out wider, the room inside was revealed. Lura held an expression of determination, while Nyleah and Nazeem were both nervously waiting behind her. Before Lura took another step, her vision was fixated on the figure which sat on the throne before them. It was queen Maddenalla. Her gaze, piercing daggers down on the three tennagers that just arrived.
After months on the road heading South, Kiliano and Vencer finally made it out of the Northern regions of Vraldeen. The air around them had gotten noticeably more crisp, and the weather was cold. Vencer and Kiliano were in a cave for the night. Vencer had made a fire and was staying close to it. Kiliano was closer to the entrance of the cave. Even though it was much colder, Kiliano took advantage of the harsh weather to practice his concentration while meditating. He was sitting down by the entrance with his eyes closed and his arms criss-crossed. His aura was emanating around his body. It was dense and calm, almost mimicking the flow of water. Farther outside the cave, in a nearby ravine, a hoard of dragons were sleeping. There are nearly a dozen of them laying on top of each other. But within the giant clump of dragons, a pair of eyes opened, nearly the same size as the dragon's head. The eyes were a crimson red color and emanated malice.
When morning arrived, Kiliano sat up from his meditation spot and walked over to his master, who was sleeping on the ground. He nudged Vencer with his foot and said, "Wake up master. It's time to go." Vencer's eyes tightened. His face scrunched up as if he was in pain, "Wha… Kiliano… why so early?" His voice was filled with a tiresome tone. His eyes had grey bags under them, and a faint stench was coming from his body. Kiliano caught a whiff of this smell and plugged his nose with two of his fingers, "Master, you needa clean up. Your smell is getting to be kinda nasty." After hearing this, Vencer sat up, rubbing his eyes. He sat in a slouched position with his back in a seemingly uncomfortable angle. "You're in luck, Kiliano. You won't have to deal with my aroma for much longer..." This interested Kiliano. "...We'll make it into town soon." "What town, master?" Vencer smiled, "Caale, the capital of Vraldeen. Once we're there I'm gonna have a little chat with someone, and we'll stay the night in a high-end inn." Vencer's voice was still sloppy and tired, but his words came out smoothly enough for Kiliano to understand. Now that he knew they were headed to the capital, Kiliano's excitement grew. He turned away from Vencer, and headed out of the cave. Once his face was in the opposite direction of his master, Kiliano formed a delighted smile. His eyes shined with excitement and he began walking with more stride. The two of them made their way through the mountains and into a large valley. Kiliano narrowed his eyes and focused them on something farther in the distance. That's when he noticed something, "Master…?" Vencer turned to look at him, "...What's that over there?" Vencer turned to look at what Kiliano was talking about. It was a black blur much farther down the valley. Vencer began talking, "Judging by the size of that thing, it's probably massive. My guess is we're at Caale. What you're seeing is the city's main gates." Kiliano spoke up, "But isn't it getting bigger?" Vencer had turned away, but once Kiliano said this his head shot back to see. And he was right. The black blur was noticeably bigger than before. In fact, it was still growing in size. Vencer's eyes widened. His poster stiffened and he backed away slightly, "Kiliano I believe it's time for us to run. Now!" Vencer turned to their left and bolted away. This caught Kiliano off guard, but he followed anyway. The two of them ran through the valley, heading towards a ravine in between two mountains. Kiliano was confused, so he asked Vencer, "Master… Why are we running!?" Vencer's eyes were instilled with fear. He maintained his focus on running, but replied, "What you just saw there, was a Black Dragon! Those damn things are native to Vraldeen. And they're the mightiest of all basic dragons. If that thing saw us, we're in some serious trouble!" They ran into the ravine, and jumped down a steep cliff. The two of them glanced down at where they were going to land. Unfortunately, they were headed straight down for another few hundred feet. Below them was a dense forest. Vencer used wind magic to stop his momentum, while Kiliano pulled out an iron sword and stabbed it into the cliff next to him, which slowed his momentum enough to land without hurting himself. Kiliano walked over to his master, "Do you think we're good here?" Vencer was contemplating something in his head. After a few moments, he replied, "Y-yeah. We should be good now. C'mon follow me. I know a route outta this place." The two of them continued once more, making their way through the forest. However, a rumble shook the ravine which they had both previously fallen from. A giant black wing appeared from the other side, and a dragon made its way to the cliff. Its crimson eyes closed in on Kiliano and Vencer's location, before turning around, and leaving. The two swordsmen were too far away to notice this. And they made their way to Caale, completely aloof of the dragon's presence.