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Chapter 6
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Guildhall, Vernorth upper city, 12:00 PM
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The upper city of Vernoth bustled with life, merchants selling goods at stands on the main Street, Teja debated buying a new staff out loud while Mnemeth scoffed at the quality of the weapons sold. Kids were darting around the street, their laughter mixing with the tunes coming from a bard playing music further down the street, the smell of food ran through the air. Though all the sound blurred together to Ace, his thoughts were all over the place, he barely registered a comment Marcel had made about an old beat-up shop two blocks down. Everything was happening too fast, Hokima and Marcel were walking in front of him, Teja was in between Ace and Mnemeth. Inches decided to stay back at the Guildhouse, before they left Ace heard her mutter something about finally having the right ingredients for some goblin dish.
Soon they arrived at their destination, the Grand Guildhall. A place where every guild mixes to take on various jobs, the building was gigantic with a large entrance, its walls white with marble pillars. All kinds of races could be seen entering and exiting "Welcome to the Grand Guildhall Ace," Marcel said in his best 'this is supposed to be impressive' voice. The inside was just as grand as the outside, boards with various jobs lined the walls, tables strung across the room, there was a bar that served food and drinks by the right wall. In the middle was a desk, which a purple haired lady sat.
The group followed Marcel as he walked towards the purple haired lady, her eyes looking each member up and down and she seemed to blush when she looked at Hokima, "Someone has a crush" Teja joked under his breath, Mnemeth chuckled a bit and Hokima sighed.
"Hello Lirien," Marcel said amused… well as amused as a dead man could get "we're here to register a new guild member of the rogues guild"
Lirien looked at Ace, her eyes studying him "Mark?" She asked in a calm albeit flustered voice. Ace raise his arm and showed her his rogue guild's serpent mark, Lirien studied the mark before opening a draw in her desk, she took out a piece of paper wrote something on it and then handed it to Marcel "He has to fill this out before he can join you in any jobs or quest"
Marcel nods "thanks" and turns to walk away, the group follows, Lirien eyes linger on Hokima a bit before another group of people walk to her desk. The group find an empty table and take a set, Marcel slides the paper over to Ace "Try not to lie on it" he states plainly. Ace looks at the paper,
National Guild Association
Name:
Date of Birth:
Age:
Abilities:
Guild: Rogues Guild
Guild Leader: Marcel
Ace stares at the paper, he writes Ace in place of his name, the year 179, 4th day of the year where it's say Date of Birth, and 21 for his age. Ace pauses "what do I put for my Abilities?" He asks looking over to Marcel who was talking to Hokima about something, the conversation at the table died down. " Would it be wise for him to put fire control?" Marcel looked over to Hokima, "No not at all, when was the last time you've seen someone control and produce fire Marcel?" Hokima asked, already knowing the answer. "Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" Ace asked confused, "because only followers of Ashkarion have aspects of fire as their abilities and powers" Marcel answered the glancing at Hokima, "wait but Hokima can control ash?" Teja pointed out "doesn't that mean-" Hokima cut Teja off, "Yes, I was once a servant of Ashkarion." Hokima stated, his gaze seemingly far off into the distance.
"You're fast Ace, I'm sure you could get away with putting enhanced speed." Mnemeth suggested, he didn't want to help the human but for now it was beneficial. "Yes, you should put that." Marcel agreed. Ace put enhanced speed on the paper, and stood up, "so I just hand it to Lirien now?" He asked "Yes" Hokima answered plainly, Marcel stood up "While you're doing that we'll be looking for quests", "Shouldn't we do a job first since it's Ace's first time?" Teja suggested. "Quest pays more and we need new equipment" Hokima said standing up, Teja nodded his head in defeat, suddenly his stomach growled "I'll go get some food for us" he said also standing up.
"Mnemeth you should go with him, just in case anyone tries to start something" Marcel suggested, Mnemeth sighed and stood up "Make sure he doesn't spend all his money either" Hokima added, Mnemeth nodded as the duo walked off towards the bar. Ace figured it was about time he turned his paper in. Marcel and Hokima walked towards the job boards.
"It's been a while since we had a new member huh?" Marcel said striking up conversation, "yes, you are picky when it comes to members" Hokima agreed," though it seems to be a good thing" he added as they reached the quest boards. Quests were harder than jobs because most times they required combat, so only guild's that had members they could hold their own in battle took them. That didn't mean there were a lot of quests though, there were only three at the board Marcel and Hokima were at. All of them were in the same area though, No Man's Land. Quest rewards were based on how hard they seemed and how many parties tried and failed to complete them.
The first one was a quest to slay a Skalder Wretch, a smart humanoid animal that was the byproduct of ancient cult actions in the region, this quest rewarded 2000 gold and 200 silver which meant one party tried and failed to slay the Skalder Wretch. The second quest was to map and potentially clear a new cave opening by the border of No Man's Land, its reward was 3000 gold. The last quest catches both Marcel's and Hokima's eyes, vanquish a Cinder. The Cinder quest reward was 10,000 gold and 48,000 silver. Marcel shivered at the sight, 240 parties had tried and failed to vanquish this Cinder he glanced over to Hokima. Hokima stared at the number, his fist clenched and his jaw tight.
Hokima reaches for the Cinder quest, "Are you sure?" Marcel asked, as concerned as a dead body could be. Hokima hesitated before saying "Someone has to do it." He answered as he took the quest paper off the wall, Marcel nodded "Very well". The duo walks towards Lirien's desk just as Ace was finally able to turn in his paper.
Hokima slides the Cinder quest across the desk, Lirien raises an eyebrow "Are you sure?" She asked, concern evident in her voice. "Yes" Hokima responded leaving no room for objections, Ace caught a glimpse of the quest paper "what's wrong" he questioned, Lirien glanced at him but didn't respond, she hesitantly stamped the paper "good luck" she said. Hokima nodded as he took the paper "Come on, let's meet back up with Taje and Mnemeth" Hokima commanded before heading towards the table they previously sat.
Taje and Mnemeth were already eating, Taje's plate full of snacks and a bit of meat, Mnemeth on the other hand had greens and meats. They fixed plates for their other party members too and allowed them to take their pick.
Marcel, Hokima, and Ace sit down. Ace and Hokima grab plates that had mostly meat on them, Marcel doesn't grab any food at all. "How much did you guys spend?" Hokima asked, raising an eyebrow at the amount of food on the table, "200 silver" Mnemeth replied "not too bad" Taje added with a goofy smile, chocolate covered crumbs around his mouth.
Hokima placed the Cinder quest in the middle of the table, Taje's smile dropped a bit, Mnemeth stopped chewing his food and swallowed hard "what is the meaning of this Marcel?" Mnemeth as he eyed the quest "we are nowhere near capable of taking on a Cinder" he added his gaze shifted to Hokima "You chose it huh?" Mnemeth said angrily. "Yes, and we are capable, if we learn how to work together" Hokima said, Teja stayed quiet looking at the paper before him '240 failed' he thought. Ace spoke up, breaking the argument between Hokima and Mnemeth "What even is a Cinder?" He asked, concerned and confused.
Marcel sighed "A Cinder was a follower of Ashkarion who underwent the Forge of Rebirth, however they did not pass it's trials instead of being reborn as a stronger version of themselves they were stripped of everything thing that made them mortal, they could not die of old age, could not feel a thing, their only purpose was to reshape the world in Ashkarion flaming image." He paused, the word hung heavy in the air. Marcel remembered the first time he'd ever seen a Cinder, the blazing hot air, the melted ground, the charred bodies, he remembered it all like it was yesterday.
"I guess this will prove if you truly are the son of Ashkarion" Mnemeth spat with venom. Teja sighed before picking up a muffin "I guess we will need more equipment huh?" He joked hopefully.
Ace stares at the paper, "has anyone seen one before and lived?" Ace thought aloud "N-" Marcel cut Hokima off "Yes, though I was already dead when I saw it" Marcel said, the table was silenced with suspension "what was it like?" Taje asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.
Marcel began to speak "I did not know how long this particular Cinder had been around, it stood there unmoving as if it was frozen in time. I couldn't make a sound, whether I was truly immortal or not did not matter, at that moment I was nowhere near strong enough to take on a Cinder. Flaming piles of bodies littered the ground around this Cinder, it was clear it had been here for years. Then it took a step, the ground under its feet melted, the air itself burned, and I felt every nerve in my body telling me to run. But the Cinder walked right past me, my skin felt like it was burning off, soon enough the Cinder was gone, the melted ground and charred bodies being the only proof it was ever there." Marcel said, his words hung in the air. "Why didn't it attack you?" Ace asked, breaking the silence "because I had already been reborn" Marcel replied matter of factly.
Taje spoke up his plate being cleared of snacks "what color was its flames?" He asked in his eyes. "Azure blue" Marcel replied, "a rare color of flame even for Cinders" Hokima thought out loud, "rare flames in general" Mnemeth added. "Let's hope this Cinder is not the same one I met back in the day" Marcel said before standing up "everyone ready to head out?"
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Two days later, No Man's Land, 4:30 PM
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The journey to No Man's Land was long and boring, which in hindsight was a good thing. The group followed the main road, had a couple of fights with wildlife and got food out of it. Currently the group was sitting around a fire, a dead pig being cooked above it. The smell of pork made Teja's mouth water, Mnemeth was off somewhere praying, Ace was sharpening his single dagger while Marcel and Hokima were coming up with potential ways to win the upcoming fight.
"Unfortunately we can't use water to weaken the Cinder since there is no water in No Man's Land" Marcel said thinking of more ways to win "Would Taje's Essence drainer work?" Marcel asked Hokima "Most likely not, unless this Cinder kept its original abilities Taje should stay back and focus on support" Hokima responded "Ace and I will be the ones to face it head on, you could revive undead if there are any around but I doubt they'll be much help" Hokima said calmly, his mace sat on the ground to the side of him.
"Why wouldn't Taje's Essence drainer work?" Ace asked confused, still sharpening his dagger. "Because a Cinder's abilities don't rely on Essence like most other living things, since their power is given to them by Ashkarion's forge." Marcel responded, "Mnemeth could help too, his shadow step would allow him to get close to attack and retreat quickly" Hokima said.
Mnemeth listened to the conversation as he prayed to his goddess Vexacion, this time however, was different, he could feel her listening more than the last. Soon he finished his prayer, his brown eyes slightly glowing purple.
The growl of Taje's stomach broke everyone's thoughts "Mannn when is the pig gonna be done?" He asked, his mouth watering at the thought. Ace chuckled and stood up, walking towards the campfire, he took his sharpened dagger and cut a piece of the pig off like butter. The pig was golden brown, nice and juicy "Seems done to me" Ace said before tossing the piece into his mouth.
Soon everyone was around the campfire eating, Marcel and Hokima were still talking about ideas, Taje was asking Mnemeth about his prayer session, and Ace was in his head again. Ace wonders if he'll learn anything about his supposed father, or the voice that had spoken to him at the end of his and Hokima's sparring match.
'It's getting dark' Marcel thought, he had noticed Ace's distracted look though he figured it best to leave the kid be, after all he had a lot of information to absorb. Mnemeth taught Taje a prayer to Vexacion, Hokima stood up, his eyes focused on something off in the distance. Hokima's suddenly movement snapped Ace out of his thoughts, Teja and Mnemeth stopped their conversation. "What is it?" Marcel said what everyone was thinking. Hokima raised his hand, signaling everyone to keep quiet, the smell in the air changed from that of a freshly cooked meal to a burning body. "The Cinder is close," Hokima said calmly.
Taje lets out a nervous chuckle, Mnemeth puts his index finger up to his lips telling Taje to quiet down. Everyone stands up, the temperature in the air raises. "it's getting closer" Marcel said, his black wolf mask glowing dark blue runes that Ace didn't notice before. The forest grew silent, Hokima picked up his mace, and the mace started glowing red. Mnemeth ready his spear, Taje gripped his staff tightly, Ace slipped out his dagger 'I hope it's sharp enough' he thought to himself as Marcel grabbed his bow.
The light from the Cinder could be seen before the Cinder itself, 'lucky it's light is a normal yellow' Marcel thought, the trees around the Cinder lit a flame, birds flew out of the flaming trees, their wings on fire. The Cinder's steps were heavy, rocks popped from the heat. Hokima's grip tightened around his mace, his eyes studying the approaching Cinder.
As the trees fall from the heat of the Cinder its form could be made out against the flaming background. Its charred and burnt skin, cracks of lava red veins, two antler-like horns protrude from its skull, in its hands was a flaming longsword. "It's a normal one," Hokima commented, though it didn't seem to ease anyone. "I'd hardly call that normal," Mnemeth scoffed. "Taje stay back, provide support." Hokima commanded, Taje stepped back as Hokima, Ace, and Mnemeth walked forward. Marcel aimed his bow at the Cinder, he let an arrow fly, it ripped through the air and slammed into the Cinder's skull, knocking its head back. The Cinder snapped his head forward and let out an ear piercing scream, the flames rippled at the sound and Taje drop his staff and cover his wolf ears, Hokima's took a hesitant step forward and Ace and Mnemeth follow.
"Mnemeth, go into the shadows and try to attack whenever there is an opening, whatever you do don't get hit" Hokima commanded, Mnemeth nodded and shadow stepped away. Marcel shot another arrow at the Cinder but this time it raised its flaming sword and struck the arrow down before it could hit it. The Cinder dropped its sword, the longsword hit the ground hit, it raised its charred hand to the arrow embedded in its skull and pulled it out, the arrow burned in its hand and it picked its sword back up before slashing at a squirrel trying to escape the flaming inferno it's home had become. With the slash of its sword a wave of lava red fire strike the squirrel and left a burn mark in the ground.
Mnemeth, taking advantage of its seemingly distracted state, appeared behind the Cinder, impaling his spear through its chest before quickly pulling it out and disappearing again. However he did not make it out unscathed, pain shot through Mnemeth's arm like a hot blade. He bit back a curse, gripping his spear tighter. He couldn't let the others see weakness—not now. The Cinder roared again, flames bursting from the new found hole in its chest, its eyes locked on to Ace.
The Cinder charges at Ace, Marcel fires four arrows at the same time, Hokima dashes towards Ace making it just in time to push him out the way and block the Cinder's flaming sword. The flames for the sword licked at Hokima's face, Marcel's arrows nail the Cinder in the arm, leg, and head. The Cinder let out an animalistic scream as it pushes its sword against Hokima's mace, Hokima's feet dig into the ground from the force.
Ace focused on his right hand; it burst into black flames and Ace tries his best to control it as he slams his fist into the Cinder sending it flying with another blood boiling scream. Hokima breathes heavily "thanks" he mutters "don't mention it" Ace replies as he watches the Cinder crash into a burning tree. "We can't keep going like this" Marcel says as he fires six more arrows at the down Cinder.
The Cinder slams his flaming sword into the ground and uses it to help itself up, Marcel's arrows protrude from its body, Ace's black flames left a small indent on the Cinder's charred form. The hole Mnemeth left with his spear was almost completely closed. Marcel fires two arrows at the Cinder again, this time though they burned in the air before they could hit it. The Cinder dash at Hokima, Hokima barely dodged as his flaming sword came crashing down melting a pile of rocks behind him. Ace slammed his dagger into the Cinder's charred shoulder, the blade melting on contact. The Cinder turned it head towards Ace before kicking him hard in the stomach, Ace dropped to the ground, lucky the flames didn't affect him like it did the other. The Cinder lifted its flaming sword above its head, before– BOOM!
Hokima slammed his Mace into the Cinder's arm, the arm deformed and Hokima's mace flew into the Cinder's skull, sending it crashing into a tree. "Are you okay Ace?" Taje said running up to Ace and helping him up "y-yeah" Ace coughed out, the spot on his shirt where the Cinder kicked was burnt. Hokima rushed towards the downed Cinder and three seconds later a loud—CRASH! Could be heard as Hokima slid across the dirt. The Cinder walked out of the flaming tree after Hokima, its head moving side to side. Taje moved away and Marcel shot seven more arrows at the Cinder, each one block and striked down.
Ace breathed his deeply, black flames flicking to life as Ace tried to control his power. Mnemeth struck the Cinder in its leg before disappearing again, another burn appeared on Mnemeth's body. The heat from Ace's black flames quickly overpowered the heat of the Cinder, Ace walked slowly towards the limping Cinder, their eyes locking before Ace rushed at the Cinder— BOOM! Ace broke the sound barrier as he slammed his hand through the Cinder's chest, the Cinder roared out and its charred left arm gripped Ace's arm tightly before the Cinder slammed its head into Ace's. The Cinder's horns scratched up Ace's forehead, Mnemeth appeared behind the Cinder and stabbed his spear through its neck before popping its head off, the Cinder's body went limp and Ace pulled his arm out allowing its body to fall.
"Is... is it dead?" Taje asked Marcel "Hopefully" Marcel said as he studied the bodies of the Cinder. Mnemeth nodded at Ace before walking towards Hokima and helping him up. Ace stared at the dead Cinder 'At any moment we could've died' Ace thought to himself as his black flames died down, the flames left over from the Cinder slowly went out, leaving behind a charred and burnt wasteland.
Hokima walked over while dusting himself off, "Good job Ace, good job everyone" Hokima said as he picked up the Cinder's head. "Tonight, we rest and celebrate," Marcel said. "I think we should find a better place to make camp" Taje said looking at the aftermath of the battle "yeah" Mnemeth agreed.