The evening orange dawned a deep blue and finished by being an inky black. The darkness, and the cold came, tied together to shatter me. Where am I exactly? I believe it's near Icecape Town, my crew has died, torn to shreds by dragon-panthers. I eventually found an officer in the border between the Mizu Kingdom and the Dragon Continent, but something confused me about what he said.
"Were you part of the Raiders Squad?" The officer asked.
"Yes, they died on the way here, but I don't know how we even got here." I tell him.
"I'm sorry kid, but that group is part of a criminal organization using time magic."
"Time magic?" I thought that it was a fairy tale…
"Under the Dragon Continent rules set by our god, you are under arrest." The officer says, sternly and resolute.
That was quite the surprise, and some of what came later was bad for me, but i'm still here so recalling the story may not be so bad…
It all began when the Raiders and I got to the Terre Kingdom, going in between the Trida Pass. The Trida Passes are the intersections of three kingdoms borders. One lies in the connection point of of Kamino, the Terre Kingdom, and the Dragon Continent. We took the pass to reach the Terre Kingdom, but once we traveled far enough away from civilization of any kind, that's when something strange occurred.
A man in a deep blue vest appeared to us and started fighting The Raiders. He even came up to me and beat me hard, though I tried to fight, I didn't have any backup by that point. I blacked out, and the rest seemed blurry.
I awoke in an insurmountable amount of time later. I was never told how long it had been, but I felt as though my hair had grown some.
Flashback*.
I awake in a cavern; I was told nearby the Fels District. Who told me the information was likely my dearest friend of The Raiders, Alya.
Alya was probably the sweetest woman I had ever met in my life. Her hair was a snowy, or ivory white along with her hoary eyes. She was ridiculously small compared to the rest of The Raiders, she may have been 150 or 152 centimeters tall. Her main role in the squad was to-.
"Anan, here you go. This was your favorite right?" Alya says.
Alya hands me fried soft pretzel buns covering a medium-well cooked burger. This actually is my favorite…
"Wow, Alya, thanks so much." I say to her.
"I wouldn't forget your birthday dummy! She speaks.
The rest of the group was outside, so this moment with her felt so incredibly special.
"Alya… you really are… Amazing you know that?" I say.
She smiles at me, then we eat together before the rest of The Raiders come back inside.
End flashback*
The rest of The Raiders included the leader, Korgen, and the other two members, Terris, and Vern. I soon became aware of the group's personalities, and their antics; as to be honest, they were a less organized, vigilante group. Though I'm not thinking about the details, they did do pranks on townspeople whenever they got the chance, somewhat like the school troublemakers that used to mess with my dear friend and I.
We may have been incendiaries, but we still did quests as much as we could handle. Or at least more than I could handle…
One day we decided to do a rescue quest and that is when I realized these guys weren't so bad. The dedication from The Raiders was clear by their willingness to go the distance. In this case, the missing person was trapped in an arrachnaconda web.
When I saw it, I was terrified out of my mind, it may have been twenty feet tall, multiple eyes, its aggression was immeasurably intense.
Yet despite me getting into many open positions for it to attack me, every time I would have backup from our tank Terris, or that one-time Korgen came in out of nowhere to save both of us, landing the killing blow on the monster.
The fight was rough, but we defeated the monster.
And soon came that night…
I used magic to lift a stone igloo for us to rest, no one aside from Alya and I used magic very much; and her way was a bit different than the way I use it as well. Though I was a bit more talented considering my weaker magic abilities were still able to lift up a good igloo.
I went inside and swapped guard duty with Terris, though only a few moments later he yelled frantically from outside.
When everyone got out the shelter, Terris had disappeared.
Everything went by really quick, but instead of the desolate desert land, it was a hazardous snowscape.
The cold air hit me and made my body tense up- my lungs were quickly frozen, restricting my breathing from warming myself up.
A big eruption of the land came from underneath the rest of us, it was like a ravine had opened up right under us.
Korgen fell but caught himself on a small pillar.
I looked to find everyone else, but dragon-panthers were only a few meters away resting.
Once we helped Korgen up, I made the decision to go through the draconic beasts, because; it was their hibernation season.
…
"The next part… I believe was the most traumatic moment in my whole life."
"It's alright, you can tell me." Somebody says. "I'll help you through it, we all will."
…
We were silent, the four of us, Alya, Korgen, and Vern were with me, but another eruption came from underneath.
The dragon-panthers were awakened, and we could see the hunger in their scaly glares.
They came running at us, and with the ravine opening more and more, Alya, and Vern fell victim to the deep depths.
Korgen hung on the ravine to try and catch them, but it was too late.
"HELP! - "They yelled, falling to their graves.
"I- "I could not move.
I thought to myself. "In my last moments, all I can think of is avoiding death." I wondered. "What could Korgen be going through at this moment?"
Korgen tries climbing up the slippery ice of the mountain tubes, but it felt like his body held much more weight than it used to.
Korgen thinks to himself deeply, considering just letting go now. All the pain, the comrades lost. Not to mention Anan was a mere rookie, and the odds of beating a pack of dragon-panthers were way too low.
"Not too long ago, was a certain mission I had with the crew in Kamino, shortly after getting a hold of this Anan kid."
On that night, we lit a campfire to roast some fluffblooms, soft, pillowy, lightly springy, best snacks to carry for a team full of goofballs. Though, I wasn't quite enjoying that night like most other ones, I was busy thinking about my family.
My wife was somewhat of a rascal back when we were young, always out and about speaking her mind; made me fall for her of course. Soon enough we had our own baby, little Korgen Junior. I may not have been the best daddy, but I sure as hell would move mountains for that young man. I keep wondering whether she still talks about me to him, he must be all grown up by this point and I barely got to see it.
Terris nudged my shoulder, his head was about the size of my tricep, always made it fun to make jokes with him.
"Lost in thought, boss? Thought you didn't do much of that no more." His words were sentimental although seemingly rude.
Terris has been through a lot with me, the first member aside from me in the Raiders Squad actually. If I was in trouble, he'd come in front of me and more than make up for my short comings.
Alya, sitting nearby, offered me some herbs for my thinking excursion, noting that I was losing my head. "Boss, the brain damage will claim you if you don't eat your herbs you know." She placed her hands on her hips and kept speaking. "We don't want you to be any different, we want Korgen to guide us."
"Our boss is the best in the business for a reason." Vern spoke, lounging on a log nearby.
Vern was a bit more relaxed than the rest of us, he would act like a hero during our missions in front of people, but outside of those moments he was a couch pillow. He started whistling after saying that carefree as always.
Fresh-faced Anan, this kid really does remind me of myself when I was younger. Youthful, strong, talented, and hardworking, although he was not as confident of a man as I was, he had a potential I hoped he would survive to fulfill.
Terris nudged me once again. "Come on, Korgen. Let's drop brooding and eat some good food. Kamino isn't too shabby with their stock.
"Yeah, yeah it's time to eat." The words I really wanted to let out didn't come out like I wanted them to. They did always fail to when it mattered after all.
Vern sat with his arms crossed now, looking more seriously at me. "You know, boss. You look like you carry the weight of a mountain, but hey. Someone's gotta do the job right?"
Alya placed her hand on my shoulder, also stating. "And we'll always follow you, don't forget it."
"This family was worth the world, even you Anan." He mumbled to himself.
I may have failed my son and my wife who's gone now, however; the price of my family's lives is infinity.
The mountains were alive with danger, and I had to face it.
"If even Anan is in trouble, I must be too." Korgen lifts himself up from the ravine, resolute.
The dragon-panthers came closer to Anan who was immobile from fear.
Yet, fortune favors the ones with friends.
SHUNK! *
A blade was shot between the dragon-panthers and Anan, getting their attention.
"YOU WANT TO TAKE MY COMRADES? YOU GO THROUGH ME FIRST!" Korgen yells, no, he screams.
He picks up two large blades from his pockets and goes toe to toe against the beasts.
"ANAN! GET OUT OF HERE!"
"Y-yes boss!" Anan started to trip and fall flat many times while trying to escape.
Korgen turns around to Anan, picking him up off the floor telling him. "You're our wildcard kid, you gotta stay alive for all of us, cause we're a family."
I started to tear up, Korgen speaking those words to me amidst the chaos felt like a father doing the same for his son.
Korgen then throws Anan as far as he can with all his might, sending him many yards away from the danger.
A dragon-panther took Korgen's arm while he was turned around, and so he placed his blade in his mouth to keep stalling for me. He was getting hit so many times, and I was just running away, looking behind my back.
"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" He cries.
"…Did he die?" I couldn't look back even if I wanted to now, he's too far away.
SLASH*
"A clean cut?"
"ONE ARM? HOW ABOUT YOU TAKE ANOTHER? I'LL TAKE ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR MEANINGLESS, PUNY LIVES!" He yells, letting loose completely.
The small fire we made outside the igloo was all the light he had in the mountain, and he was able to defeat even one?
HACK*
"Another...?"
"FOUR MORE! COME AT ME GOD, NOTHING IS ABOVE THIS HIGH!"
SHUNK*
"…"
"THREE MORE!"
Tears flush my snow-covered face and make me even colder, the blizzard kept coming down.
The sound became faint, another crack in the ground took my attention off the battle, and I was caught by the deep depths.
"one!…"
cleave*…
Korgen speaks to himself after killing the last dragon-panther. "Well, i'll be dead soon." He stumbles to the floor, bloodied. "Now that i've lost an arm and half my blood, i'm sure i'll die soon." Fatherhood, captaincy, and husbandhood, huh? "Lots of this stuff is still a mystery to me." Korgen thinks to himself a bit deeper, noting. "I wish someone told my boy, that his father ain't too bad."
"That's all that really matters to me now." He laughs with a smile on his face, ear to ear.
"See ya, family." His smile fades as he coughs up blood, although for him, he couldn't feel it any longer.
Later…
I have no concept of what took me from then to where I ended up, but I found myself somewhere I didn't expect.
A long, cylindrical rocky tube took me through a seemingly endless journey, inside the mountain? Eventually, it ends, and I exit the tube.
"Looks like that mountain slide took me all the way to this town."
The environment was calm, as the folks were probably used to overcast days, some kids were playing outside throwing snowballs, and I was just out of a mountain tube fear stricken, running away from a few dragon-panthers.
"I should find some sort of officer quickly." I told myself, picking up my body from the ground, walking aimlessly like a zombie.
I had no thought whatsoever while looking around, too much just happened to process.
I eventually found an officer in the border between the Mizu Kingdom and the Dragon Continent, but something confused me about what he said.
"Under the Dragon Continent rules set by our god, you are under arrest." The officer says, sternly and resolute.
I believe I was taken across the continent on a carriage, not a luxurious one, but a wooden, beat-down carriage.
I wouldn't let anyone treat me this way, I am Anan, I stand up for myself, i'm a hot head… But I couldn't even move my fingers to the thought.
"What's wrong with me?" I think to myself.
For some reason, the answer won't slither into my mind.
More than 3 months of patient carriage riding took up my time.
"I'm hopeless…" I kept telling myself, unable to convince myself of anything else along the trip. All I had were some apples that looked progressively worse along the way, and some sheeyak meat that hadn't even been cooked properly. Everything was different, and not in the different the Raiders intrigued me to. Korgen… Oh you poor soul, please rest in peace. Eventually, the doors opened to a scenic surprise.
"Hey mate, this is Frigilis, the far-western city in the Dragon Continent."
I remembered hearing of Frigilis as the golden state of the Serpent Continent as a whole. The way I got to know it as well though was through studying which was surprisingly great (sarcasm), assuming I was going to prison.
The people, or DCP (Dragon Continent Police) took me to a sleek, exceptionally clean building, where I apparently had to meet with someone.
"Hi there, you from the Raiders Squad?" A charming, very physically imposing man talks to me.
"Yeah, though it didn't work out last time I said I was, so what of it?" I respond.
"I am Korgen's son, you must've known the leader of the Raiders Squad."
"Huh. Uhhh… HUH!?"
"Yes, it may be a surprise, but my father had married an elvish woman, and I was born from them. I may be young, but I have my mother's brilliance, so welcome to my mental health facility!" He speaks.
He's very athletic looking, but looks like an incredibly charming guy, I think I said that before… I guess if Korgen married a beauty I can see it. He had this sappy voice to him though, if I had only heard his voice I could've sworn, he was a woman.
"Why a mental health facility?" I ask.
"Well, obviously you're crushed, battered, practically a zero right now, and I'm offering you the power, and conveniences of my facility for free, well I hope soon to be."
"So i'm a tester for your facility?"
"Precisely, my little guinea pig." He spoke with zero filter.
I should find a way to regain my confidence so, it probably was my best option to take this deal. Hence, I took the offer.
Pass a few weeks, and I find myself happier, enjoying life in Frigilis. I wake up and go to bed in practically a private mansion. I get to live in a pretty nice District, and there are a few libraries I can go to for studying the world, which has always been a dream. All I have to do is take notes of each day on how living in the facility is like, for example…
Day 1: It feels weird to live in such a beautiful complex, the décor, and overall vibe I feel while roaming the halls is nice, and the aroma is very relaxing. Other facilities here, though I hadn't tried them yet, are the sauna, hot springs, and a pretty big snow hotel. The weather isn't as horrible as the eastern side of the Dragon Continent, and i'm very impressed by the ingenuity to build this place. Thank you once again for letting me enjoy this experience Mr Korgen.
Soon enough I met a few people I got along with, and they made me feel comfortable. I went out to the bar pretty often, and because i'm 16 now, they allow me to drink. I would hear stories, and research the meaning behind them, and the most fascinating one was the Kriv Cave.
One of my elvish friends told me about it, a dragon lived in the depths of it, with the inside is filled with magma, and lava. Though the most challenging part aren't the compact crevices inside, but the way to get inside. The cave entrance is nearly 400 meters high, and it isn't tied with a mountain to scale, it's just an enormous passage.
With my confidence at a high, I was planning to go up the cave some day.
At the academy in Frigilis, I learned some maths and science, but something that caught my intrigue was a type of magic spell.
I flipped the page in a large book, and see instated "Omkastning", which is something I heard from Alya.
Alya was the main support, and healer of The Raiders with a unique technique, which reversed our damage.
"When you focus all your energy into destruction, before you launch whatever attack you decide to turn the energy into, you reverse its affect, and the energy will be emitted as positive. This new discovery is known as light magic."
Seems like the book is old because light magic has been around for quite a few years, perhaps a few decades.
So, I began training by myself, using a bit of fire on some wood, then focusing on positive thoughts, making fire seem like a light of guidance, not a destructive element. My magic skills seemed to have decreased during this timeframe, likely due to the long periods of time spent doing nothing in a carriage.
The training I was doing didn't click with me though, so I began thinking of what Alya did to achieve that success.
"If she's still alive maybe, because I was sent here, she might've- "
"Hold on a minute." Says my elvish friend. "It's likely an archway of the Kriv Cave."
We were having a lunch at a nearby restaurant which sold some nice Porkpine stew. The food came quick, and I hear that Frigilis District is one of the only Districts that have "restaurants" rather than food vendors around the market.
Agnes, my friend, is a great adventurer, likely because most of her business is in the Dragon Continent. She once spoke of her rivalry with a certain "Sylvia Kamin" though it didn't make sense to me when it came to the timing of the events, because when they were adventuring, Everest's mother should be at home with Everest a few years back. Or, maybe i'm overthinking it, because Kamin is a pretty common name, right?
"Well, if you want to find them, you might as well come with me to Kriv Cave." She says.
"How about this, when my time in this District ends, we go with a group?" I speak.
"Bet!" She speaks.
Agnes is a straight-forward gal she says, though; I think she's a deeper thinker than she makes herself out to be.
I start training every day physically to increase my stamina, and overall fitness in the battlefield, if I must fight. I run in the mornings, focus on calisthenics in the evenings, and get plenty of sleep. I also begin to tackle a few quests that don't require me to fight, unfortunately; I opt for safer tasks to… "Keep my fitness up! Yes… It must be." I say to myself, with my voice wavering, and my hands shaking, and it keeps me up at night.
A week to go, I hear some disturbing news, as Mr Korgen calls me to his offices.
"Anan, how are you doing on this evening?" He speaks with somber, though, trying to stay professional.
"I'm doing fine, how about you sir?" I say to him.
He pauses, and then goes over the news.
"I have some news, that my father has been found lifeless in a tunnel."
"That's terrible… I'm sorry Mr Korgen. I'm sure he died a valiant death."
"Yes, so, in a certain tunnel nearby, we have found some items, which did not belong to my father. Do you know what these are?"
He opens a briefcase, and I see a bunch of The Raiders tools.
"These are from The Raiders."
"Yes, but don't you see what's off about this?" He speaks.
I really don't see anything out the ordinary. "Hey look, there's Vern's rapier. That's cool."
"And I think you cracked the case then Mr Anan."
"Huh? I did?"
"According to the story you told me, my father was fighting off some Dragon-Panthers. But this suggests the group met up after his battle."
"Oh it does! He lived the fight, but later he died?" He's a beast, no wonder he was our leader.
"Precisely, and we want you to look for the rest."
"Well, it's the least I can do for you Mr Korgen."
"Yes, thank you for taking care of this important mission. This will be your first big quest in a while, right?"
A rescue mission, they are probably not in the cave, unless they traveled there across the insides of the ravine… I guess that's the only clue I have.
"I'll find them." I say to Mr Korgen, as I leave his office.
Later at night, I go back to the facility and get ready for bed. Though, through my window I see some people in strange masks outside talking to each other.
"I wonder what they're talking about." I head outside to ask them why they're out by my property so late.
"Hello- I say as the world hit me.
They unsheathed their swords, and some took out their ripe bats, to attack me.
The masked men eventually stopped pulverizing me, leaving my broken body just outside the facility, defeated.
"Why wouldn't I move?" I say aloud, whispering.
I used to be a prodigy with magic, even in combat which I didn't care about. So, what's wrong with me? Thoughts of The Raiders, and especially Alya, appear in my mind. I think of my old friend as well, where would he be at this moment? Alya still kept invading my mind; however, opening my eyes to the thought, "Am I in love?"
I stood up from the icy floor with ease and went back inside, with no injuries to speak of, and with a clear head, I get into bed.
"Goodnight." I speak aloud to myself, but who did I mean it to be heard by?
Somewhere else*
A soft, feminine voice speaks in her mind, "Someone, saves us."
She waits a moment, in a cramped, dark space.
Dispersed flashes of light hit her eyes as the wardrobe she's in' opened by something, or someone, as she screeches aloud for help.
Omake 6: Fiery Woman in training
A woman with red, silky hair with yellow highlights carries a sword in her hand, swinging it back and forth.
"I gotta say, I feel like I could be more useful out somewhere else, not just training with this sword all day."
She shrugs, not paying it too much attention.
"I guess that's how the world works. Someone may need me, but many more could be helped later if I keep training."
"I have to carry the fire forward; because no one else can!"
She places the sword on her shoulder, striking a snazzy pose.
"I am Flannerise, one of the most gifted descendants of lady Nova!" She speaks excitedly.