The Sword Is Mighter Than The Pen

[Lucifer Blight]

(Closed)

Negotiating is an art, as any person with a decent IQ can tell you. Every motion the body makes, every word you say and the way you say it, how often you blink, how long you can hold your bladder, everything and anything figures into the process of negotiations. If the person on the opposite side of the table doesn’t like what you are saying or what you are wearing, they may very well call off the entire meeting and come to a conclusion that was the opposite of what you were aiming for. When it came to countries, negotiations become even more important and trickier. One false word and peace can shatter into the hounds of war being unleashed.

Right about now, Lucifer wouldn’t mind unleashing those hounds.

I…hate…diplomacy! Thought Lucifer to himself as he and a small group of soldiers slowly made their way through a dimly lit forest. One single path cut through the entire dense forest, carving a clear road through an otherwise plant-filled path of vegetation. Even though the road made for easy walking, the forest’s conditions were anything but comfortable. It was humid, filled with insects, and the fact that Lucifer couldn’t see five feet beyond either side of him was not exactly a comforting thought. All in all, Lucifer had definitely had better days.

It is so like that stupid old man to send me such a useless errand. He has his own children. He might as well put them to good use. Lucifer inwardly raged as his hand shot out to swat away a nearby bug. Uneducated in the arts of diplomacy, Lucifer didn’t exactly understand why he himself had to visit the kingdom of Golgern to meet with whatever the current king was called. All he had heard was that the treaty between his country of Carthage and Golgern was falling apart, something to do with soldiers being to close too each other’s borders, which was interesting because Lucifer could have sworn that the king of Carthage, Agares Victus, was the one who had ordered the troops to gather near the border. The whole situation was mildly intriguing, but the constant buzzing of mosquitoes was of far more concern to Lucifer.

Were Lucifer skilled in diplomacy, he may have figured out that sending a royal family member (albeit one who was adopted and did not exactly like being part of the family) showed that Carthage cared deeply for its relationship with Golgern. To send a messenger was one thing, but to send a prince was something else entirely. Had Lucifer been even more skilled in the malicious arts of scheming, he would have found it interesting that King Victus chose to send the one prince that was known for having a very short temper, something that was not an ideal trait when it came to a diplomat. At the moment, Lucifer was under the assumption that his stepfather, King Victus, just wanted an excuse to get Lucifer out of the kingdom. The two men were not exactly fond of each other.

“Are we there yet?” Asked one of the younger soldiers accompanying Lucifer. At the moment, there were six soldiers (apparently that was all the protection Lucifer was worth) all equipped with steel short swords and wooden shields that were large enough to cover a man’s upper body. Each soldier’s outfit was identical, blue pants and shirt with brown leather armor to cover the chest. It was standard equipment for Carthage footmen, and standard was all that Victus had been willing to send along with Lucifer. Not that Lucifer really cared, the less of his stepfather’s lapdogs he had around him the better.

“Not for a while. At least another good fifteen miles before we reach the capital city, but I hear there’s a town where we can rest at just two miles or so out of this forest.” Muttered another soldier in response to his comrade’s question. The young soldier smiled a weary smile at the prospect of rest. The group had been trudging through this forest for the better half of the day. It’s always strange that the shortest route to any place always seems to be the route filled with the most distractions and obstacles, which in this case was a forest filled with the annoying sound of buzzing mosquitoes. Next time the king sent Lucifer on an errand, the prince swore he would take whatever route kept him away from the blood-sucking pests that he constantly had to swat away.

“Just make sure you don’t lose that good-will gift. It’s worth more than you make in a year.” Lucifer muttered as he pointed towards a small chest carried by one of the soldiers. Within the chest was a decorated gold brooch with three different gems fixed into it. It was common practice for countries to exchange gifts with one another, even though a king hardly had any use for a brooch. Of course, if Lucifer recalled correctly, the king of Golgern did have an unmarried daughter. Maybe the old man was trying to bring the two families closer together by buying one of his sons the princess’s affection. It had worked in the past for many countries.

“Yes sir. I’ll guard it with my life.” The soldier quickly responded, tightly grasping the chest as he spoke. In actuality, Lucifer really didn’t care about the chest or its contents. He would have happily traded it away for something more useful, which at this moment would be a nice soft bed. However, Lucifer knew that if something happened to that little treasure, then he would be the one who would receive the blame. King Victus was always on the look out to find a way to shame Lucifer and steal away what little power the prince had left.

“Hey prince…you should be careful where you step. I heard somewhere that stepping on the flowers in this forest is bad luck.” Said one of the soldiers softly. Lucifer stopped his irritated walk and looked down, only to find his boot amidst a small field of flowers, all of which had been completely smashed into the dust. What once had been a colorful assortment of blooming flowers was now nothing more than a dirt-covered patch of mud. Lucifer scowled, and then glanced back at the soldier who had warned him. For a moment not a sound was heard, except for the constant buzzing of mosquitoes.

“I’m afraid trudging through a humid forest filled with blood-sucking insects does not qualify as bad luck. In our country, we call that patriotism.” Lucifer muttered as the soldiers broke up into laughter. There wasn’t a man in the group who did not wish to be at home right now, perhaps in the arms of their loving wife (or, if that option was not available, a good-looking barmaid would do just fine). And when the soldiers thought about just what other things they could be doing, they figured this forest situation wasn’t that bad of luck.

The arrow that sailed out of the trees, however, was.

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc did his best to stifle what would have been a rather loud groan. Enduring the routine training that General Levi was leading felt beyond irritating. "Manipulate the flame by extending your left hand..." The wizard was demonstrating, but Luc was barely paying attention. He did what Levi displayed anyway, obviously not needing any kind of instruction about how to do so.

The mage looked around with a half-caring stare, observing the other would-be troops as they manipulated small fireballs in their hands, trying to do the same as Levi did. Some failed, most passed, and few struggled, ultimately prevailing. The proud look on each face that succeeded amazed Luc, considering how small an accomplishment it was.

All the same, he couldn't deny how beautiful the courtyard was. It was constructed of beautiful stone and brick, with vines and flowers falling from the upper portions of the walls. He must have admired the area for too long, because when his attention was drawn back to Levi and his lesson, half of the other trainees were gone, and the wizard general was looking at him.

"Bored?" Levi asked sarcastically, throwing his long mane of white hair from his face.

Luc didn't reply verbally, not right away anyway. He took note of the shape Levi's fireball, and in an instant, manipulated his to look the same way. With a smile he presented it. "Good enough for you, master wizard?"

A few of the nearby recruits were surprised at the prowess Luc showed, even considering that he was older than the oldest of them by about 5 years. A universal impressed ooo rose among them, and Luc bathed himself in the sound, absorbing it like a sponge.

"Congratulations," Levi declared soon after, fizzling all of the fire in the area with a simple thought, including Luc's. "You all pass. Welcome to Golgern military's wizard division! All new recruits need to take a test to see how skilled they are, in order to place people in proper units.

"I'm anxious to see you there," Levi finished, making eye contact with Luc just as he said his final sentence.

[Lucifer Blight]

The arrow whizzed by Lucifer and into the neck of the man carrying the chest, sending out a small geyser of blood as the solider let out a gurgled scream and fell to the ground. Lucifer let out a curse as he crouched to his knees as did the remaining soldiers as another arrow flew out from the bushes, this time grazing past Lucifer’s cheek. Lucifer felt a small trickle of blood begin to drip down his chin as he picked up the fatally wounded soldier’s shield and raised it up to defend himself.

“Get your shields out and line up! Form a shield wall! Now!” Barked Lucifer as another solider took an arrow, this time in the stomach. As he fell to the ground, moaning in pain, the remaining guards quickly yanked out their shields and lined up next to each other. As one, the group held their shields in front of them, causing the next several arrows to bounce harmlessly off into the woods. For a moment, nothing else happened. Then, several loud shouts were heard as several men jumped out from the bushes.

“You two! Circle around and find a way to deal with those archers! You two, kill anyone who comes at us!” Lucifer shouted as he unsheathed his own blade. His remaining soldiers shouted in agreement as two of them immediately broke into a run away from the battle. The remaining two marched forward to meet the assailants with Lucifer in the lead.

Another arrow hit Lucifer’s shield as he moved to get a better view of his assailants. There were four of them in plain sight, plus however many were still hiding in the trees. The visible men all wore green tunics and were armed with short swords, nothing else. Were it an open battlefield Lucifer knew his men would make short works of these bandits, but these close quarters were something else. Still, the prince was confident that Carthage troops could best highway bandits any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

Lucifer’s blade slashed into one of the charging bandit’s stomach, sending a spray of blood onto the green foliage below his feet. The man crumpled instantly, dropping his sword and clutching his now open stomach as his lifeblood began to pour out over the forest earth. Not having time to savor his kill, Lucifer quickly raised his shield above his head to block another bandit’s incoming sword. The minute Lucifer had blocked the attack a Carthage soldier ran up behind the bandit and quickly brought him down with a well-aimed sword strike to the head.

A few feet to Lucifer’s right a Carthage soldier screamed as an arrow came out of nowhere and buried itself into the man’s unprotected leg. The soldier dropped to his knees in pain as a nearby bandit seized the opportunity and maneuvered to the wounded man’s left where the bandit’s blade dug into the man’s exposed neck. As the soldier fell Lucifer quickly charged at the bandit who slew the soldier, seeking to not only avenge the man’s death but to inflict as much pain as possible on those who dared to attack him and his troops. The bandit quickly refocused his attention on Lucifer, yanking his bloodied blade out of the soldier’s neck and parrying Lucifer’s oncoming thrust. Not out of tricks just yet, Lucifer spun about and slammed his wooden shield into the bandit’s exposed face, shattering the man’s nose.

The prince raised his sword in order to finish off the wounded man, only to instead scream in pain as an arrow pierced into his arm. Lucifer felt his hand spasm uncontrollably, forcing Lucifer to drop his sword to the ground while the bleeding man in front of Lucifer leapt forward, slamming his full weight into the wounded prince. Lucifer tumbled backwards, slamming into the moist earth below him. As he fell, he saw one of the bandit archers fall from a tree as a sword flew out of nowhere and impaled itself into the bandit’s chest. The two Carthage soldiers flashed through the forest as they moved towards a target that Lucifer could not see. Instead, Lucifer’s attention was on the bandit in front of him.

The bandit, whose nose was now bleeding terribly, raised his sword and stabbed it downwards as Lucifer raised his wooden shield to defend himself. A cracking noise sounded throughout the forest, quickly mixing in with the other melodies of battle. Lucifer noticed his shield split in his hands, changing from a solid object into a jagged mess of stuck together wood. Yet that wood clung to the bandit’s sword, effectively ceasing all movement that the bandit could make. Lucifer seized his chance and slammed his left foot into the bandit’s unprotected kneecap, causing the bandit to howl in agony. Lucifer then flung his jagged shield into the man’s face as the prince rolled towards the spot where his sword lay. The second he was in range, Lucifer picked up his sword and stabbed it upwards into the man’s chest. The bandit, who was already clutching his shattered face, shook violently as Resentment took what life the man had left.

Another death cry shot through the forest, but it came not from the bandits near Lucifer nor his own troops. That meant that the troops he had sent to outflank the enemy had either killed another, or had been killed themselves. Knowing he could not check to find out had actually happened, Lucifer turned his attention towards the two bandits armed with short daggers that leapt out of the bushes and made straight for the treasure chest and the one guard next to it. Cunning bastards didn’t rush all at once. Damn it! Lucifer cursed to himself as the one of the bandits shoved the guard to the ground while the other one quickly impaled his dagger into the fallen guards rib cage. At the same time, Lucifer saw the Carthage soldier who had been wounded by an arrow in his stomach pull himself up from the ground and strike down another bandit. Lucifer made a mental note to promote that man for his zeal as he gazed at the two remaining newcomers.

The two newcomers had decided that the fight could not be won, and instead opted to grab the chest and take off into the woods. Lucifer let out a loud roar as he charged towards the two bandits, tightly gripping his bastard sword with both hands. Lucifer swung his sword violently as one of the bandits snatched up the chest from the ground. Had his arm not had an arrow in it, Lucifer was sure that he would have cleaved the man’s head off in one smooth stroke. However, even though he gripped his blade with both hands, Lucifer still faltered and instead cleaved into the man’s arm. The fact that the arm had been completely severed from the body was irrelevant.

The bandit screamed in immense pain as his partner swung his free hand at Lucifer’s exposed face, which not only stunned the prince but also completely knocked him off his feet. Had the bandit wanted to, he could have pressed his advantage, but instead the bandit grabbed his wounded friend who was still clutching tightly to the chest despite the fact that the better part of his right arm was on the forest floor. Lucifer snarled and began to pull himself up, only to fall back down as another arrow flew by his head. After that, one final death cry was heard as Lucifer saw the two bandits with the chest vanish into the forest, and then all grew silent.

The two Carthage soldiers that Lucifer had sent around the enemy burst from the trees, both of their swords and bodies drenched in blood. One of the two was tightly clutching his side, and Lucifer imagined that the blood at that particular spot was not one of his enemies. The two soldiers looked around frantically for more enemies, but could find none. Lucifer groaned and pulled himself up with the support of a nearby tree as the two soldiers ran over to him.

“Lord Lucifer! We’ve cleared out the enemies in the forest but I’m afraid we were not in time to stop the two with the chest! What shall we do?” The only unwounded man asked as Lucifer leaned on his sword for support. Lucifer desperately wanted to go after the bandits, but with two men dead and two men gravely injured, that wasn’t an option. No, Lucifer had to take care to save what little troops he had left. Wincing with pain, Lucifer slammed his sword back into his sheath and reached down to help a Carthage soldier who lay on the ground moaning in pain and tightly clutching his wounded side.

“Make for the village. It’s not that far, and I don’t think those bandits will bother us anymore.” Said Lucifer quietly as he picked up the fallen solider next to him and leaned him against his shoulder. The other soldiers quickly did the same, two picking up the dead soldier’s bodies (they weren’t about to leave their comrades unburied in this stupid place) and the other helping the soldier with an arrow still in his stomach to his feet. That particular soldier was still strong enough to force a weak smile and give a thumbs up. Lucifer would definitely have to promote that man.

“But sir, that chest contained…” One of the soldiers began, but was soon silenced with a wave of Lucifer’s hand. Grunting in pain, Lucifer began his slow trudge towards the town that lay just out of the forest. Hopefully, that town would have a doctor. Even if cared for, Lucifer knew most of his men wouldn’t be able to stand, let alone cut their way through a forest. Still, first things first.

“I know, I know. Don’t worry; I’ll get it back. Even if I have to burn down this whole damn forest in the process.”

[Cyrus the virus]

A short while later, Luc and the other new recruits were in a comfortably-sized room in Golgern Castle, standing about and getting used to the fact that they were all now officially in the military's magic division. Luc was underwhelmed but excited at once, but most of the other recruits were either nervous or fearful. Noone knew what Levi had in mind for their test, and most men in the room were hardly beyond novice in terms of magic skill. In fact, everyone but Luc was inexperienced in actual battle.

Maybe that's why they were all crowded around him, throwing compliments his way and giving their opinions on the way he handled the situation with Levi. Most were impressed, some were just respectful, but Luc enjoyed the attention all the same.

"That was just so cool, you seemed so at ease using the fire like that. I could never hope to have such a calm control over magic the way you seem to, I always think the fire's going to erupt into my face," a mouthy youth said.

Another piped in, an older man who was still a few years younger than Luc. "Could you maybe teach me some tricks sometime? Maybe before the test?"

"No wait, teach me! I've got a family to feed," plead another, drawing Luc's attention. "The better ranking I get in the test, the more money I'll make for my kids!"

Luc thought to respond, but someone behind him spoke first. "He doesn't have kids, teach me!"

"You shut your mouth!" Rebuttled the man who'd claimed to have children. The angry shout spawned an argument not just between the two men, but among all the young men surrounding Luc, each trying to shout louder than the other to have his voice heard.

Before it could escelate any further, and it indeed seemed to Luc like it was going to go to punches, a loud crash drew the group's attention to the door at the far end of the room, where Levi stood, arms crossed. The door had splintered when he slammed it, obviously using a form of strength enhancement to enhance the force of his swing.

"The test will begin now," Levi said to the surprise of everyone in the room, even Luc, who believed Levi's eyes were fixed solely on him. "Keep calm as you follow me, because King Rufus Golgern will be overlooking your test. Try not to be so obnoxious when before him."

With that, Levi opened the door and left. If the recruits were excited before, they were near explosive now. They filed out after the wizard, walking upright and in order, with Luc taking up the rear.

So soon? Luc wondered. No matter. With the king looking on, I should be more than able to get a high ranking position in his military. This land seems interesting and enjoyable, but I'll not have this 'Levi' ordering me around for the rest of my life.

I'll dominate this test, he thought to himself, smiling a little as the group made their way down a long stone hallway.

[Lucifer Blight]

“Is there a doctor in this quaint little town?” Lucifer barked as he smashed his hand into the door of the inn. The frail wooden door offered little resistance, and soon swung wide open, much to the surprise of everyone inside. The innkeeper, who at the moment had been lazily flipping through the customer registry, quickly looked over at the several men bathed in blood and standing at his door. Sighing, the slightly over-weight man made his way over to the wounded group.

“There’s a couple doctors in this town. The bandits in our woods supply them with good business, but I guess you know all about that. This way.” The innkeeper muttered as he brought the group towards one of the empty rooms. In no time at all the three wounded men were on empty beds while Lucifer sat in a small wooden chair. The only unwounded soldier was outside with his dead comrades, keeping a close eye on them lest a villager decided to take up the art of robbing dead bodies. The prince had just finally started resting when the door swung open and in walked two men dressed in white who Lucifer assumed were doctors.

“Bloody bandits.” One doctor muttered as he made his way over towards the men on the beds, two of which were moaning in pain. The other doctor walked up to Lucifer, who shot the man a quizzical glance. Even though Lucifer was not a doctor, he was pretty sure that the men lying on the beds were in need of medical attention far more than Lucifer. It was only when the doctor held out a white cloth and pointed towards Lucifer’s arm, which was still bleeding from the arrow wound, did Lucifer begin to understand what the doctor wanted.

“Bleeding all over the floor is dangerous. Take this cloth and hold it over the wound. It’s laced with healing herbs, so it should stop the bleeding and repair the wound.” Lucifer nodded in response and snatched up the cloth, quickly pressing it against his arm. Suddenly, Lucifer began to feel very warm. Soon enough, the pain in his arm became more and more distant, and the bleeding became less and less. It appeared that the doctors in this town were well prepared to treat the injured. Thank heaven for small favors. Lucifer thought to himself as he excused himself from the room and made his way outside to the lone soldier guarding the dead.

“Lord Blight!” The man shouted, instantly snapping to attention. Lucifer quickly waved his hand slowly, signaling that the man had no reason to be shouting. Puzzled, the soldier watched as Lucifer leaned back against the wall of the inn and continued to press the healing cloth against his wound. For a moment, Lucifer did nothing but contemplate the situation. He was due at the palace in two days or so, which was a deadline he could still make. However, making that deadline involved two things. One, he’d have to leave his men behind (which didn’t really bother him) and two, he would have to forfeit his father’s gift to those rotten bandits. Forfeiting the gift meant giving his adopted father a reason to swipe even more power away from Lucifer, which was something that the prince was not prepared for. Plus, Lucifer really wanted to teach those bandits what happened when someone dared to mess with Prince Lucifer Blight of Carthage.

“Hey. I’ve got a job for you. You think you can handle it alone?” Lucifer asked, looking at the soldier by his side. The guard quickly nodded, even though he had no idea what Lucifer was about to ask. In the back of his mind, Lucifer thought it was pretty stupid to volunteer for something which you knew nothing about, but now was hardly the time to lecture the soldier about such things. Instead, Lucifer simply pointed down the road in the direction of Golgern’s capital.

“We’re due at the palace in two days. Considering the events today, we may be a little late. Just tell king what’s-his-name that we may be a couple extra days.” Lucifer said, completely forgetting just who was in charge of this kingdom. The prince made a mental note to figure that problem out before he had arrived in the capital, but for now his main problem was getting back that damn brooch and teaching those bandits a lesson. Or three.

“Yes sir. Shall I tell them what happened?” The soldier asked after a small amount of hesitation. Lucifer’s first reaction was to tell the king to mind his own business and Lucifer would take care of the problem, but such a response would hardly be very diplomatic. For what must have been the hundredth time since he start out on this mission, Lucifer silently cursed his adopted father for sending him. Eventually, Lucifer came up with a response.

“I suppose so. But be sure to tell them it’s nothing too serious.” Lucifer muttered, even though by most standards the death of two soldiers were probably considered very serious. Even so, Lucifer simply refused to ask for help. If the king decided to send some, fine. If not, Lucifer would handle things himself. In no way would he besmirch the Blight family name (at least what was left of it) by begging for help from a foreign power. Begging in general did not sit well with Lucifer.

The soldier gave a nod as he went to gather the supplies he would need for the short journey. Lucifer, on the other hand, sat down on a nearby barrel and tossed away the healing cloth. It had served its purpose, for Lucifer’s arm felt as good as new. Now, it was only a matter of deciding how to go about extracting his revenge on those bandits.

[Cyrus the virus]

The hallway eventually lead the group to a courtyard of sorts, where the perimeter of the area was made of the stone identical to that of the hallway and the rest of the castle, but there was no roof, allowing for the sun to shine in. The ground was grassy, not brick, and many pink and white flowers lined the walls. Moss and ivy climbed the far wall, meeting with the bottom of a balcony where a man dressed in lush robes and wearing a crown looked down upon them. Obviously he was the king, but Luc's eyesight wasn't good enough to see what the man looked like.

"Hail your king, recruits!" said Levi from in front of the group, kneeling low into a respectful bow.

The recruits followed his lead, dropping into bows before their king, who they would be serving more closely due to entering the military. Luc bowed as well, but kept his eyes ahead as he did so, trying to keep his eyes on Levi.

"Welcome, my new subjects!" said the king in a deep, powerful voice. Luc wanted to look up to try and see the king again, but knew that raising his head would be a foolish move. "The Golgern land thanks you for choosing to guard it from outsiders and evil alike. I trust you will all do your best in this test, as I will be watching over you. You may rise."

Luc was the first to do so, looking up at the king to see him staring back at him intently. Levi told him about me, the mage deduced.

Soon the recruits were line along one of the walls, and a lanky-looking man stepped to the center of the courtyard, where a long platform with three steps leading up to it was located. He climed one end and found himself looking down the length of the stage to where Levi was.

"You will battle me so I can guage your potential and ability," Levi declared, bringing a universal shudder among almost every new recruit, an especially strong one through the man on the platform. "Do not worry, I know how to hold back my strength. Do your best and you will not be hurt."

The recruit was shaking visibly, but a silence had befallen the courtyard. Levi did not make the first move, so some time passed before the man being tested created a fireball about the size of his own fist, and nervously sent it at his new commander. Levi fizzled the fireball before it could even get halfway to him, and immediately countered with one of his own that was exponentially larger.

The man had more than enough time to retreat, but he was frozen by his own fear. The towering ball of fire was imposing and frightening, he could feel the heat before it was even near him, and before he even fully realized what was happening, the ball passed through him, as the flames were closer to a gas than a solid. All the same, the man was singed and burned, and cried out in pain, dropping to his knees and sobbing. His skin was blackened and burned, but Levi did not express any kind of emotion.

Instead he raised his hand and the man dissapeared in a flash of light. "He will be alright. We have remarkable doctors and magical healers, as I'm sure you all know. If anything," Levi said slowly, "this should be a lesson to the rest of you. Do your best and you won't be hurt. Don't be frozen by fear."

Luc was watching the wizard as he spoke, and saw that he was being watched back. Perhaps he had gathered a little too much attention with his display back at the original test. Luc was beginning to realize that Levi was not a man he should take lightly, as he clearly wasn't afraid to teach a lesson or two.

Interesting, Luc thought as the second recruit went up for the test.

[Lucifer Blight]

Lucifer quickly slammed his equipment (which wasn’t really that much) into a leather backpack, sighing with irritation as he did so. What was supposed to be a simple peace-offering mission was quickly becoming far more problematic than it should be. It wasn’t that Lucifer had any problems teaching those foolish bandits a lesson; it was rather that Lucifer didn’t even want to be in this country to being with. Actually, fighting with those bandits had been the most exciting part of this little trip.

“Are you sure you should go alone sir? It isn’t very safe.” Spoke one of the wounded soldiers lying on the bed next to Lucifer. Lucifer simply snickered softly and continued to pack his bag while he answered the man’s question.

“No, it’s probably not the most safest plan. But then again, perhaps you’d like to explain to the king why we lost the gift?” Lucifer asked the man as he slung the backpack over his shoulder. It was quite a light pack, consisting only of several days worth of food as well as a torch and some flint to light it. Plus there was another healing cloth that Lucifer managed to purchase from one of the doctors. The prince was fairly certain that it would be enough to keep him going for quite sometime.

“Er, no. Not really.” Muttered the soldier as he rested his head on a pillow. The king of Carthage was not known for his forgiveness, and losing an expensive gem was not going to put the man in a very good mood. Of course, Lucifer would probably take most of the blame, but the soldiers didn’t know that.

“Didn’t think so. Guess that means we’ve got to get it back, and the two of you are in no condition for such a task.” Lucifer said as he picked up his sheathed sword, which until this point had been lying on a nearby wooden table, and stuck it in his belt. The two soldiers were next to useless to Lucifer; for both of them had deep wounds that would do nothing more than hinder the prince should he be forced to fight. By far, Lucifer would be better off alone.

“Good luck then sir. Anything we can do from here?” The wounded soldier asked as Lucifer headed towards the door. With a bit more force than necessary Lucifer quickly flung the wooden door before him open before turning around to give one last look to what remained of his troops.

“Just wait here for that messenger to come back. Although I guess you don’t have much choice in the matter. Other then that, try not to do anything stupid.” The prince muttered as he quickly walked out the door and headed towards the forest he had just left. On the bright side, it would not be hard at all to find the former battle area. His men had been dripping blood onto the forest floor all the way here.

A little while later…

Lucifer stood still with his arms crossed, surveying the bloodstained earth before him. The dead bandits were still here, left to rot under the forest canopy by their brethren. Obviously, the bandits were not too concerned about taking care of their fallen comrades. But then again, that was not a bad thing. Lack of loyalty to each other meant that once Lucifer managed to catch a bandit it would be pretty easy to extract information from him. All the prince had to do first was find one of the little tricksters.

There was that guy’s hand I cut off before I fell. Bet he left quite a trail when he ran. Lucifer thought to himself as he slowly walked over towards the edge of the battlefield. Sure enough, a large line of blood could be seen on the green forest floor as well as numerous broken branches and scattered leaves. Without a doubt, the bandits had fled this way.

“Excellent. The hunt is on.” Muttered Lucifer to himself as he slowly walked off into the dense forest before him.

[Cyrus the virus]

The next set of recruits fell one by one in the face of Levi's magic, which wasn't really a surprise to anyone present, including Luc. The best recruit so far was a young man who was able to deflect Levi's fireball just out of the way, only to be quickly pummeled by a barrage of arrows conjured just above his head. The scene was gruesome, but Levi had healing capabilities as well.

The time came for Luc to present himself on the platform, and he did so without hesitation, lifting his eyes to observe the king. It was all very odd, he thought, to have the king watch on as Levi tested the mettle of the new soldiers, but Luc didn't have the choice to not participate. The idea of facing Levi in a test of strength was becoming more of a bad idea to him.

"Ah, mister Kraus," Levi said. "I'd be lying if I said I haven't been looking forward to testing you!"

"I'm glad," Luc replied immediately, mounting the platform at the opposite end, crossing his arms and looking across to the white haired wizard. "I feel the same way about you."

As with the others, Levi stood still and awaited the first assault. Once more Luc's eyes observed the king, who watched patiently. The mage took in a deep breath, steadied himself, and in one fluid movement, he crouched and threw out both of his hands. Most of the recruits had opened up with a fireball or some other predictable spell, but from Luc came a powerful gust. The sound of whipping wind filled the courtyard, bringing astonished gasps from the recruits who were not badly injured.

Levi flew back from the force, but only because it had taken him by surprise. He spun in mid air and created his own gust, pushing himself back into position as the wind died down. The wizard did not wait long to retaliate, throwing his hands forward to evoke the powers of ice. From his palms opened a blue portal, and from that, a thick shard of ice flew out.

Luc dealt with it swiftly, for because of the distance between them, he had time to melt the shard into harmless water. He drew his long, slender blade from its elegant sheath, and pointed the tip of the sword at Levi. A burst of flame erupted from the hard steel, bringing yet another sound of surprise, and awe, from the onlookers.

The wizard with the white hair once again dealt with the spell, puncturing right through the flames with his body, somehow enduring the fire without any glimmer of pain. The move surprised Luc, but not so much so that Levi's coming bolt of lightning could catch him off guard. The mage took to the sky just in time, as the surge tore through the air below him to hit the far wall.

It was Levi's turn to show some surprise at Luc's effortless flight. The wizard sent several arrows of wind at the soaring mage, but each was just a little bit off target. Luc came to a stop just above him, sheathing the sword with some difficulty. Carefully he held his hands out, toward the waiting Levi below, and with some strain he bent the very ground below, twisting it in some metaphysical way to turn the stone into mud.

Levi began to sink before he even realized what was going on, and by the time he did, it was too late. The ground had already solidified around his knees, rooting him in the ground like a tree. Luc was down quickly, back in his original spot at the opposite side of the platform.

"Yield," he called to the wizard, who was struggling in vain to figure a way out of his strange prison.

The word put a red anger in Levi's face, as if the very thought of yielding to a young man who had just come to his beloved home disgusted him. "Never," he spat, phasing through the platform to float back up and out of the stone, as if he had never been trapped in the first place.

The wizard threw a hand out, and some invisible force gripped Luc's body and threw him back. The pain was immense, and Luc was unable to move as he smacked hard into the platform. He could not even muster a reply as Levi shouted back to him. "Yield?"

[Lucifer Blight]

Slowly Lucifer reached down to touch the green grass before him. At least the grass would have been green had it not been for the red stains that seemed to decorate bits and pieces of the path before Lucifer. Yanking one single blade of grass out from the earth, Lucifer held it up to what little light that managed to break through the forest canopy. As he suspected, the red decorations were nothing more than bloodstains, which made sense considering the previous battle.

“Idiots should take better care of their trail.” Lucifer muttered to himself as he pushed onwards, keeping his eyes on the floor before him while his hands batted aside numerous tree branches that seemed to constantly get in his way. All Lucifer had to do was find a bandit, beat the location of their lair out of him, find said lair, teach those foolish bandits just what happened when you messed with a prince of Carthage, and retrieve the lost jewel. All in all, it would make for an interesting day.

“And what have we here? My first lucky break of the day it seems.” Lucifer whispered to himself as he crouched low to the ground. The prince’s keen ears picked up what sounded like two people talking up ahead, and Lucifer was willing to bet that the two of them would have at least a little bit of the information he required. All that was left was the matter of approach.

Slowly Lucifer shrugged off his backpack, figuring it would only slow him down. What he needed now was speed and stealth, the latter being something he was not well known for. When it came for cloak and dagger tactics, Lucifer had always been of the mind of charge forth and catch the opponent off guard. Before he could do that, however, he needed to check if those two people were really bandits or just simple travelers.

“Pity about his hand though, isn’t it? Chopped clean off.” Muttered one of the two as his companion leaned against a nearby tree. Slowly trudging his way through the bushes blocking his line of sight, Lucifer came to a full stop when he could see the two men.

“On the bright side, that jewel ought to be worth a pretty penny. He could probably buy a real nice prosthetic hand. Or a hook. I always thought he’d look cool with a hook.” Responded the other man with a laugh as Lucifer viewed the current surroundings. It paid to take note of the terrain before entering battle; Lucifer’s military training had taught him that much.

The area was a simple clearing surrounded by numerous bushes and trees. Inside of the clearing visibility was perfect, but the trees and brush efficiently blocked out anyone from looking into the clearing or looking out. The ground here was plain dirt instead of the grass that covered a majority of the forest, and on that dirt Lucifer saw several footprints heading past the guards and even deeper into the woods. It seemed Lucifer had caught up to his prey.

Both wore the same green tunics that the bandits had worn earlier, and while one only had a still sheathed short sword the other was equipped with a bow and enough arrows to more than easily make Lucifer into a pin cushion. Obviously, the foe with the bow would have to die first. After all, Lucifer only needed one of them to pry information from. The second man would be more like excess baggage.

After running through multiple scenarios of how to approach the two men, who were a good fifteen feet or so away, Lucifer decided to stick to his usual style of combat. He knew very well that he would probably never be able to pull of any sneak attack of any sort seeing as how those bandits knew this forest much better than him. It would be best to simply catch them off guard with a full-fledged charge. It had always been Lucifer’s favorite tactic in battle anyhow.

Still crouched low to the ground Lucifer quickly snatched up a nearby rock, stupidly smacking aside a nearby branch as he did so. As expected both bandits quickly turned their attention towards Lucifer’s location, instantly committing Lucifer to his plan of attack. It’s now or never I suppose. Thought Lucifer as he busted forth from his hiding place and charged towards the stunned guards.

“Who goes there?” Shouted one of the guards about five seconds too late. Not that it had really mattered; Lucifer probably would have ignored the man anyway. Taking as best aim as he could, Lucifer flung the rock he grabbed towards the man with the bow, managing to hit the man square in the face. Instantly the man keeled over covering his nose, which judging from the amount of blood that spilled forth was probably broken. The other man quickly drew his sword and charged at Lucifer, meeting the rushing prince in the middle of the clearing.

“You gotta lot of guts to take on two men. What name should I carve on your tombstone?” Cried the charging bandit as he slashed his sword at Lucifer who had just drawn his own sword. The two blades quickly clashed against each other, sending a shrieking noise throughout the forest. Not stopping his charge, Lucifer quickly elbowed the bandit in front of him and pressed on to the far more deadly bandit with a bow.

“I’m the Prince Of Carthage fool! And I’ll be sure to put that on your tombstone!” Spat Lucifer as the bandit before him stumbled aside while the bandit with a bow armed his weapon and yanked it back. Lucifer closed the distance just in time to drive his sword into the man’s exposed stomach as the familiar sound of a bowstring reached Lucifer’s ears. A sudden surge of pain shot through Lucifer’s side just as the bandit fell to the brown dirt below. Lucifer was soon to follow, although he managed to catch himself by impaling his sword into the earth below.

“That’s twice you’ve shot me! I’m getting sick of having arrows in me!” Snarled Lucifer as the remaining bandit charged forth, aiming to finish off the wounded prince.