by S. K. Ng
Meanwhile, Minvian Farhan gets back on his feet. The first assassin attacks with a Right Horizontal Cut, to which Minvian Farhan blocks with his sword. The Royal Guard then does a small clockwise circular motion and swings the tip of his sword forward just enough to cut the back of the assassin’s left wrist. The assassin screams out in pain and swings his sword, using his right hand only, in a Right Diagonal Downwards Cut, to which Minvian Farhan knocks far out of the way and follows up with a Vertical Downwards Cut, killing the assassin instantly.
Ray catches up with Minvian Farhan. The duo then run in search of the last assassin. A few heartbeats go by, then suddenly they hear a horrible scream of agony. Ray sends a series of Heat Bursts in the direction of the scream. The duo sees something unexpected. They see a tall, dark, human-like figure with long claws choking the life out of the last assassin. This dark figure turns to face the duo. Ray examines its features. It is dressed like a warrior, but Ray recognises not its uniform. It wears a red sleeveless thick canvas shirt, which has epaulettes on its shoulder straps. The epaulettes have shiny, metallic trims along their outlines and four shiny stars embroidered on each of them. A round cap made of wolf’s fur wraps around its head. Its pants are red canvas bloused into black leather boots. Its face is almost human like, except for the pale greyish skin, the slit in its forehead and its crimson eyes.
The creature flexes its pale and greyish muscular arms. Its leathery wings fold neatly at its back.
“Elementhar, please allow me to introduce myself, I am Lord Deathclaw. It is an honour to finally meet you, face to face. I have followed your progress for a long time. You have killed many of my kind. You are a worthy adversary. But I am not here to fight you tonight. You and your friend may walk away,” says the demon as it extracts a cloth-wrapped rectangular object from the dead assassin’s body.
Ray feels confused. Why did the demon kill the assassin? Why does the demon want the cloth-wrapped object? What is the object? Ray is not sure, but feels that it could be a small book of some kind.
“Demon _ you are of this and your kind know not the meaning of honour. Book _ of this, what does a demon need it for?” asks Ray.
“That is none of your business, Elementhar Iddell!” replies Lord Deathclaw as it throws the dead body of the assassin as if it is a rag doll and keeps the object in one of the many pockets of its shirt.
“Go to hell!” shouts Minvian Farhan as he lunges forward to stab the demon.
Lord Deathclaw parries Minvian Farhan’s thrust with its own sword, which was a curved, jagged and evil-looking blade; and slaps him with its free hand, sending him sprawling to the ground. Ray thrusts his fingers forward and sends a Heat Burst towards Lord Deathclaw. In a casual swing, the demon’s sword makes contact with the sphere of flames and absorbs it completely.
“Sword _ yours of it is a Sorcerised Item! Possible _ it is not of this, for only Elementhars are able to create such an item, so how is it that you have one in your possession, demon?” says Ray, feeling shocked and surprised.
“Ah! Elementhar Iddell, as how you have killed many of my kind, so have I killed many of your kind; and I have taken possession of their belongings,” explains Lord Deathclaw.
Suddenly, an Airblade cuts into the neck of the demon, causing it to scream in pain. Minvian Farhan lets out a shout of triumph, for it is he who had retrieved the Airblade from the body of the last assassin and sent it flying at the demon. To Ray and Minvian Farhan’s surprise, Lord Deathclaw casually pulls the Airblade out from its neck and the wound seals into a black clot within moments.
“The benefits of being of my kind,” explains the demon.
Ray is at a lost. As long as Lord Deathclaw has the sorcerised sword, no spell of Ray’s can harm it. And Minvian Farhan’s effort proves that the demon cannot be harmed by common weapons. But before Ray can formulate a plan, Minvian Farhan yells and charges at the demon again. ‘No!’ is all Ray has the chance to say as a Dark Orb bursts forth from the slit on Lord Deathclaw’s forehead and slam into Minvian Farhan’s chest, and sends him flying five paces backwards.
“Soldiers! Tssk! Tssk! Brave, but stupid! At least you Elementhars do not underestimate the supremacy of demons. Anyway, I bid you farewell, Elementhar Iddell,” says Lord Deathclaw as it bowed, spread out its leathery wings and flies off into the dark sky above.
Ray is left standing dumbfounded. He carelessly drops Minvian Farhan’s dagger onto the ground. He shakes his head… and admits defeat!
Ray took a few slow steps to where Minvian Farhan lay. The Royal Guard looked at peace. If not for the gaping hole in his breastplate, he looked like he was sleeping. Moments later, a river of Royal Guards arrived. The convian-in-charge said nothing. He asked no questions. He and his subordinates bowed to their dead superior and then bore the minvian’s body back to the palace. Ray followed behind like a dazed, confused fool. That was how he felt like, anyway.
It was morning, but it looked like twilight. The heavy rain had not relented since midnight. Ray sat down on his balcony, looking out at the gloomy sky. There was a knock on the door.
“Enter!” he said.
The door opened and Prince Eagle Patrum entered the room. Ray was surprised to see the prince and made a motion to get up, but the prince raised a hand to stop him. The prince then pulled up a chair and sat down next to Ray.
“I read the reports. You did the best you could. Minvian Farhan was a good soldier. He was a true patriot. He never gave up, even when the situation seemed hopeless. His family will be arriving this evening and we shall be conducting his funeral tomorrow morning. It is the only thing that we can do for him,” said Prince Patrum.
Ray sat silent, but nodded his head.
“Do demons normally have Sorcerised Items?” asked the prince.
“No. Sorcerised Items _ demons are not suppose to have of these, for only a highly skilled Elementhar knows how to create them, and no one else,” answered Ray.
“Can a demon use Sorcerised Items?” asked Prince Patrum.
“No. Sorcerised Items _ to use of these, one must have some basic skills in Elemental Sorcery to activate the items, otherwise they would not work,” answered Ray.
Now Prince Patrum was beginning to see what really troubled Ray. It was not about Minvian Farhan’s death. Ray was a seasoned Elementhar and had seen more than his fair share of death. It was about the Sorcerised Item that Lord Deathclaw had, and more importantly, could use.
“An Elementhar taught Lord Deathclaw some basic Elemental Sorcery, did he not?” concluded the prince.
“Yes,” confirmed Ray.
This conclusion was mind-blowing to the both of them. Prince Patrum was stunned, probably just as much as Ray was.
“Do you think that the demon took the Sorcerised Item from an Elementhar whom it had killed?” asked the prince, although he could guess the answer.
“No! Sword _ its of it was too sinister looking for any Elementhar to ever have. Sword _ its of it was its own and an Elementhar had sorcerised it,” answered Ray.
Prince Patrum shook his head in disbelief. How could this have happened? Who could have done such an unimaginable thing as this?
“We have searched the entire palace. We have conducted interviews throughout the night. No one is missing any sort of book. What book do you think it was that the demon took?” he asked.
“Know _ I do not of this, nor do I know of its contents; but it was important enough for the demon to kill for. Lord Deathclaw _ of it, it is the first demon I have encountered who kills for a strategic reason instead of the need to feed. Development _ this is a strange and alarming one of this, for it means that they are more intelligent than what we thought was possible,” answered Ray.
Ray and Prince Patrum sat silent for a while. Both men were in deep thought. They were deeply troubled by this development. But the prince was also seeing an opportunity he was hoping to take advantage of.
“Men and swords are familiar to us, Elementhar Iddell. Arrows, poisons
and even crushing boulders from catapults are familiar to us. But how do we handle this? Demons with Sorcerised Items! Rogue, traitorous Elementhars helping demons! Teach us, Elementhar Iddell. Join us and teach us how to deal with this threat! I have got a feeling we will be seeing more of Lord Deathclaw. What do the military do when we encounter it next? How can we deal with it without your help?” reasoned Prince Patrum.
Ray sat silent. Externally, he looked calm. But internally, he was in turmoil. There were so many factors to consider. He needed to do the right thing, but what was right? On one hand, the Fourth Law of Elementhar Administration clearly stated that he should remain apolitical, therefore he should be as uninvolved with the government as possible. On the other hand, he needed to hunt down the Shadow Deathmerchant Clan and kill Lord Deathclaw, and both these purposes would be better served if he collaborated with the government.
Ray had always realised that hunting down the assassins on his own was beyond his capabilities. And to find out that there was a demon out there who had a Sorcerised Item and a rogue Elementhar helping it, somehow, it would be self-defeating if he did not join the government.
“Help _ I shall do of this to you. Train _ I shall do of this to your soldiers, but only if you promise that you will do only what is best for Free Falls, and that you will do your utmost best to protect and take care of its people,” agreed Ray finally.
“I accept your help with great gratitude, Elementhar Iddell. And I give you my word and thus my bond that I shall do what is best for Free Falls and its people. Tell me what are the facilities you require and I shall arrange it,” said Prince Eagle Patrum.
“Require _ of this, I do of barracks, an administration building, a meditation hall, some open space similar to an archery range, a military liaison officer and 300 odd of your best men and women,” said Ray.
“Consider it done, Elementhar Iddell,” assured the prince.
Meanwhile, Clover was busy arranging lodgings and transportation for Minvian Farhan’s family. She had cried the night before when news of the assassins’ intrusion and his death reached Mansion Genox. Her father, her uncles Castle and Arrow, and her cousin-uncle Anvil were notified of the incident by a despatch rider and were summoned to the palace for an emergency meeting. When they got back, they told her about Minvian Farhan’s funeral arrangements. She had then volunteered herself to liaise with his family on behalf of the Royal Guards.
Clover had met Minvian Farhan’s family once, all those years ago when Minvian Farhan and she were studying at Fallsene Brightshield Educational. Unlike most students at the school who were residents of Fallsene City, Minvian Farhan was a scholarship student who was granted boarding. His family was actually from a remote village called Beaconrock, which was located at the outskirts of a town to the south of Fallsene. They were extremely poor folks who could not afford to travel much, and as such, were unfamiliar with Fallsene and Palace Liberty. Thus there was a need for some sort of liaison person to help them with the funeral matters.
Later that evening, Clover and a few Royal Guards, who had been Minvian Farhan’s subordinates, met with Minvian Farhan’s family at Fallsene City Carriage Depot, where they had arrived via carriage. After dropping off their luggage at an inn, Clover brought them to Palace Liberty to have a look at the late minvian’s body. His mother and sisters immediately broke into loud wails while his father and brother struggled to contain their tears. Clover consoled them by describing the details of his final battle and extolling his bravery. The Royal Guards recounted to them his leadership and their happy times serving together. Then the Royal Guards brought them back to the inn. Clover stayed behind.
Clover found Ray at the palace garden with Lance and Spirit. Lance had just finished his mediation practice. After exchanging greetings, Clover asked Ray about his decision to train the Fallsian Military. Ray told her of his decision and explained his reasoning to her. He also told her that she was being offered the rank of minvian if she agreed to help him. Naturally, she said ‘yes’.
A suvian of the Royal Guards came up to them at the palace garden. He told Ray that there were three Elementhars who had wanted to see him and were asking for permission to be brought into the palace grounds. Out of curiosity, Ray gave the approval.
An eighth of an hour later, three figures approached Ray, Clover, Lance and Spirit. They were Grand Elementhar Rapier Shay and High Elementhars Dulcet Calnen and Ambience Waycress. The High Council of Elementhars bowed to Ray, Clover and Lance, who returned their bow and asked them to be seated.
“Reason _ what is yours of this for your visit, masters?” asked Ray.
“Reason _ ours of this for our visit is to request access to the Original Vanguard Manuscript,” answered Master Calnen.
There was a moment of silence. Ray had not expected the High Council to make such a request. Should he give them access to the Original Vanguard Manuscript? Why should he give them access to it? Do they deserve it?
“No,” was Ray’s simple answer.
Master Calnen stood up almost immediately. Fury was in his eyes.
“Request _ how dare you to refuse ours of this, especially when it is a reasonable one!? Original Vanguard Manuscript _ of it, it belongs to all Ordered Elementhars, not just you, Ray!” shouted Master Calnen.
Ray just sat quietly. He chose not to respond. Clover and Lance just kept on looking at Ray, and then at Master Calnen and then back at Ray again.
“Forgive _ do of this of him, Master Calnen, for he is still immature and impatient,” said Master Shay, as he cracked a red peanut shell and dropped its contents into his mouth.
“Request _ ours of this is reasonable, so there is no reason for him to refuse!” said Master Calnen, the frustration clearly showing on his face.
“True _ what you say is of this, but the anger in him has not yet subsided. Patience _ we need to have of this when we deal with him,” Master Shay pointed out as he chewed his peanuts.
Master Calnen sat back down. Ray remained quiet. Clover and Lance stared at the ground.
“Vengeance _ is this yours of this towards us, Ray?” asked Master Waycress.
“Yes,” replied Ray.
Master Waycress shook her head in disappointment. So did Master Shay. Then Master Shay took out a water container and took a sip. Master Calnen, however, just gave Ray a disgusted look.
“Risk _ would you do of this of the future of the Grand Order just for the sake of vengeance, Ray?” asked Master Shay.
“Yes,” was Ray’s reply once again.
Master Shay shook his head again. But Master Waycress now gave Ray the same look that Master Calnen was giving him.
“Up _ when you have grown of this, we shall talk to you again, Ray,” said Master Shay politely.
With that, the High Council got up, bowed, had their bows reciprocated and walked away. Clover did not agree with Ray’s decision, but respected him too much to object. Lance was not sure if what Ray did was right or wrong, but he decide to support his mentor either way. Ray himself was sure that what he did was at best unreasonable and at worst, it was downright wrong! But the Original Vanguard Manuscript was the only leverage he had against the High Council and he refused to give up his advantage.
Minvian Javelin Farhan’s funeral the next morning was a very solemn affair. At the Royal Guards’ cemetery just outside the city limits, a stream of Royal Guards carried his coffin and placed it on a huge pyre. Besides his family and friends, the entire 5th Pond of 1st Lake of 1st Ocean was present to pay their final respects. Clover and most of her family were there too. So were Ray, Lance and Spirit. Prince Patrum got up and gave the attendees a brief description of Minvian Farhan’s military career, including some of the operations he had been involved in; and of his brave deeds during these operations. Then he spoke on a more personal level, sharing his experience and memories of working together with the deceased minvian. All those who were military got up and bowed to Minvian Farhan for the last time. Then a suvian marched up and set th
e pyre alight. Prince Patrum then presented Minvian Farhan’s sword to the minvian’s father, the sword being the symbol of the soldier’s identity. It signified that the kingdom was returning his son to him and along with it, the gratitude of the entire kingdom. Clover then escorted the family back to the inn and made arrangements for the minvian’s belongings to be packed and sent to them. The family left Fallsene the next morning.
The palace was a hive of activities a few days later. Facilities were being built. New uniforms were being sewn. New weapons were being forged. Provisions were being transferred or stocked. The facilities that Ray had requested were being built on the eastern part of the palace. This area was now designated as the Elementhars’ camp. Ray and Clover were commissioned to the rank of minvians. The unit that would be under Ray’s command was to be known as the Royal Elementhar Pond, which would be directly attached to Prince Patrum’s Royal Guards, otherwise known as 1st Ocean. Soldiers from all over Free Falls were flocking to the palace to be interviewed by either Ray or Clover, who was second-in-command of the unit. The standard uniform shirt for the pond was to be flame red with a dual tone collar of golden yellow on top of black. The rest of the uniform consisted of flame red canvas pants, dual tone thick canvas belt of golden yellow on top of black and thick, black canvas boots instead of leather. The standard issue weapon was to be a single sided, curved sword with black scabbard, black handle and bronze hand-guard. Lance and Spirit lounged around, taking in the busy scenery as though it was some sort of tourist event.