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Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Along the southern border of Ravena to Vontur, was the new camp of The Clan of Aeryth. It was near the Dukedom of House Morwind, but no one actually bothered to get to them, maybe because House Morwind actually did not care about the shifters. This issue was, after all, more of the business between the Magrins. Due to the Royal Ranger Regiment now being disbanded, this also meant that the chances of them being found out was extremely low. The Red Blood Regiment also changed after Kindred’s retirement. Kai had been more focused on fighting bandits instead of the clan. To the royals of Ravena, this meant disaster, as the threat of shifters being safe meant a huge possibility of another organized siege in Ravena, but to Keith, who was now a commander, this meant that he could finally sleep without constantly waking up in the middle of the night to check if there was any threat nearby.
It was morning, and the clan was enjoying their usual day. The men seemed to be doing other jobs now instead of handling a weapon, while the women were smiling as they valued the luxury of being free to do whatever they wanted without a paladin, or a knight suddenly taking them due to their race.
Keith got out of his tent to see this scene. He smiled as he walked over to the tent for soldiers. There he saw Ebony guiding Thomas’s arm.
“When you strike, you have to be right here, not here.” Their leader said.
The tent was a clean cloth tinted in green. The floor was soft, and was filled with a large gray carpet. On the sides were boxes of weapons, and a large wooden chair.
“But Commander Anno said to aim for the head.” Thomas replied.
“Not always. Your size won’t be able to hit the head everytime. Not to mention, it’s predictable for fighters to do that.” Keith said while standing at the entrance, causing Ebony and Thomas to look at him in a bit of surprise. “Oh…. was I interrupting something?”
“No, not at all. Thomas, why don’t you go to the infirmary for a second? The other children should be there.”
Thomas nodded, and proceeded to go out. Keith and Ebony were left there at the tent. Keith then went inside and closed the doors of the tent. He proceeded to talk.
“You seem to have developed some sort of attachment to him.” Keith said, causing Ebony to scoff.
“He’s too young to be a soldier guarding the towers on our walls.”
“And you’re preventing that by teaching him how to strike with a sword?”
Keith’s smile and his question made Ebony laugh for a bit. “Oh shut up! I’m trying ok? I have to help him be strong somehow.” She said, before her smile dropped into a serious face the more the minute passed by. “Besides, war is the one thing that I know works well. It has been with our people for centuries.”
Ebony walked towards the chair, then sat on it. She gave a deep sigh, and looked blankly at the gray carpet. Voices started to whisper in her ear.
“You pesky creatures all deserve the same fate!” a man said.
“Release the blade!” the man said again.
“RUN!” Ichikari said.
Ebony’s body slightly jerked when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Keith. “You ok?” he asked. Ebony nodded, before sighing again.
“Me and one of my mothers used to hide our faces during the times of The Shifter Genocide. I’m just glad he doesn’t have to suffer the same fate.” She said.
“Hey.” Keith replied, kneeling to level his eyes on Ebony. “I wouldn't turn my back on The Republic if I didn’t think you were fighting for what was right.”
Ebony smiled, then stood up and walked to the stashes of weapons. “I assume you’ve heard this man who was being hunted down by The Black Valkyrie Regiment?” she said, now getting an axe and cleaning it with a cloth.
“Jericho, if I’m not mistaken.”
Ebony put the axe down and then went to get a sword. She continued to clean it. “I admire his dedication. I heard he seeks to conquer Ravena to free the shifters. If that is indeed his plan, my assumption is that he is at The Red Blood Regiment’s base looking for information. If his goal is to conquer Ravena, then he would need to get to them first.” She said.
“I’ll go and look for him. He could be helpful for us.”
“Keith. It’s too risky. I don’t want to lose a commander only for a pointless mission.”
“I don’t have glowing eyes.” he said, while walking towards the entrance of the tent. Ebony stopped cleaning the sword, then looked at Keith.
“Besides, I doubt that The Ravenian Expeditionary Force would still stay in Ravena to recognize me. Hreinngar has a huge influence on the Magrins. They wouldn’t let Vontur be recognized as a state.” He continued.
Keith could see Ebony looking down. She was thinking, and checking any other options. She could make him stay, and it would ensure that none of the Ravenians could follow them back home if it backfired. However, if they succeeded, this could mean great possibilities. The Black Valkyrie Regiment wouldn’t be trying to hunt him down for no important reason anyways. And, knowing his goal, he could be an important asset to the clan.
Ebony’s head shifted to Keith’s, then tossing a small pin of The Clan of Aeryth to Keith. “I have a new mission for you.”
“Dear Leader!” A man in green armor came inside the tent. “It’s Thomas, he’s gone!”
—--
Keith’s mission slightly changed from finding Jericho, to finding Jericho and Thomas. It appeared that Thomas had gone to Ravena, for some unknown reason. When he arrived, the place changed a lot after months of rebuilding. The church had little influence now, while strength of The Golden Eagle Guard became very immense. For the first time, a vastayan was in charge of these royal guards. This inspired a lot of Ravenians to view the regiment as welcoming to all races. And surprisingly, yes, even shifters. No one seemed to care about shifters being in the markets anymore. Although yes, the Order of the Holy Knights were still trying to purge such races, most of the darkin were safe in the bases of The Red Blood Regiment. A sense of nationality was formed, and this was going well for the citizens. As for The Red Blood Regiment, they became a safe space for all people who wish to hide from the watchful eyes of The Black Valkyrie Regiment.
Keith entered the base of The Red Blood Regiment. He was determined that he wouldn’t be recognized. Elves are a common species in the north anyways, especially in Ravena, so he went to the camp and took some bread from the regiment’s community pantry. He ate it and sat by the morning fire. He looked around to search for this Jericho. The description that Ebony gave was that he was a man with antlers. “You could’ve given me a more precise description, Foxy.” He whispered to himself.
****
Suddenly, a woman sat down beside him. She had brown hair, and light skin. She was wearing the typical Red Blood Regiment uniform. Keith’s eyes widened, and looked down. It was Aida, and she looked to be very nervous about something. Her body was closed off, looking like she was hugging her leg. Keith noticed this, and began to question what was happening. A Red Blood soldier is not a good sign. Is this some sort of trap? Keith felt his heart starting to race, and he started eating the bread even faster, before choking.
“H-hey, hey! Are you alright!?” Aida said, before immediately trying to grab water from her jug. “Here…. T-take some…” she said, now realizing what she was doing. Keith was surprised at this gesture. He was certain that she would use this time to apprehend him or something. He started drinking the water, then realized something.
Wait…
Why is she doing this? Why is she being friendly? He turned his head towards her and saw that it was indeed Aida. Keith immediately choked on his water remembering who she was. He then coughed on his water and took it off.
“Oh! O-oh my! Are y-you alright!?” She said. Suddenly, a couple of soldiers from afar arrived, seeing Aida with Keith. The clan member stopped coughing, and immediately looked at the group. He could see the familiar people, but he was surprised that Kindred wasn’t here. They suddenly saw Keith and stared at him for a while. Keith slowly went for his belt to prepare his dagger. Suddenly, Oliver came out from the back of the group and looked at Aida with a smile. He saw Aida turning her head with a slightly red face. This did not look good…
“AIDA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HUH!???” Shouted Anno.
“AND WHO’S THAT MAN OVER THERE!? YOU HAVEN’T EVEN HAD BREAKFAST YET AND YOU’RE ALREADY FLIRTING! OOOoooooooooooOOOOH!???”
Oliver’s voice was heard throughout the campfire site. Aida flinched, and immediately stood up, blushing. The group laughed and Keith was left dumbfounded by what just happened. Aida immediately ran away, and Keith was left there realizing what just happened.
Aida ran away and into a forge. “Oh, what was I doing!?” She whispered sharply to herself.
“Miss!” Keith called from behind. Aida turned around to see Keith running towards him.
“You forgot this!” He said, showing Aida her water flask. Aida's jaw dropped a bit before getting it gently. When she looked up, she saw Keith being all red. “Are you alright?” She asked.
“W-what? Of course I’m alright! W-what do you mean?” He said, fumbling with his words. He then handed her the bread he was eating. “I heard you haven’t had breakfast yet.” He said.
Aida’s face turned red which made her skin similar to a tiefling. Did he just hear what Anno said!?
Aida took the bread in his hands. “Thank you…” She said with a low tone, smiling while looking down. Keith awkwardly turned away and left, leaving Aida to look at him, jogging, then running away while eating the bread.
Keith. What are you doing? Focus on the mission.
Keith turned to his left, only to see a shiny red armor statue, with a gold cape. No. This wasn’t just an armor holder statue. He felt his whole body jump for a bit when he realized it was Gold, leaning on a wooden pole. His bright glowing red eyes shone menacingly under his helmet, and Keith swore that his hair stood up in a bit of fear.
Gold scoffed, letting out some sort of smoke from his nose. The deep exhaling sound was amplified due to the Dwarven Steel helmet. He then walked out of the scene to head towards Aida. Keith was left there looking at Gold in shock.
—--
A few days passed, and Aida and Keith found themselves always meeting in the camp. They would talk from time to time, but it would usually be stopped after Oliver and the others would tease them. One day, Aida was then called upon by Kai in the Red Blood Regiment’s main cabin. It had been months since Artemis was missing. During the siege, she was there, but not a lot of people recognized her. She knew that she joined Ebony, but did Kai know as well? Is this why he was calling her? She went to the tent and closed the tent’s door.
“Keep watch of the camp. I received intel from the Black Valkyrie Regiment that Jericho is on the loose. It seems like he’s someone more serious than we thought.” He said, controlling a flame and twirling it around his wrist. “They said that he’s already in Ravena.”
Aida only nodded, but it sparked a curiosity in her mind. She quickly brushed it off and went to the camp. There she met Keith, who was now becoming a local in the camp. “So was the meeting classified?”
“Classified?” Aida asked, scratching her head slightly. As a Ravenian, this word was very unfamiliar. She ended up just chuckling shyly and smiled to do her best to not look clueless. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, it’s just a Vonturian slang for a secret meeting.” He said.
“Oh so you’re from Vontur!? That’s great!” She said, now smiling gleefully.
“Damn it.” Keith thought to himself. Now Aida knew that he was from Vontur. He had to focus. Her demeanor was forcing him to get his guard down. No. He had to focus. Jericho is not far behind.
Aida was looking at him in a bit of a puzzled face as he only looked down in silence. She overthought for a bit, before letting out a small nervous laugh saying “Oh! Classified. Yes, yes. I mean… no, it wasn’t classified… I mean…” She said.
Keith looked at her, suddenly finding his mouth turning into a smile. “No. Keith. Focus.” his mind said. But she never became a threat. In the end, he let out a sigh, and held her hand. “Come on.” he said, gently pulling her as they walked to the high elevated position away from the camp.
They arrived at a dark misty cliff where Keith began to get some sticks for firewood. He tried to look for his pack, but found out that he left his flint and steel. Realizing that he wasn’t a member of the Vonturian Expeditionary Force anymore, he grunted silently from the frustration. Aida saw him trying to scramble through his belongings and found herself looking at the bundle of sticks.. “Here. Let me help.” she said, before putting up her hand in front of her, pointing her index finger to the sticks. “Ignis scintilla.”
As the spell was casted, a small flame appeared on Aida’s finger. Keith’s mouth opened, then turned into a smile. “You never told me you were a pyromancer.” he said.
“I may have taken a peek at one of Kai’s books….” she said, while slowly sitting beside him. Keith looked at her, sensing a bit of hesitancy from her words. Mages don’t just borrow books. They usually need to graduate to a school before having the permit to practice magic. Aida flinched a bit when her eyes met Keith’s. Her lips then pressed gritted and she quickly closed her eyes.
“Ok fine, I stole it! But it was just for a while, I swear!” she said, causing Keith to laugh while Aida playfully punched his bicep while smiling as well. Keith laughed and got his face close to Aida. Aida followed as well.
“Hold on…” Keith thought to himself.
An awkward pause went on, as they saw each other’s faces moving very close to each other. They swore to each other that they saw each other’s faces turning very red after this. Aida quickly turned her head towards the view overlooking the entire kingdom of Ravena. Keith immediately looked at the fire. Then, he smiled, after seeing Aida’s expression. He scoffed at the thought of his mind, and turned his head towards the distant city on the view from the cliff. He knew that she hadn’t been here before and that made her expression of awe even more precious. Suddenly, her smile faded, as if there was something bothering her.
“Is there something wrong?” Keith asked.
Aida looked down, before moving her head towards him. She then pulled out something from her pouch. Suddenly, Keith found himself looking at his bag as well. Seeing that what he was trying to find was gone, he suddenly flinched, and looked at Aida.
She was holding his pin.
Keith felt his heart sink. Aida was one of the best fighters in the Red Blood Regiment. He can run, but if he did, how would he be able to escape her arrows? And even if he did, would it be worth it? Especially… It was Aida.
Keith felt confused. “She’s….” He tried to speak, but his guard was still up. Aida saw him, still getting his arm ready to reach for his sword. She sighed deeply, then laid down on the floor, facing the sky, while still holding the pin. Keith's head shook for a bit, as if trying to quickly assess the situation. A moment of silence was created, before him putting his hand on the ground and letting his grip go off his sword.
“She’s ok.” he said, now looking at the fire. “Listen…Aida - I can explain-.”
“It’s alright.” She said, still looking at the sky. “All I want is for my sister to be safe in your hands. I sure hope that is the last thing that I will lose in this war.”
Keith saw the worried look on Aida’s eyes. He moved closer to her and held her hand. “She’s doing fine, Aida. And I’m sure she thinks about your safety as well.” he said.
Keith then laid down beside Aida, still holding her hand. Aida gently tightened her hold on Keith’s hand, before shifting her body to face him. “So, Vonturian, what really brings you here?” she said, while putting the pin on Keith’s pocket.
The Aeryth member sighed, before saying “I’m looking for a man named Jericho-”
“Meril?” Aida interrupted.
“Yeah.” He said, before looking at Aida. “How did you know?”
“Our mission is to capture him. It’s said that he’s a dangerous man.”
“My mission is to convince him to join the clan.”
Aida found herself letting go of Keith’s hand. Their missions were the polar opposite of each other. Keith noticed this, before shifting his body to face her as well.
“Listen, what if we help each other in finding the man?” He said. “Then we can deal with the complexities later.”
“And if he turns out to be the monster we did fear him to be?”
Keith looked into her eyes with silence, contemplating her question. He then brushed his finger across her hair, before saying, “Ebony told me that he may be helpful to our movement. I’m part of that movement. I’m not a monster.”
Aida closed her eyes, sighing, as if it was to express her relief. Keith’s hand reached to Aida’s cheek, where Aida reached for Keith’s hand. She then slowly wrapped her hand around his waist, and they proceeded to sleep on the side of the cliff, with the fire on their side.
(End of Flashback 1/2)
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