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"You were my only family. Skaith has gone to be a mage. You left me with only this glove, my kunai, and my promise. " Kronik cried, as he stood over the mound that now housed the corpse of his closest friend.
"Artemis… I will find them. I will avenge my parents, and I will avenge you. This demon will not be my curse, it will be my greatest asset. And I will never forget your teachings. Kronik stopped one last time at his mentor's home. He packed the essential items he needed to travel. He packed food, money, and filled his belt with kunai knives.
As he made his way out the door, his gaze fell upon a small wooden box. He opened it, and removed the jeweled glove, kunai, and dark red mask. He also took with the lid to that box, a lid with the name Kronik carved into it.
[xxx{=======>
With the demon subdued, Kronik continued on his travels. He did not know where he was going, who he was hunting, or what he would do if he found them. All he knew was that he could not avenge his family or Artemis by staying in the lonely old house that belonged the old man. Kronik stared at the glove. He had never bothered to ask Artemis what the significance of the jewel in its palm was. He slid it smoothly onto his right hand. It fit perfectly, contouring perfectly with his hand. The gem shone brightly in the sunlight. He the pulled the red cloth mask up over the bridge of his nose, so that only the top of his face was visible. He wore a black cloak over a pair of black pants, and a loose-fitting black shirt. His mask, combined with his black hair and the determined set of his face, mad him seem an imposing figure indeed if one were to spot him. But Kronik didn't intend to be seen, not yet. And if an assassin as skilled as he doesn't wish to be seen, he is not seen. He rested through the remainder of the day. When finally night came, he continued his long and dark journey. His path was his and his alone, he believed. Maybe he was right.
[xxx{======>
Skaith had been training in the ways of the mage for a very long time. He had grown up in a family known for their skill in magic. He was no different, unless you count the fact that his skill could easily exceed the most powerful of his ancestors, if he could learn to tap into it. This abnormal skill was not his own however. He had indeed found side effects from the unusual spell he used to save Kronik. He had an increased sense of awareness, his overall abilities skyrocketed, and a nagging pain found its way to his neck every night. This pain had nothing to do with anything the mage did, he knew.
"Kronik, why are you tormented so?" he thought to himself as he sat awake the very night Kronik had buried Artemis. His last memories of the two were not happy ones. Kronik had lost control of himself, to a demon. As Artemis fought the feind incarnate, Skaith had arrived to visit his teachers. Sensing danger, he had used one of his spells to bind Kronik with wind, unknowing of Artemis's lunging sword. The sword had pierced the heart of his already wounded friend. In a last minute use of magic, Skaith had given his own blood in order to save the young man.
Once the spell was complete, the two were bound to each other by a link. The same spot that the demon seal was burned into Kronik, had burned skaith as well. It wasn't visible, but skaith knew it for what it was. The demon had called to him while his spell was working. Knowing its end was near, the demon had infused some of its power into skaith, allowing him to complete the dangerous magic. That power remained, a lasting reminder of skaith's sacrifice. Skaith knew of kronik's pain. He could sense it as the link burned, skaith somehow knew his friend was in pain. He knew Kronik had fled. What he didn't know was why.
"Tomorrow I become a full fledged mage," He whispered into the night. "then I will go to you, Artemis. And I will learn of what has happened to cause so much pain." As he spoke the last of his promise, he fell into a deep sleep. He dreamed of his return, of artemis greeting him with a hug, and springing a trap He dreamed of defeating his best friend Kronik in battle. He dreamed of a happy reunion with celebration, laughter, and food. How much sleep would he have gotten if he had already known the truth?
[xxx{=====>
Kronik continued to walk throughout the night, covering a great distance. He walked quickly and openly, unafraid of bandits that are ever present on such roads. He kept his eyes closed, for he did not need them on this narrow path, which was only wide enough for two one-horse carriages to travel at one time. He kept his hands in the pockets of his flowing black cloak. The wind rolled by softly, blowing the young man's striking, black shoulder length hair from his face. Without warning, Kronik stopped walking, and before he opened his eyes, he called out
"Who are you, and why are you following me?" when no response came, he threw his cloak wide and spun as launched a streaking kunai into a nearby tree. Before the man who had been hiding there even heard the thud of the kunai as it sank into the wood, his terrified gaze met the burning eyes of the assassin, who had easily sprang from the dusty path onto the branch he now stood atop.
"Who are you, and why are you following me?" the assassin repeated. He had no enemies. None, at least, that knew of him. It didn't help the man's case that Kronik didn't particularly want anyone to know where he was going. As a matter of fact, Kronik himself didn't know where he was going.
"I'm not following you, I was just sleeping here," the man replied lazily as he met Kronik's gaze, "until you woke me up, thank you very much"
"Is that so?" came Kronik's unbelieving reply. "And I suppose you've been sleeping in every seventh tree for the last mile as well?" he continued irritably. "Seeing as I've known where you were since you began to trail
"Yeah, it's so. I have no clue hat you are talking about, now if you'll excuse me," He said with an exaggerated yawn. "I have to get back to work now." The man then sat back in the crook of the tree bough and lowered his black hat over his eyes. Kronik left without question, as the man began to snore loudly. He was lying, Kronik knew, but it didn't matter. He wanted to keep his profile unknown and without incident. With a chuckle, Kronik came to realize he had left the man for another reason. He was laid back in appearance, but clearly he was skilled. With another chuckle, Kronik decided that he left the man not because of skill, but because he liked the fellow. As the man watched Kronik from under the brim of his hat, he smiled too.
"This one is gonna be fun," is said with a quiet laugh. And with that, he left Kronik to his peace, and returned to the small village four miles from the place where their meeting had happened.
[xxx{======>
"You are sure he is alone?" the cracked voice echoed in Blaze Alias' ear. He knew that there was no danger in letting the stranger enter the village.
"Sir, it's me, I circled the area four times. He is alone."
"Blaze, you said he caught you," coughed the old man. "What would anyone of such skill want in this area other than to steal our secrets?"
"If he wanted to kill me, he would have struck when he had me pinned in the tree. He is no enemy."
"We cannot be sure. I want you to keep a close watch. If he does enter our peaceful village, I want it to stay peaceful." stated the general as he turned to pour some tea. "Understand?"
"Yes Sir!" was all grumbled. When the general turned again to offer some tea to Blaze, he was gone. He sat down and sipped his tea, as he wondered what the approach of such a person could mean to his quiet little village.
[xxx{====>
Skaith knew something was wrong. He could feel it. The pain in his neck had stopped long ago. This feeling was something else. He had to get to Artemis quickly.
"What is this, Artemis?" he asked himself. What is this that nags at me to return?"
He had improved greatly in his magic since he had last seen Kronik. His specialty was the use of the wind element in his spells. He was currently moving at a speed twice that of a normal man, and half as tiring. He called it wind walking. He only needed to summon a cushion of air under each foot, on top of which he could glide, rather than walk. Even at this pace, he was still three days from Artemis, and much farther from Kronik.
Without any prior warning, both of the air bubbles burst, sending skaith into a headlong tumble before he rolled to his feet, and pulled his blue mask, almost identical to Kronik's, over his face. Something had broken his concentration. With a shout, a large bandit burst from the underbrush, a large sword in hand. Skaith merely held out his hand, and the bandit's sword stopped inches form Skaith's outstretched arm. The more the bandit urged his oversized sword toward his enemy, the harder the wind blew. Skaith smirked as he raised his outstretched arm, and the bandit too rose toward the skies.
With a wave of his hand and a flick of his wrist, the bandit was slammed hard against a tree, knocking him out, and putting a large indent in the wood. Skaith muttered a few more words and the air pockets returned under his feet. Artemis had never allowed bandits this close to his home. Without a word, he was back on his way.
[xxx{=======>
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