It was morning when Nel went to visit Dran. A whole week had passed since Allisa's arrival in Avalon, and the Arch Sage had some important news. "Good morning Nel." Mira greeted her at the front door. "You're early today."

"The Arch Sage said he had something important to discuss."

"Oh yes, come in."

Inside the main hall, Dran was by a desk with the chemistry apparatus, alongside Rowin. He turned to Nel as she and Mira walked in. "Nel, good morning," Dran said to her.

"You wished to see me?" Nel asked bluntly.

"Ah yes. Tell me, how's Allisa?"

"She's doing well."

"How has she settled in? After all, its now been a week since she arrived."

"She's settled in fine. She often asks questions about her new surroundings, but she seems to have adjusted to life here."

"Good to hear. How is she getting on with the other two?"

"Well," Nel thought of how to answer the question. "She gets on better with Max, compared to Melvin."

"I see," Dran said, putting his hand to his head. "What am I going to do with him." He said quietly to himself.

"I doubt you called me here just for me to how Allisa is doing," Nel said folding her arms. "Has something happened?"

Dran smiled at her then turned to Rowin beside him.

"Well," Rowin began clearing his throat. "I believe I found someone who can teach Allisa on swordplay."

"Really?"

"He's a man who was recommended to me from an acquaintance of mine. He is said to be a very gifted swordsman from Kugarat. I believe the man's name is Yuki Akoga."

"Yuki Akoga?" Nel muttered to herself. "I have to admit that's not a name I'm familiar with."

"Hardly suppressing. The man keeps to himself as a freelancer. However, it is rumored that he recently defeated the leader of the Rats, Kobra."

"Kobra!" Nel said with shock at the name. "He's supposed to be one of the deadliest swordsmen in the world. Its rumored he could take down an entire army single-handed. For him to be defeated..."

"The rumor was spread the day after you left for Terra. Apparently, he challenged him to a duel for a free night and a meal at a village he was staying in, or so the rumor goes anyway. They say he defeated him with a single attack."

Nel thought for a bit. "He sounds even more reckless then Max." She said to herself.

"I got into contact with a well-known information broker who was able to pass on a message for me. You are to meet him in the town off Lers. He should be expecting someone."

"I see. Then I guess we should start heading out." Nel bowed to Rowin. "Thank you. We'll leave as soon as we're ready."

****

"You're not getting out of this one!!" Allisa yelled at Max and Melvin.

"But I didn't do anything," Max complained.

"Shut up. You still saw something so you're just as guilty as he is."

Allisa was not having a good morning. While she was taking a bath, Melvin, accidentally or purposely, walked in on her. While chasing him, still putting on a towel, she bumped into Max in the process, causing her to drop the towel. She was now dressed and chewing out both the boys in the living room, holding a wooden oven panel.

"It was an honest mistake. I was just going to get a bath myself." Melvin said defending himself.

"There are two bathrooms and you just 'happened' to choose the one I was in!"

"Why am I being yelled at? I didn't do anything." Max muttered to himself.

"You saw me naked as well!"

"Wait, that was an accident! And don't lump me in with him!" Max said pointing at Melvin.

"Well, in many ways this is your fault," Melvin said, pointing at Allisa.

"Please, do explain before I murder you," Allisa said, barely containing her anger.

"If didn't take so long washing your-"

Allisa then slammed the stove panel she was holding over his head before the poor boy could finish. "Anything you like to add?" Allisa asked Max with a very deadly tone.

"No, nothing at all." He said quickly, hoping to be speared. Unfortunately for him, he was hit as well.

At that monument, Nel had just returned. "Your quite lively this morning." She said.

"We were just finishing up something." She then turned to the semi-conscious Max and Melvin slumped on the sofa with large swellings on the top of their heads. "Right fellas?"

"Right." Both moaned in unison.

Nel decided it was best not to pry into the details. "Anyway, we're leaving. Get ready."

"Leaving?" Allisa said, taken aback by this statement.

"Rowin found you someone who can teach you swordplay."

"Really? Then why are we leaving?"

"We're meeting him at a town called Lers to the south-west."

"That's about a day’s journey away," Melvin said, rubbing his tender head.

"So we're leaving now," Nel announced. "Get what you need ready. If you're late I'll leave you behind."

The State of the World

Allisa, Nel, Melvin and Max left Riser quickly, due to Nel's announcement that they should set off immediately for Lers. Outside the city walls, they were able to hitch a ride on a wagon that was heading south. It was a simple one, pulled by a horse with some cargo in the back, where the four were located.

"So, who's this person who's going to teach me swordplay?" Allisa asked.

"Yuki Akoga. A freelance swordsman from Kugarat." Nel answered.

"That sounds familiar," Max said scratching his head. "Isn't he the guy who defeated the leader of some gang? Lot of people in the guild were talking about it."

"Its Kobra of the Rats. I heard about that from some people in the Adventurers guild about a week ago." Melvin said, sounding intrigued.

"The Rats?" Allisa asked.

"They're a group of bandits that have been terrorizing the west of the country. Their leader, Kobra is said to be one of the best swordsmen in the world." Melvin answered. "Trust me, taking down someone like him is no simple thing. This guy must be crazy strong to pull that off."

"The world...." Allisa said quietly to herself, losing herself in thought.

"Something on your mind?" Nel asked.

Allisa shook her head. "Nothing important. It's just, I've been here a week and I still don't know anything about this world."

Nel took out a map and rolled it out in front of her, knowing exactly what she meant and was prepared for when she asked. Allisa stared at it with great interest.

"So this is Avalon?"

Looking at it was strange. She had been used to the map and landmasses of her world. It was a strange feeling to look at the map of another world entirely. What stood out the most was two massive continents close to each other, one upper and one underneath. To the west of those continents were two large islands. There were some smaller islands jolted around, most notable ones was one just north of the large continent and a few smaller islands located north of the main continent. Nel pointed to the southern region of the upper continent.

"This is where we are, the Kingdom of Rosaria, which is the biggest nation on the Unaser continent," Nel explained. "There are three powers in our world. One of them is Rosaria." Her finger moved to the second continent south of Unsaer. "The second is the Miltesa Empire, which has the most power on the Terconar continent." Her finger then moved to the southern large island to the west. "The third is Kugarat. Do you understand so far?"

Allisa nodded. "I think so. So basically these three are the superpowers of your world."

"I guess that's a way to put it," Nel said.

"Do they fight each other a lot?" Allisa asked.

"Surprisingly no," Nel said shaking her head. "It's not like what I gathered in your world, where there seems to be conflict daily."

"Really?"

"It's largely to do with the Arch Sages." Melvin butted in.

"Arch Sages? You mean Dran's not the only one?" Allisa asked with surprise.

"He's one of five. They were set up out of the most powerful wizards in the world in order to keep the peace between the nations." Melvin then approached the map. "Master Dran is the Arch sage of Rosaria. There's one for Miltesa and Kugarat." He then pointed to a region west of Miltesa. "There's one for Cataka here." He then pointed to a peninsula on the west of Unsaer, North to Rosaria. "And one for Aquia."

"Wow. I'm not sure if I can remember all these names." Allisa said rubbing her head.

"I realize its a lot to take in right now so don't worry too much about remembering the names. I doubt well be going too far from Riser at the moment." Nel said.

"Your world sounds so much peaceful than mine," Allisa said leaning back. "In my world we have wars constantly."

"Does your world have any powerful countries?" Max asked.

"Well, I'm not too sure. People in my country, the United States, say were the most powerful, but I don't keep up to date with current events in my world."

"Our world isn't as peaceful as you believe," Nel stated. "In recent years there has been an increase in monster attacks across the globe. Also, there has been an increase of attacks from cults, terrorists, bandits and even wizard enclaves."

"Really?" Allisa remembered what Nel said about her clan, the Crimson Blades. She looked at the map again. "What's this bit?" She pointed to the large region north of Rosaria.

"That's the Quintara desert. Its made up of various nomadic tribes and small principalities so there's no real political power there." Nel answered. "However, it holds no real strategic importance or mineral wealth so the big nations just leave it alone."

"Ok." She then pointed to the Island above Kugarat. "And this?"

"That's the winter island of Fira."

"Winter Island?"

"As in its snows all year round."

"Really? I need visit there some time." Allisa then lent back again, satisfied with all the information that she was given about Avalon. "Ok, last question. Where's Lers."

"Around here." Nel pointed at the center of Rosaria. "First were stopping at a town called Enser for the night. Then we set off for Lers in the morning."

"Why are we stopping?" Max asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to just travel the whole way there?"

"Lers is about nineteen hours away at this speed," Nel answered. "It will be dark by the time we reach Enser, so it would be best if we stayed there for the night."

"Good point," Max said leaning back, resting his arms over on his head.

"So how long before we reach Enser?" Allisa asked.

"Probably about seven hours."

"Seven hours?" Allisa looked around the carriage, seeing nothing but boxes. "What are we suppose to do for seven hours?"

"More importantly," Max's stomach then rumbled. "What do we do for food?"

"You get hungry way too easy," Melvin complained.

"Don't worry," Nel said. She brought out a bag she had taken. Inside was four loafs of bread. "There's one for all of us." She said as she handed them out.

Both Melvin and Max looked at their meal for the next seven hours. "All we have to eat is bread?" Max said with despair.

"Very plain," Melvin said downtrodden.

"It has to last us till we reach Enser, so stop complaining," Nel said as she took a bit of her bread.

"I need way more than this!" Max protested.

"Then start eating less," Nel replied.

"This won't last seven hours." Melvin also complained "I'm a growing boy. I need more sustenance."

"Too bad. You should have packed ahead of time."

"It's not like you gave us much time to pack. You just told us to leave the moment you got back."

"Can I at least have half of yours?" Max asked, "You don't eat anyway."

"No. This is perfect for me to ration for the journey." Nel shot him down.

"Is that why you packed us such a crappy pack lunch!" Melvin said. "Just because you find it easier to ration then anything else."

The arguing three was then interrupted by laughter from Allisa. "Something funny?" Nel asked.

"It's nothing," Allisa said reaching for her loaf. It's weird. She thought to herself. I never thought I would have such weird friends before. I guess it was this was the right decision after all.

Enser

After the long journey, the four finally arrived at their overnight destination where they were dropped, Enser. The town was quite small but serene, with the road going right through it. By the time they had advised, the sun was starting to set, bathing the peaceful town in majestic twilight. It served as a junction from the west to Riser and north to a citadel and a mining town.

The party wandered around until they found a place for them to rest for the night and eventually came across the inn to stay for the night before setting off for Lers. After checking in, they immediately went to the dining room to eat.

"Oh man, I thought I was going to starve," Max said after finishing his meals.

"You wouldn't have had a problem if you didn't scoff you bread down at the start," Allisa said.

"I was hungry." He replied.

"You're always hungry," Melvin said before he turned to Nel. "But next time give us some time to prepare beforehand so we don't end up in a situation like that again."

"I'll keep that in mind next time," Nel said, still eating her meal.

"So how far is Lers from here?" Allisa asked.

"About two hours away," Nel answered. "We can make it there by foot tomorrow."

"That's still a way's away," Allisa said with a sigh. "I wonder what this guy will be like?"

"Guess we'll find out tomorrow."

"I guess..." Allisa said, not hiding her nervousness for the upcoming meeting. She then glanced to Melvin beside her and noticed him staring into the distance at something, with his jaw dropped. Following his eye line, she was what he was looking at. It was a girl, young but clearly older than Melvin. She had long, blond hear, which were tied up in two ponytails. The most striking feature, however, was the two pointed sets of ears. "Wha... What the?"

"Its an elf," Max said. "Wow, this is the first I've seen one."

"An elf. You mean you have elves here?" Allisa asked barely containing her amazement.

"You know about elves?" Nel asked curiously, "You mean there are elf's in your world as well?"

"No. They only exist in fiction and fantasy in my world. They’re supposed to be powerful at magic and immortal."

"Immortal?" Max said with some confusion. "Who came up with that?"

"You mean they're not immortal here?" Allisa asked, slightly disappointed.

"No, they’re definitely mortal," Nel said. "In fact, I've killed one before."

"Really?" Both Max and Allisa asked.

"Don't worry, it wasn't some innocent bystander. The one I killed ran a slave business in Miltesa. As far as life spans go, they’re longer-lived humans so they can live up to ten times that of a human, but they don’t live forever. They do possess incredible mana powers."

"Excuse me," Melvin said as he got out of his seat.

"You're not seriously going to try and talk to her?" Allisa asked.

"You underestimate my charm." He said as with a wave. "and as the Arch Sages apprentice, there's no way I'm gonna pass up this opportunity.”

Melvin walked right up to the girl and bowed. "Excuse me?" the girl looked round responding to the voice. "Could I interest a beautiful lady like yourself to a meal with me," he said as gentlemanly as possible.

The girl simply smiled at him in response. "I don't think my guardian will allow it." She said cheerfully.

"Guardian?" Melvin then felt the hairs on the back of his neck stick up as he felt a dangerous presence standing behind him.

As he looked back, he was height level with the upper legs of a scary-looking man standing behind him. The trousers he wore were baggy. He was mostly naked above the waist, with the exception of a carapace across his upper body. He had long, silver hair, which was tied in a ponytail along the right side of his face. What was visible was a scar that went across the man's nose. He fixed Melvin with a piercing gaze, freezing him in place. He then turned his menacing gaze to the girl.

"Ready to go?" He asked her. Even his voice was deep.

"All set." She answered cheerfully, unaffected by his presence.

Both the left, leaving the half scared to death Melvin behind. After a few seconds, Melvin slowly walked back across the room, passed the table with his comrads, pointing at them saying "Don't say anything." before walking away without batting an eye.

"Was he an elf as well?" Allisa asked once Melvin was out of sight.

"Most likely," Nel said, surprising Allisa as she realized she just said that out loud. "Elves generally don't travel with humans. It's actually rare to see them this far away from Aquia."

"Aquia?"

"The peninsula to the north. That's where the elves live." Nel answered. "And before you ask, the Arch Sage from Aquia is an elf."

"I see," Allisa said.

Nel then got up from the table. "Well, I'm going to bed." She announced as she took her to leave, leaving Allisa alone with Max, who was nearly finished with his mountain of food. "See you in the morning." She said as a parting gesture.

"I'm still amazed you can eat so much," Allisa said to Max leaning back on her chair. "I can't help but feel jealous,"

After finishing his meal, Max leaned back, letting out a puff of satisfaction. "If there's an upside to this ability, its that I can enjoy a meal and still have room for seconds."

"When you put it that way," Allisa's eyes darted to Max's X shaped scar, that dominated his chest. "By the way, I've been wondering for a while, but where did you get that scar?"

Max flinched. "Oh, this?" he said putting a hand to his chest. "Well...." His eyes darted down, not wanting to look Allisa in the eye. "Actually... a dragon did this."

"A dragon?"

Taking a deep breath, Max looked towards Allisa, a sad look in his eye. "You know that my ability is with the power of a dragon, right? You get that by the dragon stabbing us through the heart. That's what this is. No idea why its an X though."

Max's gaze lowered to the table, his hands clenching as though painful memories came to the surface. "The dragon that did this... destroyed my hometown. I was the only person who survived."

Allisa put a hand to her mouth, gasping. Her gaze drifted down, a feeling of guilt washing over her. "Sorry..." She muttered. "I-I shouldn't have..."

"Na its fine. It's not a secret or nothing." Max shrugged, leaning back on his chair. "But yeah.... Life was pretty tough after that. That jerk from when we met, he's not the first to come after me because of this. Ever since I got this, once people see what I can do, learn what I am, all they see is a monster." He let out a sigh, "Like everyone I meet, even if they don't see me as being a monster, they don't exactly say I'm human. There's are times I believe that maybe that I really am one."

"..... I don't think you're a monster." Allisa said, causing Max to glance up. "Beside's, you're way to nice to be one in my opinion." She said with a gentle smile. "After all, you're the one who saved me from those thugs not even knowing who I am. There's no way a monster would do something so selfless."

".....Allisa," Max raised a hand to his chest, looking as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. ".... Thanks. That really means a lot."

"Don't mention it," Allisa said as she got up from the table. "Well, we best head off to bed. Who knows how long its gonna take for us to reach Lers.

"R-Right," Max said as he got up from the table.

*****

By a cliff face, there was a small cave entrance, which had two guards by the entrance. Inside was several wooden structures built into the cave. They were mostly stockades and shacks, making the place into a makeshift fort. At the back of the fort was a throne, located in an arena area. In the center was Karren, addressing the man sitting on the throne. He was a tall man, dressed in a large fur cloak, shadowing the regal suit he wore. His face was stern, with a large mustache across his face.

Besides him was a man, with short black hair and dressed in a shirt with a long cloak. Strapped to his waist was a sword, which he had within arms reach. The man on the throne was inspecting the image within a crystal ball, which Karren provided. In the image was a young girl with long blond hair. Her clothing was like nothing he had seen before.

"This girl?" He said to Karren. "She's the new wielder of the legendary Excalibur?" He asked with growing anger. "Did you come into my presence just to mock me?"

"Not at all. I came to ask you to kill her." She said with a smug tone. "Besides, regardless of the skills, her death would certainly regain your shattered reputation, Kobra of the Rats."

"How dare you!" The man beside Kobra spoke up. "Watch your mouth in the presence of Lord Kobra wench!"

"Hachren," Kobra spoke. Upon hearing his name, the man turned and got down to his knees.

"Forgive my intrusion, my lord!"

Kobra turned his attention back towards Karren. "Give me a good reason why going on this job will regain my glory."

Karren gave out a wicked smile "Well, are sources tells us that she's on her way to Lers," she leaned in slightly, "to meet with Yuki Akoga."

Kobra's posture shot up upon hearing the name. "Are you sure?" he demanded.

Karren started to walk off. "Whether you kill her or not, you will certainly cross swords with the one who humiliated you so dearly. I'm sure that would be enough to satisfy your ego." A swirl of dark clouds started to gather at her feet. "The decisions all yours. I won't force you." The cloud quickly engulfed her then dissipated. Karren herself had vanished completely.

"My lord?" Hachren looked at his master with eager anticipation.

"Call the other Rodents." He said in a low voice.

"As you wish my lord." Hachren then turned to the stands, which was full of members of the Rats. "Fero! Quarla! Zagrab!" On his call, two figures dropped from the stands. One was a tall man, with a feathered hat and a short brown jacket covering formal clothes. The other was a little girl, with black hair, wearing a dark dress with a wand strapped to a belt. Both approached Kobra. Only two though "Where's Zagrab?"

"He ran off a couple of seconds ago." The girl answered.

"He did!" Said the man with the feather cap. "Oh what a tragedy. I was looking forward to acquiring some new inspiration for my music." He said.

"You still call your sadistic tendencies 'music.'" The girl said.

"It's not sadistic, it's artistic. To create the most beautiful masterpiece I require fresh screams of pain and agony which can only be gained through the dance of battle."

"Regardless," Hachren interrupted. "How dare he leaves before Lord Kobra makes his decision."

"It's quite clear what his decision will be." The girl said. "Right my lord."

Kobra reached for his great sword which was lent across the side of his throne. He stood up and heaved the large sword up into the sky, then swung down hard, breaking the ground beneath it.

"Looks like I've recovered enough." He said, lifting the sword to up before embedding it into the ground with little effort holding the grip with one hand. "Hachren. Fero. Quarla." He addressed the people in front of him. "Gather the Rats. We march for Lers."

Lers

The following day, the four arrived at the town of Lers. Compared to Enser, Lers was far smaller, and a far more serene town. It had similar buildings but built more as a market town. Nel explained to Allisa it was due to the main road that passed through the town, which acted as a respite and center to commerce for the town. Its stores ranged from food and restaurant vendors to weapons, armor and provisions as well as transport to Enser, Riser and what lay to the west.

"So where's this swordsman?" Allisa asked as the party walked along the street, mostly gawking at her new surroundings.

"He should be at the town's inn," Nel answered. "That's where Rowin said he would be waiting."

"Do we know what he looks like?" Max asked, resting his hands on the back of his head.

"Unfortunately no," Nel answered honestly.

"So how will we tell who it is?" Allisa asked.

"According to the rumor, he carries a Katana with a white scabbard," Melvin replied. "Shouldn't be too difficult to spot. That weapons barely used outside of Kugarat."

"That's still not much to go on," Max said. The group then arrived at the town's inn. A place called the Seven rings. walking through the doors, the party was greeted with the warm interior, designed as a bar on the inside with wooden tables and food and drinks being served. Unfortunately for the party, the place was packed with people, which only made finding there man all the more difficult.

"This is going to be difficult," Allisa said, looking at the sea of people before them.

"We'll have to ask around," Nel said.

****

At the far end of the Inn was a table, which Yuki was sat at. He was having a simple meal when he was interrupted by 3 men who approached him. "What do you want?" he said without looking up.

"Sorry, but this table's ours." One of the men demanded.

"Really," Yuki said still not looking up. "It's mine now." He replied.

"I don't think so. We come here often and we always get this table." The man again demanded.

"Well, guess you going to have to find a new table."

The man's patience grew thin. "Wise guy huh?"

"Come on, not here." One of his friends pleaded.

"Shut up!" He said. He then flipped the table Yuki was sitting at. The noise attracted the attention of everyone in the building. The man leaned in close to Yuki. "I don't know who you think you are, but we're adventurers that bagged the most dangerous monsters around. We always get what we want, and we want this table."

"You know, you're really starting to piss me off," Yuki said, still not making eye contact. The man could no longer hold his anger and reached for his sword.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

In the fraction of a second, just as the man was drawing his sword, Yuki reached for his sword which was leaned against his chair, drew it, shot up from his seat and turned counterclockwise bringing the blade inches away from the man's neck.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me." Yuki fixed a menacing stare at the man, who was frozen with terror at who close his death was. "You're starting to piss me off!"

One of the men stepped forward. "Whoa! T-Take it easy man." He pleaded, gently pushing Yuki and his friend away.

"Yeah will leave you alone," The other said putting his hand on the shoulder of the man who was at Yuki's mercy. "Right."

"R-Right," the man said, releasing his grip on his sword. Yuki then withdrew his sword, allowing the men to leave. The other customers then broke their gaze and returned to their meals.

Yuki sheathed his sword and put the table upright. The soup he was eating was all over the floor. All he had left was the bread he had.

"Oh well. Better than nothing." He was about to take a bite when four new strangers approached him. Yuki shot a glance at them and instantly saw that they were different than the last ones. This group consisted of a woman with short scarlet hair, a teenage girl with long blond hair, a teenage boy with a scar on his chest and a small boy with a cape. "What do you want?" he said, turning away and presided to eating his bread.

"Yuki Akoga?"

Yuki stopped again and turned to the scarlet haired woman who had addressed him.

"Who wants to know?"

"My names Nel Zepher. Rowin Wilhelm sent us."

"Rowin?" Recalling the name, Yuki dug into his pocket and brought out the letter. "You mean the guy who wrote this?"

"That's the one," Nel answered. "We would like you to teach this girl swordplay." She gestured to the blond girl, who smiled nervously at him.

Yuki took one look at her, then looked away. "Not interested." He replied before finally taking a bit out of his bread.

"Just like that? Aren't you going to think about it at least?" The small boy asked.

"I just did."

"Didn't look like you thought much about it." Said the boy with the scar.

"I didn't have to."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Exactly as it sounds punk." The boy then put his hands on the table and got up into Yuki's face. The two glared at each other.

"I don't like him. Let's find someone else." He said.

"Rowin recommended him, so unless you have someone else in mind it's gonna be him," Nel said.

"And I said no. Now leave me alone." Yuki grunted. Nel, however, took a seat opposite him. "Not giving up I see."

"Have you heard about the legendary sword Excalibur?" she asked.

"Yeah, cause I have. Some powerful sword made by the goddess to dispel evil or crap like that. Every idiot knows that story."

Nel turned her attention to the blond girl. "Allisa, show him."

"Oh, right." the girl held out her hand. A quick spark of light emitted as a sword then suddenly appeared from her hand.

Yuki remained unimpressed. "What? Is that supposed to be Excalibur?" he asked.

"That's right. The sword from the legend. Allisa here is the next chose welder of the sword and we need you to teach her about swordplay." Nel said.

Yuki looked at the girl again and then burst into laughter. "You're kidding! You mean the most powerful sword in history chose some little girl with no sword skill at all. That gotta be the best joke ever!"

"It's true!!"

Yuki stopped laughing and faced the girl, who judging by her reaction had just realized that she was the one who said that. Yuki took his sword, stood up and fixed it to his belt.

"Follow me."

****

Allisa followed Yuki out of the Inn. Nel, Melvin and Max followed in turn. As the two got outside, Yuki drew his sword and turned to face Allisa. "Ok, let's see what you're made of. Beat me, and I'll take you seriously."

"W-what?" Allisa said, slightly shocked.

"I might even reconsider training you." Yuki parted his legs and held his blade out in front of him with both hands.

Allisa did the same. She felt nervous realizing the sword Yuki held was a real sword, feeling a murderous intend seeping from his cold glare.

"What's wrong? Why are you hesitating?" He said growing impatient. "Hurry up and attack!"

A cold sweat started to drip from her face. She wanted to move but was fixed in place. She held her blade a little higher. Yuki then changed his stance, moving his right leg back and holding his blade back in a low arc. Through instinct, Allisa took a step back. At that moment Yuki rushed in and with a single strike, knocking Allisa's sword out of her hands. Then in a split second stuck upwards, bringing his blade to a stop a hairs width from Allisa's neck.

Allisa was frozen in place. Her breathing had ceased, and she felt as if her heart skipped a beat. Yuki withdrew his blade. As he did, Allisa collapsed to her hands and knees, gasping for breath. Yuki sheathed his sword and turned away.

"Take my advice and just give up. You can't learn swordplay with that half ass conviction." As he walked off, Melvin and Max rushed towards Allisa. "Just give up and go home. You're not cut out for this, and you never will along as you have no conviction." He was then gone. Allisa was still facing the ground.

"Hey, are you ok," Max asked. Allisa faced him, and he saw tears flowing down her cheeks. "Hey what's wrong?" Allisa got back onto her feet and started walking in the other direction.

"Sorry." She said quietly. "I need to be alone." She said as she walked off.

"Hey! wait, Allisa." Max pleaded as she went out of sight.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Nel said as she set off after Allisa. "You two stay here." She instructed. When she was gone, Max turned and started walking in the direction Yuki took.

"Where are you going?" Melvin asked.

"After that sword bastard." He said, with a great level of rage in his voice. "I'll make him pay for making her cry."

"You can't be serious!" Melvin said running after him. "He's not the run-of-the-mill thugs you get into fights with. You saw what he did to Allisa and before that to those guys."

"So. I'm stronger than him."

"That's not the issue! Those skills are beyond the everyday thugs that come after you! This guy means business!" Max didn't listen and continued going after Yuki. "Nel told us to wait! Are you listening! Hey, Wait!"

Nel vs Zagrab

Clouds started to gather overhead as Allisa sat on a bench in a park, still recovering from her duel with Yuki. "My hands are still shaking." She said staring at her hands. Tears then dropped down onto her open palms. "Why can't I stop crying?"

"You can't learn swordplay with that half ass conviction." Yuki's words rang loud in her ears. The waterworks started up again as Allisa thought about those words. No matter how hard she tried, the image of what happened still played out, how the mans own blade was near inches from her own neck. If it was a real fight, she would have died. "You're not cut out for this, and you never will along as you have no conviction."

Damn it... what the hell? It's not like I wanted to do this. What was that guy expecting? She wiped her tears away with her arm. "Maybe.... I shouldn't have come."

"It breaks my heart to see such a beautify young lady so sad." Allisa lifted her head in response. In front of her was a large man. He was dressed in a thick coat and had a distinctive smirk etched onto his face, showing off his teeth. On his wrists was a strange device that went up his sleeves. "It makes me almost sorry that I have to kill you. Allisa Reed."

Allisa then shot up and wiped away what was left of her tears.

"Your clothing may be different to what that woman showed us, but that hair is a distanced give away. I feel like I should take a loke back as a trophy."

"Who are you?" Allisa demanded.

"Oh my, where are my manners." The man stopped his advance, still some distance between them. "I am Zagrab." Then in a flash, closed the distance between them in a split second, "Zagrab of the Rats." He said right into her ear.

Zagrab had not only closed the distance, but he was also up close to Allisa. Shocked, She jumped the side and put some distance between her and Zagrab before summoning Excalibur to her hand.

"Oh, interesting. A spirit weapon of all things." He raised his hands and crossed them. All of a sudden, two thick blades shot out of his wrist device. "That's wonderful. Let's enjoy this duel." He then rushed towards Allisa at impossible speeds.

A loud clack sound came from the contact as Zagrab leaped back. "Well, looks like we have a visitor." Allisa barely had just realized what happened when she saw Nel standing between her and Zagrab.

"Allisa." Her voice had seriousness in it, which she hadn't heard before. "Get back and whatever you do, don't interfere."

"But-"

"Do as I say!!" Nel snapped. "This man is far beyond your ability. If you try to face him, even to help me, you'll only get killed. Now get to safety and don't come out nomater what!"

Allisa took some steps away from Nel. All the time she's been here, even when she went against Nel and helped with the Fenrias, Nel hand never snapped at her like that. Allisa could tell how serious this opponent was.

So I'm really that weak. She thought to herself as she got to a safe distance. I'm completely useless.

"That was rude," Zagrab said to Nel, who had both blades drawn and adopted a combat stance. "Very well I guess I'll start with you." He crossed his arms again, still smirking. "I am Zagrab of the Rats. And who might you be?"

"What's it to you?" Nel replied bluntly.

"Just being polite. After all it's best that you know the name of the person who killed you."

Nel smirked back. "Very well, Nel Zepher."

"Zepher? That sounds familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Oh well. I guess it doesn't really matter in the end." Zagrab charged again. As before it was so fast, Allisa couldn't even see it. Zagrab had left blade lunged towards Nel's belly, which she blocked with her short blade.

Meanwhile, Zagrab had his right in a wide arch aiming for Nel's neck, which Nel had blocked with her dagger. Allisa didn't even see Nel move from when Zagrab charged her. Not only that she was unfazed by the blinding speed of her opponent and blocked the strikes so seamlessly. Zagrab lunged back, putting distance between him and Nel.

"Well well. This is a surprise."

"I can see that you using Mana focusing," Nel said, returning to her combat stance. "By focusing mana at certain points of your body, you're increasing your speed to beyond you're bodies natural limits."

"Very observant." Zagrab once again crossed his hands again. "Yes, I've conditioned my body to allow me to increase my speed 10X the normal speed. Therefore, most of my fights end within a second due to my speed, so it's refreshing to meet someone with the same ability."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. Just then you used Mana focusing to increase your reaction time. That's the only way you could have successfully blocked my attack."

"Oh. It's a bit more than that." Nel hadn't lifted her head since Zagrab had first charged. "I can see your movements."

"Ha ha ha, you can see, can you? Well, let's see if you can see this coming." Zagrab charged again at Nel. The two clashed in a skirmish, blocking and attack, so fast that, to Allisa, it seemed like they had more than two arms. Each strike emitting a low glow of sparks as the blades made contact. The high-speed clash ended as quickly as it began, with Zagrab again retreating from Nel, not even out of breath despite the flurry of strikes he delivered. "Not bad again, your reflexes are incredible. Not even a scratch on you."

"That's more I can say about you," Nel said, still keeping her head low. Zagrab, gave her a strange look. Then he put his hand on his left cheek and inspected it.

"Blood? Wait. My Blood!" on his cheek was a small cut. "That's impossible!! Even with heightened reflexes, you couldn't have landed a blow during all my attacks.

"I told you," Nel lifted her head. "I can see you!" A look of terror came over Zagrab as he looked Nel in the eyes.

Allisa took a quick look, and to her surprise, saw that Nel's Irises were glowing a bright Yellow. "Wh-What the....?"

"Hold on. Now I remember." Zagrab said, still shocked. "The Zepher's. The most influential assassin family in the Crimson Blade's, the most powerful Assassin clan in the world, known for the Piercer eyes!"

"In that last attack, I counted 227 individual blows you made against me. Within that, you left 19 openings between each attack." Nel smirked at Zagrab. "Like you said, I'm also using Mana focusing, but not to heighten my reflexes like you believe. In fact, I'm doing the exact same thing as you. And with my eyes, I can predict you every movement from contractions in your muscles to where you're focusing your mana." She fixed her stare at Zagrab. "Make your next move. I'm waiting."

A chuckle was then heard from Zagrab. It then quickly developed into loud deranged laughter. "This is just wonderful!" he yelled, giving off more laughter. "At long last, my dream will come fulfilled!"

"Dream?" Nel increased her guard.

"That's right. For years I wished for an opportunity to kill a Crimson blade assassin. I was heartbroken when I heard about how you have been wiped out 19 years ago." He looked up at the sky, holding his hand over his eyes. "I tried everything to find a new dream. Slaughtered other Assassins. I killed families, children, travelers, Adventurers, I even slaughtered an entire garrison of soldiers who were protecting a bunch of little kids but they were no fun. All go them died too quickly before I could have some proper fun." He stared at Nel again, a hint of madness present in his eyes. "Knights, adventurers, Soldiers, Wizards, other assassins, Cait Sith, even elves. But none satisfied my lust. None of them was a worthy challenge!!!"

Nel's tightened her grip around her blades. "You're insane." She said with disgust.

"Now, at long last, I have a Crimson blade assassin in front of me." Zagrab crossed his arms again. "At last, I can finally kill a Crimson Blade!" unexpectedly, Nel dropped her arms and stood straight, staring him with her glowing yellow eyes. "AT LAST I CAN FULFIL MY CRAVING!!!" he yelled as he charged at Nel.

Before his blades made contact, Nel disappeared. "Where did she go?" he asked himself. "Actually," Along with Nel, his arms were cut off right from above his elbows. "Where're my arms?!" He then felt drops of blood drip into his hair. He looked up and saw both arms flying over him.

"Someone like you," high in the air, Nel span through the air. "Someone who takes life so callously," she readied both her blades as her head turned to face Zagrab, fixing him with her Piercer Eyes. As she did she span faster, heading straight for the armless Zagrab "DESERVES NO MERCY!!"

In a flash, Nel sliced right through Zagrab, landing behind him, severing right through his guts, spelling out a vast ocean of blood as a large hole had formed on Zagrab's side, how collapsed shortly after. Stood up and faced Allisa. Her eyes had reverted back to their original color. "Are you alright." She said. Allisa was hunched over, holding her stomach and mouth and looking like she was about to vomit.

"I'm fine." She struggled to say. Despite what she had witnessed bloodshed since she relived Excalibur, she had never seen a display that gruesome before. The sight made her want to throw up.

Nel was about to approach her when she heard a cackle from Zagrab, who was just clinging to life.

"You're all... dead." He struggled to say. "Th...The others are... are coming.... They'll kill her... and that swordsman."

"What do you mean?" Nel ran up to Zagrab "Answer me!"

"Y..Your...All...Dea..." Zagrab went quiet, finally succumbing to the wound.

"What was that about?" Allisa said, approaching Nel. As Nel turned round, Allisa saw a look of dread. "What is it?"

"We're in trouble."

****

The west entrance to the town of Lers was void of most things. Just the road that stretched out from the few buildings there, arranged to form a semi-circle around a small plaza. This was mainly used for big festivals or large convoys coming from the west. At the moment it was mostly deserted due to the dark clouds gathering above.

"Looks like it's gonna rain." He said to himself.

"Hey swordsman, wait!" Yuki turned behind him. Three little kids approached him.

"Oh hey, it's you guys." Yuki had run into them before when he first arrived at the town two days ago. He got the names of them. the oldest was called Hal. The one who was wearing glasses was called Paul. And the smallest of them was called Oliver.

"Are you leaving already?" Hal said.

"Yeah sorry." Yuki crouched down onto his knees so he was level with the kids. "The job didn't really work out so I'm heading back home."

"Aw, I wanted to see more of you cool moves," Paul said jumping up and down.

"Will you be back?" said Oliver.

"I'll come back one day maybe," Yuki said scratching his head. "Until then I hope you all become great swordsmen or something."

"Are you kidding? When you come back I'll be better than you." Boosted Hal.

"Really?" Yuki chuckled as he slowly stood back up. "In that case, how about I take you on when I return."

"Ha, you're on!"

"Found you!" The group looked down the street and saw the source of the yelling. The voice came from Max, who was storming down the street towards Yuki. Besides him was Melvin, still pleading with him not to do anything stupid.

"Who are they?" Hal asked. Got up to have a good look at them.

"Not sure," Yuki replied scratching his head. "They look familiar though."

"All right you sword bastard, I'll make you pay for what you did to Allisa!" Max proclaimed cracking his knuckles.

"I'm not with him!" Melvin announced, realizing that nothing he could do would stop Max.

"Allisa?" Yuki thought to himself as Max came to a stop. "Oh right, you were with that Nel chick from earlier, right?"

"You forgot us!" Melvin said.

"It's not like you introduced yourselves." He said before staring at Max. "I don't know what it is, but for some reason your pissing me off." He said to him. "If you're here about that blond girl then forget it. I'm not changing my mind."

"Like I care about that!" Max bellowed out. "I'm here because you hurt her!"

"Really. Poor her. Like it's my problem she has no talent." Max lunged forward and grabbed Yuki by the collar of his shirt.

"She was crying." Max wasn't even holding back his rage. "She's hurt because of what you said to her. After you nearly killed her!!"

"Your point?" Yuki replied coldly. "I won't take back what I said if that's what this is about," Yuki said, barely fazed by Max's assault. "She doesn't have the will for the path she's on then she should just give up." He then brushed aside Max's hand before walking away.

"The hell do you know....?" Max gritted his teeth while clenching his fists as his anger bubbling. "You have no idea about what Allisa is going through!! She didn't ask for this path in the first place! What gives you the right to judge her when you have no idea what it's like to have such a heavy burden forced upon you!!"

Yuki suddenly stopped in his tracks as something within him came to the surface in response to Max's outcry. "You know." He said quietly as he drew his sword. "It's usually against my principles to cut down someone with no weapon." He turned and pointed his sword at Max. "But since you're annoying, I'll make an exception."

"Fine by me." Max bashed his fists together. "I'm just itching to bash your teeth in."

Melvin watched on the sidelines along with Hal, Paul and Oliver. "Oh great. I knew this would happen." Melvin groaned.

"Hey. What's wrong with your friend?" Hal asked Melvin.

"Don't get me started on him." Melvin sighed, realizing it was made more as an insult than a genuine question.

"Well, your friends going to die. There's no way he could win against Yuki. He's invisible." Paul said.

"Probably." Melvin didn't want to agree since he knew Max's power. However, despite seeing his skills twice, he could tell that Yuki was no ordinary swordsman. "We may want to get further back. I got a feeling we're in the danger zone.... Huh?"

Before the fight began, a loud horn could be heard, which to Melvin came as a relief. However, an army of fifty armed men approached the outskirts of the town. They flew a banner, which was red, and had a black rat in the middle. In front of this army were four distinct individuals who seemed to be the leaders. At the approach of this army, many people who were living in the buildings nearby quickly fled into town in terror and panic. The army stopped short as the four leaders approached the semi-circle plaza, then stopped short. One, who bore a great sword walked forward before stabbing the ground.

"Yuki Akoga." He said, lifting his head "We meet again."