The Shores of Duty

[Ignis Glaciesque]

"Go on! Harder!"

Her leg slammed into the sand bag.

"Faster!"

Her fists swiftly pummeled her practice target.

"I picked you up! I saved you! You owe your life to me!"

She panted, out of breath. Her throat burned in exhaustion as her sweat coated body shook.

"Remember your form!"

She straightened her back, sword held in the perfect stance.

"Remember! Aim to kill!"

The crossbow bolt hit bullseye on the practice target.

"You're better than that! Hanuh!"

~~~

Her eyes opened.

Her vision was still blurred as she felt the warm blankets hugging her. Head buried in the pillow, she slowly awoke as his words swirled in her head. Her vision rested on the wooden boards of the cabin's walls. The light from the small, round window filtered into the room, lighting it in dust particles. The steady splashing of water shook the ship steadily, a soothing mechanism. For a moment, the girl wondered what had awoken her; then she heard the chiming of a bell growing in the distance. From above deck, the faint shouts of shipmates sounded. She realized with a jolt that their destination had been reached.

Yet, she remained in the bed.

Her curly, white hair hung over her face as her memories rocked her like the sea rocked the boat. Finally, she opened her mouth to mutter one thing to the man who had raised her, trained her…

"Liar."

She finally flung the comforter off her frame.

[Ignis Glaciesque]

The Shores of Duty.

[Solo.]

[Ignis Glaciesque]

As she climbed up to the deck, Hanuh flung her dark blue cloak around her frame. Everything was packed, her staff was in her other hand. She struggled with the clasp of her cloak as her surroundings made themselves known to her. She had grown up in an isolated tower between the mmountain borders of Raiaera and Alerar, thus was never properly in this land. Still, she was unsurprised by the dim, clouded sky. Unlike in the apocalyptic landscape of Scara Brae, the clouds were formed not from volcanic ash but from smokestacks of polluted smoke. Further more, light still shone through the thin clouds. Anyone could tell it was daytime here. As she stood at the edge of the boat, looking into the town, she heard the footsteps of traders passing by.

"Man! I never thought the time would come when Etheria looked nicer than Radasanth!" One shouted to a co-worker as he lugged several crates.

Ah, yes, Etheria. The port town where people from Corone made trade with Alerar. Of course, Corone was in a state of disrepair due to the erutpon of a mega volcano in those parts. Corone emptied itself of anything of value they had to gain supplies for survival from the superpower that was Alerar, the economic king of the world. Hanuh reached back and grasped her hood. Looking out, she saw the mostly dark elf populace all helping the people of Corone unpack their supplies and load new goods. Food, fresh water, medical supplies… Nothing too technologically advanced, with how proud these people were, but the rare sympathy of Alerar could still be felt in this scene. Yet, one problem remained.

Hanuh pulled her hood up, covering her ears. She had a small amount of elvish blood within her, Raiaeran high elf blood. She knew that it could spell trouble with the rivalries between the two nations. Thus, she hid her ears. All her other features were purely human. Now, she simply looked like any normal human being. Yet, she knew she was far from it. With the blood of two great magical families running in her veins, Hanuh was positive she had to keep her powers hidden. Alerar loathed magic, despised it. Hanuh never overly relied on her powers, but now she needed to stop using them completely. Hanuh laughed at the irony of how little it would affect her anyways. She was considerably weakened from what she once was. Her frame was frail, years of physical training wasted. And yes, her powers had faded too. She could barely freeze water and control flames; and she was no longer immune to the elemental touch. She sighed, tugging at her cloak with one hand as she grasped her staff with the other. She made way towards the wooden beam off the ship. After buying some supplies, she would be on the road again. She knew he was somewhere in Alerar. Where? She needed to find him, confront him, and…

… kill him.

[Ignis Glaciesque]

As she started through the city, the young girl coughed from the fumes of the steam driven streets. The roads were flooded with people; all of whom passed faceless through her visions in a colored, messy bulge of sensory detail. The dark, paved roads were expertly build. Yet, they were covered from rubbish and dirt that was left uncleaned. As the putrid smells slammed into her nose, the girl felt like she was hit by a heavy carriage. She lifted her hand from the cloak and held her nose, breathing through her mouth instead.

The cold, bland buildings were fat departed from the glories of elvish architecture. They were square, down to earth, and boring. Hanuh appreciated the Raiaeran level of artistic license in her old tower. This place, on the other hand, was lacking in any form of pleasant appearance. As the people squeezed her deeper into the heavy sticky sea of crowd, Hanuh longed for her quiet cabin back on the ship.

She wanted out of this town very soon.

As her boots splotched in what she hoped was just mud, Hanuh slowed next to a stone constructed building. On the clear glass window in the front, an Open sign was hung in neat, orderly fashion. Through the window, many rows of general goods and foods could be seen. Happy to escape this awful street for a while, Hanuh pushed through the crowds towards the building. As she climbed the wooden porch, she stepped to the side where a rug was to wipe off one's shoes. She looked down at the disgusting display of mud and yuck on her feet and even pants! She grimaced as she struggled not to gag. The only thing that helped was that she had seen far worse than mud in her past...

As she stomped and rubbed her boots off on the front door, a prestigious dark elf wearing high honored clothing walked out. Sticking her nose up, she muttered loudly, "Watch your filth, human!"

Hanuh scowled. Oh yeah, dark elves hated pretty much anything that was not them. Although, she was sure she would face even worse treatment if her ears were exposed. Sighing heavily, she left her staff on the porch as she entered the building.

[Ignis Glaciesque]

There were still clumps of mud and garbage as she entered, but it was not nearly as bad as the outside. The dark, single room shop was large and spacious. The stone walls made it feel more at home to her as the girl picked up one of the baskets provided and started shopping. Slowly working her way through the isles, there were voices from other customers out there, but it was surprisingly unbusy for such a populated trade town. She stuffed another canister of dried meat into the basket, then a loaf of white bread. As she moved forward, she saw a sparkle of blue from the side of her eyes. She looked up to see that the sunlight was hitting something just right, reflecting blue on the grey walls. She knew what it was. She tossed her next item into the basket and reached up, clasping the necklace around her neck. The light was put out fast as a candle as she reflected on one of the few memories of her grandfather.

"This necklace was your grandmother's, mother's, and now yours. Take good care of it."

As she slowly trudged out of the isle, she lifted her hand and extended her palm, holding the pretty thing in her olive hand. Without the light, the necklace was now pure white, without color. The color only appeared in the light. That was the nature of nixstella, the precious gems of Eiskalt.

She sighed, looking down at the item passed onto her by her biological mother. Ah, her biological mother. Hanuh was, in fact, raised by an adoptive family until she was six. Her true mother had given her up so she could live a better life than she had with her. Indeed, she had loved her adopted family very much, but now... they were...

Images of a blood scorched scene flickered in her mind.

She wanted to know if here, back here, her real mother was still out there.

With a feeling of deep sorrow, the melancholy girl walked up to the counter. Placing the basket onto the desk, she absentmindedly ignored the conversations of the cashier as she thought back to the man who saved - no - spared her...

[Ignis Glaciesque]

"Your adoptive parents were enemies of Alerar. Your grandfather stole weapons that were very important to my glorious country. It took multiple trips here to fully reclaim what was ours. You must shed no tears for traitors. Follow me."

She paid her needed amount for the equipment and started stuffing her new things into the pack she had bought with them. She only used one arm for this, as her other hand was placed on her forehead in frustrated thought. As she left the store, dropping the basket by the door, she was once again greeted with Alerar's grim atmosphere. She looked up at it, feeling betrayed by the grand illusions of grander that her master had given her. Alerar was far from paradise, no matter how great its technology. This place was a dump. It was no wonder such slime could crawl from here...

Shaking her head, the girl went down the steps again. With no desire to feel buffeted by the blurred crowds in front of her again, she decided to take another path. The back-ways, off roads between these two story buildings, could potentially lead her out of town. Thus, she turned from the busy, dull main way and ducked between the store and its neighbor. She soon found herself looking up at drapped out laundry and dodging dark elf children playing with wind up toys. Hanuh remembered having one, given to her by him as a way to show her the greatness of his kingdom - or - future kingdom. It was not his yet...

Her eyes narrowed as she remembered that it was her job to make sure it never did become his.

As she turned a corner to bleak, stone buildings with no windows, she readjusted the uncomfortable straps of her pack. Lifting her staff to where it rested on her shoulder, she made way to the end of the thin, small corner when-

- "Hey, look! A lost traveler! I wonder what goodies she brought from over seas!"

[Ignis Glaciesque]

Hanuh turned in shock to see two individuals blocking off where she just came from. A dark elf woman twirled a steel knife in her hand as she leaned against the building. She was rather young, with purple skin and short black hair. Her partner was a human male, with fair skin and a hefty frame. He slammed his fist into his palm as he smirked in the thin turn out of here. Hearing footsteps, muffled by her hood, she turned to see a third individual, another dark elf, with his arms crossed at her other exit. The blue skinned male glared at her in silence.

Hanuh was in danger. She needed to think fast.

Hanuh turned back to the first two thugs. The young woman, who had made to call out, smiled as she twirled her knife. "And she's young too! Probably doesn't know how to defend her skin!"

The human looked to the purple woman, "Wanna see what's in her pack?"

The woman shook her head, pointing to Hanuh with a long, black painted nail. "Nah, it's probably just supplies. I'm more interested in her necklace."

With a gasp, Hanuh pulled her free hand to her necklace. It currently was a dim blue, enough to barely be noticeable from the distance they were at. No, not-

"Aw!" The human boy mocked, "She's scared!"

Hanu realized just how shocked she appeared. She tried to convince herself. You fought with armies! You trained your whole life! You can beat them!

But her doubts still jabbed at her. Her lack of strength, both physically and magically. Had she been reduced to nothing? For the first time, a doubt crept into her mind. Can I beat him?

The girl nodded at the human in a signal. "I want that necklace."

The human nodded. As the woman pushed herself up from the wall, he pulled out a baton and walked towards Hanuh. Hanuh pulled the necklace under her shirt as she adjusted her staff. Taking a light, quick stance, she pulled her staff in front of her, from her side, and pointed it towards the thug.

Her memories danced in her head. A grey haired human with glasses handing a crystal necklace to her. Then, the words of the very man who tried to make her his puppet. "Your father, unfortunately, died. Your mother went on to be a hero. A seeker of justice who refused to let the crimes of evil men go unpunished. She was the Executioner of the Wicked, a slayer of demons in mortal flesh. Ayleth. You should strive to be like her."

Hanuh's eyes narrowed as the criminal raised his baton. So many times, she had been told things of her past she understood may not be true. Still, this necklace was the only thing that could remind her of her true mother. She moved her staff upwards to block his baton, determination swelling in her chest.

This necklace was her's! Her's alone!

[Ignis Glaciesque]

Hanuh rammed the end of her staff into the man's hand. He cried out, dropping the weapon. Hanuh then aimed to staff at the stomach. She landed a solid blow, causing him to clench his stomach and fall down. Looking up to see the dark elf leader shocked, Hanuh changed her grip and started treating the staff like a baseball bat, repeatedly slamming the solid weapon against he frame. As the man huddled in the fetal position, crying in pain, the dark elf gritted her teeth. "Pitiful human. Morang!"

Hanuh turned to see the dark elf male dashing towards her with nothing but his fists. Years of training bolted through Hanuh like lightening. Morang was unable to close their distance as Hanuh changed her grip to a longer range again, using her staff to ward him off as she stepped back. As they participated in this dance, both looking for openings, Hanuh heard the leader practically scream. "Morang! Get her!"

With a grunt of anger, the dull eyed elf grappled the staff and pulled it aside, Hanuh gasped as he took steps towards her. Then, the girl pulled at the staff with one hand and lifted her fist in a close, tight blocking fist. The man took the bait, aiming tor her upper body as she hastily ducked. Completely letting go of her staff, she closed the distance as she raised herself and her knee. Her knee rammed into the delicate spot of men, their weakness. The man let emotion creep into his face for the first time as he started to cry. He barreled over, holding the spot between his legs.

From inside the pack, Hanuh pulled out a canister of water as she bent down and picked up her weapon. From behind her saw the human finally trying to get up as the female elf looked on in horror. Once again, Hanuh rammed her staff into him. Then, as he moaned again. she stepped over him and took a sip of water. Already, she was exhausted, but she knew how to end this fight. She swallowed the small drink as he jerked her head for the dark elf to approach her.

[Ignis Glaciesque]

The dark elf shouted in rage as she approached Hanuh in a sprint. Hanuh completely plucked the lid off of the bottle as she lifted the water. She splashed some of liquid all over the elf, who just stopped in dumb surprise. She looked at Hanuh with wide, questioning eyes as Hanuh unleashed her secret weapon.

A gift from her mother. Extending her hand, Hanuh cooled the temperature of the water on the woman's frame. The woman was suddenly encased in thin, yet bitterly cold, ice. As she looked up in shock, Hanuh pulled down her hood to reveal her elvish heritage. She tossed her staff away, clenching the hand into a fist. She poured the rest of the water onto her hand, rapidly freezing it at she fell. Then, she raised the ice enhanced fist and landed a solid punch on the woman's face. As she fell back, she looked up at the blond, dark girl with fear in her eyes. "Ma-magic... high elf..."

Hanuh looked down at her with a scowl, her eyes tinted in an icy glow. "Leave me alone."

Hanuh bent down, picking up the knife that her opponent dropped to add insult to injury as the dark elf struggled to scratch the ice off of her numb skin, she took it. Then she turned around, dropping the empty canister as she picked up her staff. He placed to knife in one of the pockets of her bags as she stepped over the defeated bodies of those minions. As she made way for the exist, she could hear the rapid working of limbs trying to stand up. Hanuh stopped, without turning around. "I can control fire too."

They stopped, dead in their tracks, as Hanuh left without any opposition.

As Hanuh left, she found her desire to leave this place thicken. Now that the secrets were out, she would be opposed by many of these people. She managed to scare the thugs by this gamble, but she knew many other people with higher power would outright oppose her as rumors ran around. Her eyes returned to their natural color as Hanuh subconsciously started jogging through these streets. She needed to get out.

Yet, another question still tugged at her mind. Was she strong enough to actually face him? She relied on pure gambling, a non-lethal gamble, to get out of being robbed. If meager thugs were enough to pose a threat, how would trained assassins and skilled warriors fare against her weakened state. Did she come here too soon?

[Ignis Glaciesque]

Soon enough, Hanuh had escaped the labyrinth of inner city blocks. She was now standing at the edge of constructed, two story forests of industry. Under the canopy of their shingle leaves, she looked out into the road ahead.

Many travelling caravans carrying traded goods made it in and out of the city. Carts, horse driven wagons, and long parades of dark elves, humans, and sometimes dwarves. The landscae ahead was harsh, revealing to true gloom of Alerar. Bare rocks, dark dirt and sands, and the endless rolling landscape of dead lands. Was she willing to face this? Hanuh narrowed her eyes, she knew she could not face him yet. Not without being stronger. She sighed, starting the trek with her staff at hand, a walking stick. She needed to rebuild her strength while looking for information. But how?

The road in front of her was a long, tough one.

Could she complete her mission?

She started down the hill, to the long road. She pulled her hood back up as she made long, heavy steps. Puffs of dust were left in her footsteps as her eyes grew tinted in icy blue again. She needed to improve her strength, for the day she met him

"Hey, ye a wizard?"

Hanuh stopped dead in her tracks, skidding as a small cloud of dust developed. Under the looming clouds, she turned her head to see a dwarf standing besides the road with a wide range travel equipment and filthy clothes. His grey beard was shriveled yet long as he pulled a burning pipe from his lips.

Hanuh stood in shock, "What makes you think that?"

His wrinkled face curved, he smirked. "Yer eyes."

The girl gasped, lifting a hand over one of her frost coated eyes. As she did this, the dwarf let out a hearty laugh. "Darlin' gal, no need te hide it! In fact, we need the help of some'yung versed in magic. Our caravan, ye see."

Hanuh lowered her hand as the dwarf extended his. "We be willing te pay a hefty sum fer yer aid. What do ye say?"