The Shores of Duty

[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]

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?"