Chapter 4: A Fateful Night

“You should beware of the old man, in a profession where many men die young. Don’t let his age deceive you; he is old for a good reason”

-Unknown.

Nina raced the last few hundred yards towards the village, trying to beat the last remaining sunlight before the sun set completely behind the mountains, and win the imaginary race against the King Star. She waved happily at Verkan who waved back from a couple of hundred yards down the road, celebrating her victory. Verkan arrived with just a few seconds to spare, soon enough, it was completely dark already. The moons were not visible at the moment due to the dense layer of clouds, although their light could still be seen faintly behind the clouds.

The pair were welcomed by the village’s chief, an older man called Utios, whom Verkan seemed familiar with. He was already informed of their delay due to the late Lord’s sudden passing by a mounted messenger; he also received word of their imminent departure before the Trial took place so he could have their accommodations ready. After the due formalities, he guided them towards one of the huts prepared for their use.

She inspected their accommodations, nothing fancy for sure, just a pair of rooms, one for them each, and another adjacent, smaller room they could use as a bathroom. Finally a bit of privacy! Each room was fitted with a simple bed, a chair, and a small table. Before they could lock themselves in their rooms, however, the chief invited them for dinner. It wouldn’t be polite to decline.

Verkan introduced her to the heads of the village, Utios the village chief who welcomed them earlier, Garen the head shepherd, and Garf, Garen’s younger brother and also a shepherd. They were in charge of taking care of the cattle around these parts, nothing really exciting but a very important job, handling the thousands of heads of cattle required considerable skill and no small amount of manpower.

They shared stories for a while, since the bisons were quite docile animals and there were no natural predators around, work was not too demanding. Nina found herself bored quickly, but it was nice to see how these strangers looked up to Verkan. Her mentor seemed just as famous as her father. He was well-known everywhere! The dinner itself was not bad; it was a stew that has been obviously reheated, probably what they had for lunch, with peas, spuds, a bit of meat, and seasoned with some herbs. Not bad at all really, but palling when compared with the fancy dinner they had last night, courtesy of Nana and her girls. Verkan shared some of the bread he had brought with him, that albeit not fresh anymore, was still delicious.

The conversation wasn’t of interest to her, that’s it until they mentioned the dragon part and she immediately put her attention to it. As it turns out, the dragon has been around for quite some time now, perhaps a couple of months. Nobody has seen it, but its tracks were found everywhere, especially around the places where the villagers reported strider eggs stolen. Striders were a giant type of flightless birds that were appreciated for their large eggs, meat, feathers, and if one could grow large enough, it would make for fast and very exotic mounts.

Apparently, the dragon was drawn to the other village by the smell of the banquet, where it stole some of the food. Since only its tracks were found, and nobody has actually seen it, the villagers didn’t take it seriously and assumed it wasn’t dangerous, they treated it more like an inconvenience than an actual threat. Verkan however, wasn’t so sure, maybe it was a legitimate concern, at least for him, or maybe it was just him trying to mess with her again, but as he pointed out, the tracks were quite large for a highland raptor. Either way, she was quite tired by now and could use some rest, they could talk about the dragon tomorrow.

The villagers apparently also thought the same, saving her the trouble of having to excuse herself. They called it a night and headed to their own huts but let the fire burn for the night. Both she and Verkan walked towards their hut to finally take a bath and get some much-needed rest.

-“Finally some rest!” Nina yelled while jumping onto her bed. She hugged the comfy pillow against her and turned around to face her mentor.

-“Rest for me you mean, you will heat up the water for our bath, as punishment” Verkan commented, leaning against the doorframe, smiling warmly at her.

-“Punishment? For what exactly?!” she asked confused, not sure what she did to earn it. She smiled broadly, thinking it was probably just another of Verkan’s jokes.

-“Let me see... Secret at the Palace” he replied, and Nina’s smile instantly vanished.

-“The Gallant Adventures of the Knight of Hope”

-“The Forbidden Adventures of the Knight of Hope” he continued, counting with his fingers while the girl’s expression dropped each time he pronounced another title.

-“Did you know that the Knight of Hope wasn't originally a knight in the imperial version? He was someone just pretending to be a knight so he could deceive noblewomen. He refused the money because he preferred… How do I put it? A different kind of reward. They changed him to an actual knight in the censored version, oh, and I almost forgot, The Legend of the God Slayer, they could excommunicate you just for that one, you know” Even though his expression was calm and collected, Nina knew she was in big trouble.

Nina’s own expression couldn’t be described in words. It was like someone hammered a nail through her head each time one of the books was mentioned, she knew they were forbidden; that was part of the excitement other than their contents. She also knew she would probably be royally screwed if she was discovered by any other priest. Luckily for her, Verkan wasn’t the snitching kind.

-“C-c-ca-can I ask you something, sir?” she asked shaking, Verkan nodded in return.

-“How do you know about that?” Nina could barely ask, extremely embarrassed, on the verge of tears.

-“Those were your mother's favorite books” Verkan replied calmly.

-“Oh… I see” she replied lowering her head.

-“Switching the covers for those of the Imperium Genesis tomes. That was clever!” he remarked raising a finger, laughing a bit at her ingenuity.

-“I'll get the water ready!” she couldn’t bear the embarrassment any longer, suddenly jumping from the bed and rushing outside, frustrated and dejected. Verkan couldn’t help but laugh at her flustered reaction, giving her a small pat on her back on her way out.

-“Good girl!” he yelled at her from inside the hut.

Nina walked outside, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves down a bit, wondering just how Verkan managed to keep a straight face all this time. He knew it all along! Her warm breath formed a small cloud of moisture in the cold night air, and a sudden gust of wind send chills down her spine. Even though the thick dark grey clouds didn’t let much sunlight pass, it was still relatively warm during the day. Now that the night has fallen, however, it was followed by a quick drop in the temperature.

She took the largest cauldron she could find and walked towards the water well located in the middle of the central square. She filled the cauldron full of water only to realize that now it was too heavy to carry. She had to pour all the water out of the cauldron, feeling stupid, thanking the Gods that no one was around to witness her silly display. She took the empty cauldron to the fireplace, hanging it off the hook that was prepared for such use; she then walked back to the water well, filled buckets full of water, and carried them back to the cauldron, repeating the process enough times until said cauldron was full. Nina cheered and made a gesture of victory with her fists after having completed such a simple task.

She sat next to the fireplace to warm up a bit, patiently waiting for the water to heat up to a comfortable temperature while looking at her surroundings. This village was considerably larger than the previous one, yet it had so few inhabitants, many of the buildings were in fact shelters for the bulls they used as mounts. It was strange and funny at the same time; these people had more luxuries for their animals than for themselves. Nina spotted a stout villager holding an oil lantern at the other side of the square who promptly waved at her; it was Garf. She smiled and waved back at him who began walking towards her, she thought it would be nice to have some small chat with anyone to try and vent out some steam after the humiliation Verkan deservedly put her through.

Before he could reach her, however, a suspicious sound behind one of the buildings caught his attention. What could have got his attention? she thought. Could it be our elusive thief?

-“Raiders!” the man yelled at the top of his lungs, making her jump from the sudden thrill and fall flat on her butt at the sudden outburst. Nina tried to stand again when she witnessed Garf now struggling with an unknown man. He took a step back and hit his assailant with the oil lantern he was holding with such violence that it broke, spilling its flammable contents over the man and setting him on fire.

Her mind was blank, in a daze, and her legs refusing to respond to her commands, she could only gape in shock as she watched other men appearing behind the buildings one after the other. Even though it was pitch black, she could still clearly see some of them clad in leather and furs, others clad in rudimentary armor, and wielding an assortment of weapons and wooden rounded shields. Some of them threw torches at the buildings, setting their thatch roofs on fire, Garf frantically yelled something that she couldn’t understand and then grabbed a large axe sitting next to the chopping block, and charged at the unknown raiders, launching broad swings at them, trying to hold them at bay.

The rest of the villagers jumped at the call, rushing from inside their huts already armed with whatever they had at hand to fight back. Nina watched in horror as the villagers joined the fray, fighting for their very lives. Everything was transpiring so fast that she was unable to tell exactly what the hell was going on, Nina could barely discern a thing between the ear-piercing shouts and taunts, desperate battle orders, and cries for help. Along with the metallic clashing from their weapons and the cracking noise of the flames, all of them combined in a terrific choir of insane chaos.

One of these so-called raiders singled her out from the rest of the villagers. Suddenly, everything went from happening way too fast to a disturbingly slow motion. She froze. Her heart pounding harder and harder against her chest when the man began walking towards her in the middle of the battlefield, she could see in horrific detail the hulking man closing in. He sported long fair hair, some of it obscuring his face, piercing blue eyes, a youthful face, and his expression was one of complete seriousness. If she wasn’t shaking in fear, she would dare to say he was rather handsome. The man grabbed her by the hair and dragged her away, making Nina cry in pain. She tried in vain to free herself, but the man’s grip on her was too strong.

Suddenly, she was relieved from the pain and the raider’s grasp when Verkan came to the rescue, tackling the man down from behind with a strength she didn’t imagine he was capable of. Verkan quickly stood and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her from the ground and helping her to stand. A pair of raiders quickly closed in, but Verkan cut them off when he kicked the cauldron hanging at the fireplace, knocking it down and making its contents pour out onto the fire, which created an enormous cloud of steam and smoke.

-“Are you hurt?” Verkan asked with a concerned tone.

-“No! Thanks to you!”

-“Good! Now follow me!” he commanded, dragging her by the hand towards the hallways, away from the square where the battle was taking place.

-“Who are they, Verkan?”

-“Northmen” the priest replied coldly.

Nina froze in her tracks after hearing his response. He had to pull her arm, practically dragging her to keep her running behind him, she had read about the Northmen and their terrifying raids. But what were they doing here this far inland?

-“Listen! I won't let them take you, okay!?” Verkan reassured her.

-“Okay”

She was still trying to figure out what the hell was going on, she had read that Northmen raids were commonplace in the coastal zones in the lowlands. Their attacks were brutal; they killed, pillaged, and raped their way across shore towns and fishing camps, barely leaving any survivors. What could they possibly want this far inland, several hundred miles away from the sea? For Verkan, however, the answer was very clear; they were after either him or her.

She looked over her shoulder, and although just briefly, she saw clearly Garf landing a killing blow against the raider he was battling against. His victory was short-lived, however; when his chopping axe got stuck between the north man’s ribs and she watched in horror how another raider ran him through from behind with a sword. The poor girl began giving in to despair. Verkan had to pull her again to keep her moving, but a pair of raiders intercepted them, suddenly popped up in their way. Verkan then turned, hurriedly looking for another way, but another pair trapped them in the hallway.

They quickly cornered them and one of them grabbed Verkan by the neck and held him fast against the building’s stone walls, pointing his sword at his stomach, while another one grabbed Nina by her hair, making her cry in pain again. They were talking in a language she could not understand, but Verkan did. He tried to communicate with them in their language, but the only response he got was a fist blow at his face. She could only cry when the north man holding her licked her face to her utter disgust, making the others laugh in mockery. She tried to look away but turned her head again to look at Verkan, who was still being restrained. He returned the look, sporting a concerned expression and tears running down his face. He closed his eyes for an instant; already feeling remorseful about what he was about to do, but knowing there was no other choice. His expression then turned into one she has never seen on him before. But she recognized that look.

It was the look of a warrior.

Verkan took a grip of the north man’s sword by its edge with one hand, shielded by his leather gloves, and produced a small knife from his boots with the other. He stabbed the north man straight in the neck with an incredibly fast attack, the resulting squirt of blood reaching several feet away, splashing against Nina’s face and garbs. The dying raider tried desperately to cover the wound put with his hands before collapsing on his knees; Verkan then took the sword away from him and quickly finished him off slashing his throat with another powerful blow with the raider's own sword.

The remaining raiders stared dumbfounded as the old priest killed one of their own, reacting only after a few seconds of disbelief. While one held Nina fast, the other two charged at him with avenging fury. Verkan changed his grip on the small knife, stepping out of the way of the charging raider in one swift step. The young north raider missed his neck just by a few inches, Verkan, however, cut the north man’s stomach open with a powerful counterattack, making the raider fall on the ground, crying in agony, Verkan then deflected the second raider’s attack with the small knife, and ran him through his padded jacket and his belly behind it with the sword, putting him down.

Nina tried to free herself, to no avail; the north man effectively held her against his body with an iron grip, trying to shield himself from the rampaging old priest. He yelled at the top of his lungs in the north language to reach out to the others, and then pointed his sword at Verkan, fearfully yelling at him.

-“One step closer, old man, and the girl dies!” he threatened.

Verkan wiped the blood from his face, looking at the remaining raider straight in the eyes with a defiant look. The north man put his sword against Nina’s throat in response. As tough the raider was, she could feel him shaking, and rightfully so, although she wasn’t exactly in the best position to speak about valor as she herself just soaked her pants just moments ago, but watching Verkan mow down foe after foe almost effortlessly made her feel renewed hope.

-“Nina” Verkan reached out to her, his voice immediately calming her nerves down as if reassuring her that everything would be okay.

-“Hold still” he commanded with a firm tone. Nina knew immediately that something was about to happen, putting her complete trust in him. She held her breath and shut her eyes, signaling her submission to her mentor’s command.

Verkan tossed the sword to the ground, then flipped the knife in the air, grabbing it when it was in the correct position. Suddenly, he threw it in the blink of an eye with such accuracy that Nina could feel it passing right next to her head, hitting the raider squarely in the throat. The raider grunted loudly, gargling violently with a sickening noise, releasing his hold of her to take both hands to his throat, immediately finding breathing impossible. Nina wasted no time pulling the raider’s sword away from her neck with her gloved hands.

Nina felt immensely relieved after escaping from the north man’s grasp, rushing to hug her mentor, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, but Verkan gently pushed her aside, much to her confusion. He walked towards the remaining raider that fell on his knees and she realized, to her horror, what was going to happen next. Verkan pulled the knife out from the raider’s throat violently, and then stabbed him in the eye with that same knife, piercing his skull and killing him instantly.

He grabbed her hand again, dragging the poor girl behind him. Nina was in shock, barely able to speak after the carnage she just witnessed. Everything happened so fast, yet she registered everything in disturbing detail. She looked at her mentor, and then at her tunic, and then at her arms. She could feel it in her face and taste it on her lips. They were covered in still warm Northmen's blood. Verkan kicked open the back door of a barn that was still undamaged by the fire dragging her inside, hiding behind the lots of chaff that were stored inside.

-“Where did you learn to fight like that?” she asked.

-“Listen carefully, Nina! We have little time! There is something important I need to tell you. Before becoming a priest, another name knew me. I used to be a clan warrior when I was young. They knew me back then as Rudo,” Verkan told her in the most serious tone she ever heard from him.

-“Rudo?” Nina asked right before turning dead white at the sudden recognition. Feeling her body shaking unexpectedly, breathing becoming increasingly difficult. Impossible! This cannot be! If what Verkan was telling her was true, that means he was…

-“The Vanquisher!?” Nina asked fearfully.

-“I'm sorry for lying about it before,” the old priest apologized.

-“I wouldn't have believed it, the legendary Vanquisher… It was you?”

-“A lifetime ago, I was a young and proud Clan Harmak warrior. I fell in love with a beautiful princess. Her father promised me her hand if I proved myself worthy, so I fought countless Trials to earn her hand. But one fateful night, warriors from an enemy Clan attacked her village when I was away; they kidnapped her, taking her to their domains. Our Clan had been weakened by a previous war, and our Lord was hesitant to start another, so instead of sending warriors to rescue her, he only demanded a prize in exchange”

-“Her father was enraged! I promised him that I would protect his daughter, so I went after her alone. I rode through the frontier and into Clan Malcroft territory. I searched village after village, trying to find where she was held, and when I finally found her, her captor said he would pay the price our Lord had demanded. But I was there of my own volition. I challenged him to a Trial of Grievance, but he refused, and ordered his warriors to attack me”

-“So I killed them all” Verkan paused for a moment.

She was listening to every word carefully; Verkan spoke barely above a whisper to avoid being heard. They could hear the Northmen speaking to each other in their language just outside the barn. Verkan kept quiet until they walked away.

-“He didn't have another choice than to face me in combat, or they would brand him a coward. Our fight was brief; I defeated him but showed him mercy. Finally, I was free to take my beloved back to her family and Clan, but to my surprise, she sided with him. That was when I realized the whole kidnapping was just a farce and that she had come with him willingly. She broke my heart into a million pieces, and when I was distracted, the warrior that took her tried to attack me from behind”

-“I killed him in a rage, even though he had left me with no choice but to defend myself. She cried over his body, so I waited briefly to let her mourn him before we returned. I knew she would never be mine, but I wanted to bring her back to her father, at least. But before I could even react, she killed herself with her lover’s sword. She cursed me with her last breath. Part of me died with her that night”

-“I took her dead body back to our Clan. I told her father that she killed herself to preserve her honor to spare his feelings. I tried to live a normal life, but the memory of that night haunted me. I couldn't live with the lie either, so one day I left my Clan, leaving everything behind, and traveled across the ocean to the Empire. I changed my name to Verkan and started anew with the help of the Church. Since then, I have been a priest to atone for my sins”

-“I had no idea. But why are you telling me this?” Nina asked.

-“Because the Gods now give me the chance to make amends. Every warrior tells his story before his last stand,”

Last stand?! She thought, visibly shocked after hearing what he just said, but he continued before she could reply anything.

-“You have to make it to the forest, Nina! Follow the edge of the mountains and you will find a stream. Follow it! It will take you to the nearest village!” he commanded.

-“But what about you?!” Nina managed to ask.

-“I will hold them off as long as I can” Verkan replied in a somber tone.

-“But Verkan! If you do that, you will die!” Nina frantically tried to explain.

-“I know” was his response. She gasped loudly, finally breaking down crying, covering her mouth with both hands trying to remain quiet but losing the battle against the tears horribly.

-“But if I don't, we'll both die! And you will suffer an even worse fate! I can't allow that”

-“Please Verkan, no! Come with me!”

-“DO AS I SAY, CHILD!” he yelled, visibly upset and on the verge of tears. Verkan immediately regretted raising his voice, however, feeling remorse beyond description, and pulling her into a tight embrace which the girl reciprocated. Nina kept weeping silently onto his chest. He would never forgive himself if their last moments together were on a sour note.

-“You have to run, you hear me?! Don't look behind! Don't stop no matter what!”

-“I'm sorry!” she replied, crying her heart out.

-“I shall tell your mother what I've seen you become. I'm sure she’ll be as proud as I am”

-“Now go!” was his last command.

Verkan handed her his knife, just in case, which she promptly stored in her boots. Nina could only weep silently as her mentor gently caressed her face and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. There was nothing more to say. With his mind made, he kicked the barn’s gates open, walking outside and towards the central square at a slow pace. He took a pair of swords from the raiders he had previously killed, one in each hand. He took a brief time to examine each sword, judging the craftsmanship of each one adequate for the job.

He looked over his shoulders one last time just to make sure Nina could sneak out of town undisturbed. Verkan then walked into plain view of at least a dozen raiders that were still searching the huts for survivors.

-“Are you looking for me?!” he yelled loudly, immediately drawing the Northmen's attention around the square.

-“Where is the girl old man?!” one of the raiders demanded.

-“You will have to excuse me, young warrior, I'm already quite old and I get tired much faster than before so I'm afraid I will have to kill you quickly” Verkan boasted in defiance.

-“Bold talk for an old man!” the north man replied, promptly sending a pair of raiders at him with only a motion of his hand.

Nina took the opportunity after Verkan got their attention, making a run for it as fast as she could. She quickly made it outside the village and through the tall grass that surrounded the buildings to avoid being spotted. She raced to the edge of the forest just a few hundred yards away and quickly made her way through the woods. Since the raiders were roaming free, looking through all places and setting the buildings ablaze with impunity, Verkan assumed that the remaining villagers were already dead.

Verkan waited patiently as the two raiders closed in rather slowly. Apparently, they didn’t notice how he massacred the other four from earlier, so he still had the element of surprise. He would have to show these barbarians again what a true clan warrior was capable of.

The nearest raider raised his sword for a diagonal attack, which Verkan fully expected, dodging it easily. He countered with a swift strike of his own, taking the raider completely by surprise, and cutting his hand off. The raider yelled loudly after the sudden loss of a limb, but Verkan quickly finished him, slashing his throat. The second raider attacked with a powerful blow aimed directly at his head, but Verkan deflected the attack almost effortlessly with one sword, running him through his unprotected torso with the other.

Silence suddenly took over, and the Northmen could not believe their eyes. They just witnessed an aging priest of slim figure killing two grown, vital north warriors with frightening ease. The silence vanished immediately, however, when the crowd exploded in violent outrage at the priest’s defiance.

-“What are you waiting for?! Kill him!” their leader commanded.

Unlike the Clans, the Northmen didn’t follow a strict code of honor and conduct. Verkan knew that well. He had faced them countless times before in his past life as a warrior. He even earned a legendary reputation for fighting them! The Northmen attacked his clan lands regularly, eager to prove themselves against the highly disciplined Clan warriors. And even though they were certainly no match for them individually, underestimating them was foolish. Formidable opponents in their own right, they proved incredibly resilient, fierce, and fearless, almost to the point of recklessness.

At least half a dozen raiders charged at Verkan all at once, each one craving a piece of him, and eager to prove their worth as warriors. What they didn’t imagine, however, was that the old priest used to be a warrior as well. What ensued next completely shocked everyone. Verkan charged headlong to meet them, taking them with their guard down, and stopping them completely in their tracks. Verkan cut through the handful of them with the grace and precision of a master artisan, slashing between the gaps of the few that wore chain mail. They don’t say in vain that warriors are just another kind of craft.

He was a warrior after all and death was his business.

Upon watching their brethren fall at the priest’s hands, the raiders charged at him with increased tenacity. They engulfed Verkan, but he took advantage of their hesitation to enter inside his reach to catch his breath, extending his arms with the swords pointing in opposite directions, daring them to strike with a defiant smile on his face. He swiftly cut down the few who tried to strike at the slightest opportunity with terrifying speed and precision. Their attacks were wild yet predictable, while he refrained from striking until he saw the perfect opening. Verkan had more than enough experience, and could easily expect their attacks as if reading his favorite book. For the unfortunate raiders facing him, however, his strikes came out of nowhere.

-“I had almost forgotten what fine sport you barbarians could provide!”

But fatigue was taking its toll on poor Verkan, he was far past his prime, and wouldn’t be able to keep the pace for much longer. He took advantage of every second of hesitation his foes were giving him to catch his breath and relax his muscles. By this point, the Northmen already lost a dozen men at his hands and the rest were extremely reluctant to step into his reach, as the old priest would strike at the slightest opportunity with deadly accuracy and baffling speed for his age. Verkan was fully aware of this and didn’t waste a second mocking and intimidating his opponents with sudden steps forward, making them fall back a few steps to stay out of his reach.

-“I'm seriously disappointed! I thought you would have killed me by now!”

Verkan already made peace with the Great Father, creator of all. It has been a long and fruitful life. If only he could crown it by giving his dearest apprentice as much time as he could as his last good deed before leaving, it would be worth it. He only hoped that Nina could make it, but for now, he would focus his attention on giving his ancestors the best spectacle possible. It would be disrespectful not to, he thought. They were watching him, after all.

But after what seemed like many agonizingly long seconds, nothing happened. The remaining Northmen gathered around Verkan after setting every building on fire and thoroughly searching for Nina, to no avail. The intense fire could be seen from miles away in the night and would certainly have called the attention of the recently appointed Lord and a band of very pissed Clan warriors if a very well-planned diversion hadn’t drawn them elsewhere.

-“That's enough!” a loud, deep, commanding voice interrupted the Northmen's bickering, silencing everyone present.

A strange-looking man then walked into the field of view. He was wearing a long, dark leather coat, long gloves, and boots of the same material. A pair of leather bandoliers crossed his chest over a fancy-looking vest, each one holding pockets and other small storage compartments. A red linen mask covered the lower half of his face, and the strangest of hats covered his head, crowned with a long white feather.

Despite having his face covered, Verkan immediately recognized him as an Imperial. The Northmen that were thirsting for his blood just moments ago unceremoniously retreated to the sidelines, clearing the square completely. What could scare the seemingly fearless Northmen like that?! But what struck him the most was the individual standing in front of him. He had seen his kind before but couldn’t recall where. That was exactly when the realization hit him, his eyes widening in utter shock. The man standing in front wasn’t just a sharply dressed individual.

The man in front of him was a wizard.

-“The God of Death has sent a wizard to claim my soul?… I'm flattered”

-“You fight well old priest! Tell me where the girl is and I might let you live” the unknown man demanded.

-“I know your kind wizard! Even if I knew I would never tell you!”

-“Are you so eager to die?” the wizard asked in a threatening tone.

-“I’ll rather die and face my fate with honor than side with the likes of you!” Verkan replied loudly.

-“As you wish”

Verkan couldn’t help but shed a single tear. What seemed like a distant possibility suddenly became a reality. How many times had he dreamed of this day? Longing for an honorable death as a warrior, but knowing his duties as a priest would never allow him to. But now the Gods blessed him, sending the most powerful adversary he has ever faced. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, knowing this would be his last fight. He made a brief prayer for himself and for the poor girl that was now all alone in the forest. A wizard was after her, yet he didn’t know why. Was he a mercenary? A high-ranking citizen of the Empire? It didn’t really matter. He wished his dearest friend the best of luck and commended his soul to the Gods.

Verkan cried out his mightiest battle cry, throwing one sword straight at the wizard with outstanding accuracy. The mage, however, was already expecting an attack of the sort. He moved his head out of the way, dodging the sword with only inches to spare. Verkan then took the remaining sword with both hands and charged at him with all his might. The wizard calmly kept his composure, raising an arm at him.

Meanwhile, in the forest, several miles away, Nina could hear a deafening thunder coming from the direction the village was. She stopped immediately, turning to see what it could be, but couldn’t see anything in the dark and through the thick forest. She knew something had just happened and could only think about Verkan and the battle that was taking place back in the village.

The mage calmly walked towards where the old priest was laying. A powerful blow hit him in the chest, knocking him down, and charring a small spot on his leather tunic. He felt an acute pain over the wound, suddenly finding breathing difficult. The mage’s blast went through him like a hot knife through butter.

-“Any last words?” the mage asked.

He could feel the blood pouring onto the floor and taste it in his mouth, flooding his lungs. He was choking on his own blood. Realizing these were his last moments, Verkan looked the wizard squarely in the eyes and said,

-“My ancestors... are smiling at me... Imperial” but the urge to cough suddenly interrupted him when a violent gush of blood came from his throat that he had to spit out. Verkan raised his head in defiance just slightly, one last time, and asked the mage with his last strengths.

-“Can you... say the same?!”

Nina heard again the same powerful thunder coming from the village and had to stop running. She sat against the nearest tree and buried her face in her hands, crying inconsolably. She could feel deep in her heart that her mentor, best and only friend, Verkan, was no longer among the living.

She was now all by herself.