It was a particularly cold morning. Rashen sat on a park bench,his mind racing. It was just about six o'clock in the morning,a few hours before the hearing would actually begin but Rashen was far too nervous to stay at the lodge and decided to leave early. It had been a pretty quiet couple of days leading to the hearing for Rashen. Ever since the incident at the local market Rashen decided to stay at the lodge and because of this, Gayle had to go get the suits (a task he wasn't to pleased with doing).Unlike Rashen, Gayle had no issues exploring Nottenam looking for inspiration, inspiration he would never find because he thought that Nottenam was a particularly boring place. He ultimately decided to stay at the lodge too. He spent most of his time with Macy(who was still not in speaking terms with Rashen) in her room just opposite theirs. Before leaving,he left a note for Gayle telling him where he would be and the time he would be heading over to the court house. He was never really
In the court room where Rashen's hearing was taking place everyone's attention was solely on the Marshall. He took out the case files that had been presented to him,"I am going to ask you a series of questions that you can either answer with a 'Yes' or a 'No' unless you are asked to explain further, understood?""Yes." The Marshall began,"The accused was reported to have attended an unofficial get together for the graduating cadets that took place after the graduation ceremony,do you deny this?" The Marshall asked,"No." Replied Rashen,"The accused was reported to have left the get together with the victims before the alloted time,do you deny this?" "No." "The reason for this is because of an altercation between the accused and another cadet,do you deny this?""Yes." Rashen said much to the slight unease of those seated, especially Squad Commander Malloy. The Marshall's face creased as he went through the file again,"You deny that you had an altercation with one Imperial Cadet B
"Ow!!!" Cried Rashen as Gayle slapped him across the face."Oh good! You're finally awake." Said Ngoko.Rashen noticed he was on the floor,he took a look around as me rubbed his cheek. He was still in the courtroom and right now he was surrounded by Gayle, Raspin,Ngoko and Head Academic Officer Remry Gillurt."What the hell happened?" He asked as Gayle helped him back up his feet."You fainted." Replied Raspin instantly,"I fainted?" "Yes you did." Said Raspin,"And just before the Marshall gave his verdict too." "Must've been the stress." Added Ngoko.It all came back to Rashen,"That's right,my verdict." He said in a panicky tone as he turned to face the Marshall."Relax cadet, you've been declared innocent." Said Officer Gillurt with a bright smile reminiscent of Head Watcher Garle."It is as the Head Academic Officer says," said the Marshall, "You've been proven innocent of all charges against you. You are hereby off your probation and all the privileges you earned for graduating
"Are you ready yet?" Rashen asked Gayle for the fourth time that that hour."Patience Rashikins." Gayle replied.Rashen, after being coerced by Officer Gillurt, would be attending the Goldenfire Banquet that evening. After returning home they decided to at least freshen up before since they had the time. Rashen took a bath and wore the suit he wore for his hearing after airing it out.Gayle on the other hand decided to wash his suit again. He left it out to dry while he took a long bath. Unfortunately for him they only had about an hour left before the banquet starts and the suit was still damp. Rashen offered to use his fire to completely dry it up for him but he refused and called him 'uncultured'. He instead borrowed a hot press from another soldier in the lodge. "You know," Rashen started, "Seeing as you were the most excited about attending the banquet I assumed you'd want to leave early." "Relax Rashikins, I'll be done in another thirty minutes." "Thirty minutes!!?" "Give or
Rashen didn't feel too good about his encounter with the chief maid. She was the woman after all,who when no one else would,took Rashen in when he was still just a baby and raised him till he was four years old before leaving him in his shack. Rashen knew that by all accounts he should be grateful to her, and genuinely was but he also believed she was part of what seemed to be a recurring issue in his life,where people would come in but before he can make a genuine connection with them,they leave for some reason or the other.It happened with the chief maid,it happened with Argins,it happened with Mr and Mrs Cobbs and right now it was happening with Macy. It was frustrating because he should be the happiest he's ever been,he was cleared in the hearing, acknowledged by Ngoko and Raspin as a rival,he had Gayle and he had Grittshore,a place he could call home,but it's not enough, without Macy it just wasn't enough. Rashen didn't feel like he'd be doing himself any good by trying to get fr
There Rashen stood, his clothes charred,his face red and his hair smoking. He stood barefoot against Lumins who was fuming. They stared into each other's eyes and right then and there they knew there were no words that needed to be said. Lumins created a fire ball and Rashen's blood red flames burst out from his back. They charged towards each other but before any contact, seemingly out of nowhere Ngoko appeared before them and sent both of them flying back with a powerful wind blast. "That's enough!" He said firmly. A crowd gathered up and leading them was Basterious and LiLyna. She ran towards Lumins teary eyed, "Oh Lumins,are you alright? Are you hurt?" She asked in urgency. "Put those dirty flames away!" Ordered Basterious furiously. Rashen's flames was still burning out of his back but he hadn't noticed nor did he pay Basterious any attention. All his attention was still focused on Lumins. "How dare you attempt to attack my son in his own home?" Basterious asked but Rashen st
"Rashikins...what exactly is it you're doing again?" Gayle asked. Rashen, sweating and breathing heavily, responded,"Huff... training...huff." Rashen balanced himself on one arm,his other arm stretched out trying to grab onto another beam. The contraption Rashen was currently on, the Borhmmer's Stand was the one of the most physically challenging equipments at the training center. It was a series of intricately designed beams of varying sizes arranged as one huge stand. The aim was to get to the very top of the stand,one slip up and Rashen could seriously injure himself."Training eh? And how'd you think this'll help beat that Lulu guy?" Gayle asked as he watched Rashen attempt to make his way to the top of the stand."You can't -huff- be serious!" Said Rashen as he finally sat at the top of the stand. "As serious as a fractured spine Rashikins." Said Gayle. He threw up a face towel for Rashen to wipe his sweat."You know my fire is weak yeah?" "Everyone knows your fire is weak sh
The Grand Fortera,the largest stadium in Ephyre, where the strongest warriors would battle before the past Kings of Old Ephyre for honour and glory. In modern times it is used to host the Continental Atcher's Ball Tournament. But today, it's where Rashen would battle Lumins in a duel. Rashen woke up early. He took his bath, brushed his teeth and wore his clothes. He wanted to take in the early morning breeze. He walked out the door but he couldn't move an inch,he just stood there staring at Macy's door. They hadn't seen her since they got back from the banquet. He thought that no matter what they'd have settled their differences before they returned to Grittshore,if not for themselves then for the team, for Miss Marun, for Garle and the Grittshore Watch and for everyone in Grittshore depending on them,but he was wrong. Not only does she still seemingly hate him,but they had drifted so far apart that she didn't even want to be in the same space with him anymore. As he stared at her
In a particular bar in Blak Acre,the Goddess Spit,sat a crusty,hairy and unkept drunk. Sticking out of the pocket of his coat was a rusty dagger. He downed a jug of beer and slammed it on the counter demanding another. The workers as well as other customers found him incredibly annoying and overbearing. He harasses the female workers and constantly picks fights with the men. It was safe to say that no one enjoyed his presence,but he was a paying customer and as long as you have the money to pay, anyone is welcomed at the Goddess Spit bar.The door to the bar swung open violently and in came two Imperial Soldiers."NIGSKY!!!" One of the soldiers,the shorter one with natural tan skin,messy hair and red eyes yelled. Nigsky wasted no time pulling his dagger out of his coat but it was instantly slapped away by the cadet who grabbed his head and slammed it hard on the counter repeatedly leaving him disoriented.The cadet dragged him outside the bar and into an alley close by. Nigsky called
It had been over an hour since Rashen arrived at the Grittshore Watch Headquarters with Ridnik in arms. He sat in one of the many rooms in the building together with Garle,Hanabi,Miss Marun,Macy and Gayle. As they sat there in silence,Nanalie arrived. Garle was the first to ask her,"How is he Nanalie?" "He's unconscious Head Watcher. He still has his convulsions but I'd like to think his condition has gotten better. I'm told that they can manage to keep him alive till we can take him to the hospital for professional treatment." "That's good. We should let him rest a while before transporting him." "I'll let the others know Head Watcher." Said Nanalie. She walked out the door, closing it behind her."Now then..." Garle said,his voice as soothing as ever, "I suppose it's time to discuss things as they are." "I'm sorry Head Watcher." Rashen started. "I probably shouldn't have just dumped him on the Watch so suddenly,I thought he was dying and I-- I panicked." Rashen said,his voice g
Rashen, feeling good about himself, walked the streets of Blud Valley, deciding to go on his morning patrol before heading over to the Watch. The streets of Blud Valley seemed a lot healthier these days and it had everything to do with the Grittshore Division. Rashen had become something of a local celebrity in Grittshore, particularly Blud Valley,known by the name 'Hell Wings'. Blud Valley was still ridden with petty thefts, robberies and assault but crime was on a slow decline. Blak Acre on the other hand was a different story. The biggest subregion in Grittshore and they hadn't covered much grounds there,but Rashen didn't want to think about that too much. He was well aware that the issues in Blak Acre and Grittshore as a whole would take years to handle but Rashen was up for the challenge. He greeted various merchants and shop owners as he walked through the local market of Blud Valley. The children at the corner invited him over for their game of Atcherball but he declined. He
"So Rashikins..." Gayle called from his bed just across Rashen's space. "What type'o woman d'you like?" "What?" Rashen,who at this point was used to Gayle keeping him up at night, asked."What type'o woman d'you like?" Gayle asked again. Rashen didn't think too much about his response."I mean...I like Macy." "No Rashikins,I mean romantically. The type'o woman you'd want to spend the night with having steamy,hot se-" "Yeah I got it!" Rashen interrupted. "I don't really have an answer for you though." "Come on Rashikins don't be a disappointment." "I'm serious! Girls never really liked me y'know." "With the whole 'demon who killed his parents' situation?" Asked Gayle."Yeah... also I don't think that physically,I was their type." "Ok but of all the women you've seen, different types with different body shapes, which one do you like the most?""I really couldn't tell you man." Rashen said truthfully."Fine,if you say you." Gayle replied, clearly unsatisfied with his Rashen's answ
The Red Ring Fox gang had been causing trouble in the deeper parts of Blak Acre and today they managed to corner an aging merchant in an alley. They pushed the merchant to the wall and forced his bag out of his hands. "Please don't. That's all I could make today and I have children at home to feed." The merchant begged. "Shut him up Burnlow!" Ordered one of the members,a young woman with a nose ring and a satchel hanging on her shoulders. Burnlow, the bald man with a particularly large nose landed a punch on the merchant's stomach. He retched as he got down on his knees,tears in his eyes. "What's in the bag Narry? Anything worth it?" Asked Snyther, another member of the group with sharp eyes and spiky hair. "There's money here but it's not nearly enough." Narry said irritated. She walked up to the merchant and got down to meet his eyes,she grabbed him by the hair. "Listen old man,the phrites ya got here ain't nearly enough to pay for our protection." She said. "Pr- protecti
Claruk's body ached all over as he struggled to get to the kitchen. Ignoring his blood loss, he forced forced himself to get to the cabinets,he needed something to stop the bleeding. His arms pushed him forward leaving a trail of blood behind him where his left leg used to be. As he drew closer to the bottom cabinets he felt a sharp pain from his left thigh. He couldn't scream in pain as his throat had been slashed,he coughed up blood instead. He looked back to see the metal blade that had been forced into his thigh and standing behind him,a large man with metal blades sticking out of his back. The man dragged Claruk out of the kitchen and back to the living room using the blade. He sat him on the floor,back against the wall where he had a clear view of the dead woman in the middle of the scattered living room. His attacker pulled out another metal blade and forced it through Claruk's other thigh, another through his left shoulder. He sobbed as he coughed up blood, the pain was too i
Three days had passed since the duel and the three week mandatory leave for the Imperial Soldiers had elapsed and now it was time to return to business as usual and for Rashen, Gayle and Macy, that would mean returning to Grittshore."You guys better hurry. The carriage'll be here soon." Macy called from just outside the lodge. She stood in the cool 6 o'clock breeze,her bag hung over her shoulder all packed and ready to go."Yeah yeah I'm coming." Said Gayle walking out the lodge. He hung his bag over his shoulder as well,but in his hand was another bag,a bigger one."You know you could've just left your leftover foodstuffs for the next people that'll be using your room." She said arms crossed. Gayle laughed."Foodstuff we bought? With our own money? Macy we're not philanthropist y'know." "Whatever." She checked her watch. "What's taking Rashen so long?" "He's signing out and returning the key." "Wish he'd hurry up." "Meh,s'not like the carriage's here yet." "Still,he should be h
Rashen finally regained consciousness and the first person he sees after opening his eyes is Macy. She had laid his head in her lap while he was unconscious."He's awake." She whispered to Gayle who was leaning by the door. As his senses returned to him, Rashen realized that they were in his changing room. He struggled to get up,"Easy." Macy said as she helped him sit up.He had a slight headache, hopefully not another concussion,he looked around from Macy to Gayle and then back to Macy."You came." He said."Yeah...I did." She replied quietly."Why?" "Well,your friend Cobbs is...let's just say he was very persuasive." "Mr Cobbs? What does he have to do with--""Was it all true?" She interrupted. Rashen frowned, clearly he didn't like her interrupting him and dodging the question, she noticed this too."Sorry Rashen, it's just...what you said out there? Was it all true?"Rashen looked away from her. He wanted to snap at her,why would he lie about something like that?. He looked ba
"That's my boy!!!" Basterious laughed, "He's already perfected the Golden Sun at such a young age." "Should we stop him? An attack like that would kill Rashen wouldn't it?" Raspin asked Ngoko to which he replied,"Lumins wouldn't kill Rashen though... would he?" "It's time to put an end to this!" Alora spoke up."Don't bother! All of you!" Said Allum still seated arms crossed. "Lumins is many years too young to be using a technique like that." "And what exactly is that supposed to mean Allum? You dare to underestimate my son?" LiLyna snapped."Just watch!" Said Allum nonchalantly.Lumins was about to hit Rashen with the Golden Sun when suddenly his face contorted and his body tensed up. The arm holding up the attack began to tremble till it gave out. As Lumins fell to the ground the Golden Sun began to destabilize,it released flares and the heat shot up astronomically."What's happening Lumins?Is it going to explode or something?!!" Rashen asked in panic. Lumins didn't answer,he ju