It was sundown. Not quite dusk, but not evening either. Two men came striding over a moderately-sized hill that overlooked the local town, where many were bustling around to get their last-minute chores done. The taller of the two strangers had dark greenish hair and eyes, and his skin was perfectly tanned, revealing how he was not of this land. The other was shorter, he held soft spikey blond locks on his head and had chocolate brown eyes that seemed to waver with a nervous glint. The two made an awkward pair to say the least; one looked young and inexperienced, while the other seemed to be able to take on a world or two. Weaponry was draped over the right side of the foriegner's body; a sword and some other strange blades. Some were throwing weapons shaped like stars, others were just plain knives like the younger one had strapped to his shin.

As they entered the quiet town, many shot them suspicious stares. The women ogled the foreign man while men glared. "Midori, what is it that we are stopping here for again?" The shortest man asked the foreigner.

"There is someone here that could help us. I heard of him from my time with the king." Midori told him, his monotonous voice sounding almost bored. The blonde, Lyle, just looked ahead. In such a quiet town, how could anyone be of use to their cause? Lyle was torn from his thoughts when Midori stopped in front of the local bar and inn, it was way too noisy for such a small beat up town and the smell of alcohol and food was overwhelming, to say the least. Scrunching up his nose, Midori braced himself and entered the crude building, Lyle hot on his heels. 

The inside was well simple. Rickey, splintering hardwood floors that looked so dingy that not even a starved feral dog would eat off of them. The walls had water stains on their smooth, yellowing, white surface with holes, most likely from arrows and fists. Tables were scattered everywhere, chairs loitered here and there, some in the corner while some were stationed at a table.The obnoxious noise was coming from the bar itself where a brunette woman was working herself to death to keep her customers happy, and the gambling tables where unruly man and elves would curse and yell at their loses in a drunken stupor. The place was lit well enough, a candle on each table an one on each wall, though it left the bar and stairs dark it gave some security. "Welcome, can I get you two gentlemen anything?" A barmaid asked as she walked up to them. She had jet black hair and gorgeous brown eyes that sent her peach skin alight. Midori shook his head in an unamused manner and sent her on her way. "Midori-sensei I'm scared." Lyle whispered to him. The foreign man cut his gaze to the blond; "don’t let anyone know that." Lyle froze at those words, looking as if he would wet himself any minute now. Inwardly shaking his head with a fed up sigh Midori walked forward, looking for his target.

In the back, near a fireplace with an underfed and dying fire was a man. He was fairly tall, possibly about 6'4", with shaggy dulled maroon hair. His garb told the foreigner that he was an outdoorsman, possibly a ranger; wearing a shirt with a violet vest, durable pants, leather boots and gloves. But the most eye-catching thing about him was his ears, they were pointed like an elf’s, but not as big. Was he a new breed? "You know, people could take that stare of your's as an invite for a riot." He spoke in a harsh tone.

Midori was taken aback by his sudden remark. Shaking off his shock, he spoke; "Are you here responding to a distress letter?" The Elf popped his left eye open, a creamy gold colour, and gave a salute with a lazy smile.

"Chroma Denaal is the name, sent from the Legion to help some foreigner find a princess." Chroma stated with his business taking Midori's hand in a shake. 

"Midori Hana, I am the one who sent that distress letter. This is Lyle, my companion from the School of Magic." Midori stated returning the gesture and referring to the blond. "A mage that looks as though he is about to crap his pants? Wow, he must be a master." The elf teased, rather harshly at that. Lyle puffed out his cheeks with anger and started to yell; "I am a mage, I spent exactly three months in the School until Midori-sensei came to recruit me!" Chroma's gaze went from amused to a look that said 'really'; the man himself knew that to even graduate the school it would take at least four years to get a magic license. The elf looked straight at Midori, who had taken a seat across from him at the table, with that gaze, at that point the oriental man noticed a clouded look in the ranger's right eye; he was blind. "The boy is not too bright, they paid me to take him with me. I originally wanted the archmage to come, but being the headmaster he gave me fifty gold to take Lyle." He stated while Lyle went on ranting in the background. "Annoying little darb isn't he?' Chroma stated making Midori shiver at the ugly lizards the ranger mentioned.

"Hey kid, shut up! If you are a mage, then light the fire back up!" A stranger yelled to Lyle. With a gulp the blond quieted down and retrieved his spellbook. Shaking hands looked for the words of the fire spell, and with a sigh to calm his nerves, Lyle lifted his hand to the target area. Just as he was going to mumble the last word Chroma noticed something, the book was upside down.

 

"Oh gods; no!" He yelled. He went to reach the boy, but before he could, the fire spell backfired and instead Lyle's pants caught on fire. The young mage felt the sparking flames bite at his skin as he let out a highpitched scream.

"Damn, he has a set of lungs." Midori said and covered his ears as Chroma tried his best to not laugh at the sight. Finally getting over his fit the ranger took a pale of water stationed by the fireplace, used commonly to put out the fire for the night, and threw the contents onto the burning britches. 

After the short dilema and Lyle had recieved a new pair of pants, The three paid for a room. It was a moderate room, two bunk beds and two night stands. The walls were like those downstairs, water stained and yellowing, and the floors were slightly more taken care of. The room was dimly-lit by a candle in the windowsill that iluminated the cobbled streets below. The trio sat one each side; Midori and Lyle on the left, Chroma on the right, discussing their next agenda. "I say we hit the mountains, our enemy should be there." Midori said.

"Hold on there, Foreigner." Chroma began. “It said in your letter that you had no idea who the kidnapper was." He stated, and Lyle quietly agreed.

"I don't, it’s just a hunch." Was all the response he received.

"So you plan is to drag me and Liar-liar-pants-on-fire here through the mountains for gods only know how long for an enemy that may or may not be there?" Chroma asked incredulously, trying to make sense out of the situation.

Midori gave a fed up sigh for the umpteenth time that day and stood pacing the room. "Look here, Elf. if you have a better idea then state it!"

Chroma gave a lazy smirk and leaned back on the bed. "Head to the next town and ask, if you have a description then that could help. It seems a lot better then that stupid plan you had." Chroma's ego had a lot left to be desired in Midori's mind. He and the elf were not going to get along that well, he could tell.

"Well, I think Chroma is right, Midori-sensei, there if they do know we can stock up on supplies and go on with your plan." Lyle tried to compromise earning a scoff from the other two men. "Once we reach the next town the mountain pass will be too far, and the next pass would take at least three days to get to." Chroma explained. "I say we stock up here and head through the nearest mountain pass. The princess is a gnome, she is sure to be there." 

"Wait, what the hell? We are here to save a dwarven ‘princess’ who was stolen by another short... Thing?" Asked Chroma, his elvish roots coming into play. It was no myth that the Elves and Dwarves did not get along.

"A Dwarf, mister Chroma. There are no male Gnomes." Lyle corrected, receiving a golden glare from the Elf across from him. At that, there was a hostile atmosphere in the room, neither of the three were getting along by this point. It was a sad case of too many kings and not enough peasants, one had his plan, another had his, and no compromise seemed likely. Though all three were nice plans, and could work given the right situation, neither wanted to settle on one. The princess would be able to survive in the rocky terrain of the mountains but what is her assailant was not of the terrain themselves, then their plan for the mountains would be fruitless. Chroma suggested they stuck near a civilised area to gather information, but that could take too long. "All right ranger, we're going to go with your plan this time. Only because you know your way around this land better than Lyle and I." Midori confirmed.

"Aye, aye captain." Chroma saluted and turned over on his side to catch some shut eye. Lyle curled up on the bottom bunk, only to be thrown off by Midori. 

"I may be your teacher, but you are not sleeping in the same bed as me." The foreign man growled and got under the covers. Lyle simple looked at the two older men who had their backs turned to eachother.

"But I wanted to bottom bunk." He whined quietly to only get on the top and fall off the ladder twice.

"Do you have to be some clumsy?" Chroma asked, his clouded eye staring at Lyle, though he was blind in his right he could tell where the falling was coming from. His senses peeked at every sound.

"Sorry mister Chroma." Lyle said.

"Tch, don't call me mister, you make me sound old." With that said the other turned back over to lay on his stomach and the blond successfully made it onto the mattress, fall asleep and waiting for the coming dawn.