In the depths of the forest known by townsfolk as the Pleasant Zone, a man with a metal chain wrapped tightly around his wrist wandered aimlessly with purpose. Given a mission by an old lady in the nearby village of utmost importance, the gentlemen in black with an orange scarf took off with the greatest of haste. Not doing his job was one thing - turning down the elderly was an all-time low he was not planning to hit anytime soon.

The slightest of movement in the nearby foliage was enough to cause a stir of emotions within this man. The silver chain was linked to a sheathed sword on his side - a sword that could be proven deadly if one ever wished to discover so. In a flick of the wrist the man’s foes could be diced and befallen in seconds. Only if the man chose to bestow such a fate. He was kinder than that.

“Bubbles, your madame wishes a word with you!” The wandering soul spoke innocently.

A pair of eyes began shining from a bush to the man’s side. They were blue as crystals and a major distraction. He had no choice but to follow the sight he was seeing and inspect upon the strange discovery. When he reached into the bushes he found that the eyes had faded and that he was simply grabbing at leaves.

“Attack!” A voice from above chanted.

The man turned just in time to see a larger fellow charge forward with an axe in hand. He hacked vertically in hopes of nailing his target in one shot, but only hit the bush. His target, or our gentlemen serving the elderly, simply stepped aside and pushed his back up against a tree behind him. The giant, dressed as an executioner in a black hood, turned and stared crazily at the escapee.

Our gentlemen prepared his wrist for anything. He remained tense yet calm, following the executioner’s eyes and hands. When the moment struck for the axe-wielder to make his next move his target rolled aside and equipped his sword by flicking his wrist. He grasped the shining blade and remained behind the behemoth’s back and out of view.

“Where he go?” The brawn questioned quietly.

“I don’t know, but you should keep looking. Never give up!” Our gentlemen urged.

The executioner nodded in agreement and set his focus on his surroundings. All he could see was the green of trees and the brown of dirt. The small holes in the forest’s skyline allowed him to glimpse at the blue sky above with the various clouds that littered it. It became a bit of a distraction to him as he became enlightened by the variety of colors that were placed before him.

Someone in the trees above began stomping on the branches angrily, shaking leaves and sending them downward, “No, you buffoon! The man! Kill him!”

“I lost him.”

Our gentlemen laughed internally and tapped the executioner on the shoulder. When the giant turned around he found that his axe had been sliced in half by a blade of sorts. He merely stared at the stub of the weapon he had once used.

Another man jumped down to the clearing with an orange cat with blue eyes. The man was wearing a red cape and seemed incredibly disappointed in the executioner, “You stupid excuse for an assassin! Where did you get off thinking that you could outsmart a man like him by staring off into space? That’s not how fighting works!”

“Excuse me, but is that Bubbles?” The gentlemen asked.

“What, this thing? I guess, I dunno. Take it, it’s yours.” The red cape said and tossed the cat, “Say, what is your name?”

The man grabbed the cat and began petting it in his arms, “The name’s Anthony Way. Niced to meet you, axe murderers.”

“Yeah, about that...” The red cape apologized.

The executioner tossed his stick into the nearby field of bushes and pretended like he hadn’t just threatened Anthony without reasoning, “It was James’ fault. He told me to do it or I wouldn’t get paid.”

“Wouldn’t get paid? That’s how jobs work, Tyco!” James broke out angrily.

Anthony looked down at Bubbles the cat and felt warm inside by the feline’s joyous face, “Before I leave I would like to know why you took Bubbles. I mean, if he was worth anything, sure. But he is just an ordinary cat. From an old lady. What’s the deal?”

“Us Red Capes are usually contracted to rather, let’s say, lonely fellows.” James explained nervously.

“Red Capes?” Anthony was half paying attention.

“You know, local bandits and thieves. Maybe it wasn’t up our alley to bring death upon you, but we’ve sorta been trying to move up in the ranks and, well, killing the owner of the Chainblade himself would really help.” James was eying the prestigious weapon sheathed to Anthony’s side.    

Anthony put the cat on his shoulder and looked suspiciously at the pair, “Is my sword really worth that much to you?”

“To the Red Capes it is. Not so much us, but whatever suits their needs.”

“Red Capes knew that you were coming through Violet Path so we kidnapped cat and made owner mad.” Tyco added in.

“Yet you didn’t know my name?” Anthony asked.

James and Tyco looked to each other dumbfounded.

“We never bothered to ask. Should we really be that concerned? Anyway, I’m over it now. You can take the cat. I’m just gonna go back and probably let the others chew me out for being such a wuss. Tyco can do whatever it is boulders so.” James said and walked past Anthony. Tyco looked on confusingly before following suit.

Anthony watched them depart, but after thinking for a moment began jogging for them, “Excuse me, but do you know where the closest temple is?”

“The closest what? Temple?” James stopped.

“Yeah, a temple. Where’s the closest one?”

James pondered for a second, “Past Violet Path is a valley where a bunch of villages settled around one I think. I may be wrong, but that’s all I got. Don’t try stopping me again, you hear? Otherwise I might take the cat back.”

After those words Anthony let the two bandits leave without punishment. He looked down to Bubbles and decided it would be best for him to leave as soon as he could. After all, it would be terrible to keep Evan waiting so long.

 

2: Chapter Two: The Proper Thing

Several miles north of Violet Path was an actual path and not just a settlement with a unique name. This road crossed over a collection of large hills, allowing quick and easy access to the lands on the other side. Such lands include The Valley Below - the very place where James said there was a temple. Anthony wasted no time in heeding his opposer’s words.

A storm was fast approaching the lands, however. Many had predicted the sound of thunder to begin in only a few hours, making Anthony’s journey all the more stressful to him only for the fact that it had a deeper meaning to him than anyone could know. He began walking the path to the valley, keeping an eye on the sky and his surroundings for any more possible attackers.

As he progressed he came across a carriage that had fallen onto its sides. A short man was tending to his horse who had badly wounded its leg while crossing the rough terrain of The Valley Below. Sitting on the side of the vehicle was a young girl wearing a purple dress and holding a single flower. She smiled as she gave notice to Anthony’s approach.

“My my, have you come to assist us in our time of need?” The girl asked.

The man hushed her, “Not now, Madeline. The horse is in great pain.”

“May I be of any assistance?” Anthony asked without realizing that doing so would put him at a great disadvantage of reaching the temple before the storm hit. He felt the urge to just pass, but knowing that he had already asked he would have to wait until he got a proper response. His heart began to sink as he realized that the pair were not doing well.

The man, who seemed to be the girl’s father, stepped away from the horse and looked to Anthony, “Our horse is too old to be doing this. He seems to be tired out by crossing the valley.”

“Where are you headed?”

“Edmund's Chapel. ‘Tis the eve of my daughter Madeline’s wedding. It is to be the perfect ceremony for the perfect daughter of the perfect man of- I mean, right, anyway. My name is Jackall. If you could perhaps help us in some way I would truly be grateful.” Jackall introduced himself.

“Edmund’s Chapel? I was there just a few days ago. Whole place is gone, by the way.” Anthony said.

“Gone? What do you mean?”

Anthony turned back the way he came, “The place lay in ruin. Smoke rose to the air like a dragon rising from its nest,” he turned to Madeline who had become concerned, “Perhaps it was your wedding that they were mentioning to me when I passed by.”

“Oh, what did they say? What did they say?” Madeline begged Anthony.

“They said that they would be sending a carrier with a message to the changed location as soon as possible. It would be best to remain in one place and not wander around. Otherwise they might not be able to find you.” Anthony said, hoping that that was a good enough answer for the two.

Jackall seemed enraged in the face. He stomped the ground profusely before cursing aloud, “Why is my family cursed to such bad luck? This is not the way for Madeline to fall in love for eternity!”

“Father, please! Control yourself!” Madeline ran to her father. After he was calmed down she turned to Anthony, “Thank you for your advice. We’ll remain behind and hopefully manage the storm.”

“My pleasure. Take care now, and congratulations!” Anthony bid his farewells and began marching down the path again. As the valley came into view, he saw the massive temple towards the center and mumbled to himself, “Oh Evan, let’s hope I never have to lie to such innocent people again.”

3: Chapter Three: The Good King

The temple’s walls rose higher than Anthony had anticipated when the structure first came into view at the beginning of the valley. It was a tall, narrow building made of stone walls and columns that rose ten stories into the air. The ground around it was cobblestone and led to the single door entrance in the front.

On the inside Anthony found himself in a room of dimmed light. The eerie feeling that all was not as it seemed was eating away at him every time he decided to step forward down the central hallway. At the other end he could see a doorway with an incredible amount of light on the other side. This seemed as a worthy enough incentive to put himself through the dangers of been in such a suspicious looking place.

When he finally found himself consumed by the light he noticed that it was all coming from above. It wasn’t sunlight, but some sort of ominous radiance shining down from the ceiling. The floor pattern had become checkered with a single hexagon pedestal sitting in the middle of the room. A statue of some otherworldly being was placed against the opposite wall, no doubt a deity.

Anthony stepped onto the pedestal and fell to his knees to begin a prayer, “Dear Gods, Goddesses, and spirits of the Hereafter, I deny myself passage to freedom for my sins of today’s past. Although it is with great regret that I bar myself from paradise, there can only be one request to offer. A request that I implore you to greatly consider and possibly accept.”

He looked up to the statue and felt incredibly tense. It was almost as if he was speaking right to the deity. This put greater stress on his shoulders. He could feel himself crumbling away as he began the second half.

“Bless my son Evan with safety, defense, and love for I am not present in the proper form to care for him. Ensure that he grows to become the man he was meant to be but couldn’t because of my negligence. He may not have died at my hands, but for I to let such happen is just as bad a role. Hear my needs, Gods, Goddesses, and spirits of the Hereafter. I am begging for Evan’s guidance. Perhaps only then will I-”

Someone was walking behind Anthony.

He leaped up from his knees and unsheathed the Chainblade. Landing back on his feet at the end of the pedestal, he noticed it was a man causing no harm. It was a simple man in a black vest with white stripes and a fedora. He leaned against the doorway connecting the hallway and the prayer room with a gun holstered at his side.

The man sarcastically rubbed his eye, “That was beautiful. Good show, sir.”

“You interrupted my prayer. That is frowned upon.” Anthony began to descend from the pedestal and to the intruder.

“Frowned upon by those who own the temple? Those rules are up for change, ya know. It isn’t always the same. Not always the way you’d expect it to be.” The man chuckled while chewing on a cigar. He was the typical city thug that Anthony had sometimes dealt with before.

Anthony let his guard down and sheathed the Chainblade once more, “Maybe so. It is also a moral choice. If you want to cause intrusion to my private time then you are clashing with me morally and that is not something you would dare to do.”

“I’m intruding on your private time because you stepped into my temple without permission and that warrants a beating.” The man said and began approaching Anthony.

“Your temple? This place belongs to you? How is that possible?”

“Well, the former Apostle fell ill and my father just happened to be good friends with the guy so we made a deal and this became mine. That explain enough for ya?” The man stopped and placed the tip of his fingers on his holstered gun. Anthony took notice of this and prepared for having to defend himself with his sword.

“So that makes you...”

The man removed his fedora for his introduction, “Apostle William King, the owner of this fine establishment that you have infiltrated illegally.”

“It shouldn’t be illegal to use a temple! That’s putting restrictions on-”

William reached forward and placed his finger on Anthony’s lips, “No words, boy. You are actually surrounded at this moment,” he said and looked up to various thugs and guards placed on the upper level as security, “They told me you were here so I decided to drop by the place and handle the situation myself. I’m not one to often wish death upon somebody, so let’s just walk out and forget this ever happened.”

“Can I at least finish my prayer?” Anthony turned back to the pedestal. The guards above raised their guns.

“No you can’t! I’m demanding you leave my temple at this moment!” The false Apostle was growing inconsiderate.

Anthony turned back to the thug, “You don’t understand why I’m even here, do you?”

This caused some gears to turn in William’s head. He thought and processed the question for a moment, “Well, to pray obviously!”

“My son is dead, William, and I am simply doing the service of blessing him as he lives on in the Hereafter. The fact that you think that owning a religious ground is more important than what it is even meant for shows how shallow and ignorant you are to how society actually works. It’s not all about money.” Anthony said.

The Apostle stood and realized that he was being threatened at this moment, “Well, if that’s what you want then so be it. Finish your prayer, but when you’re done you’re out of here and I wish to never see you again, alright?”

“Thank you.” Anthony said and returned to his knees.

William sighed and signaled for the guards above to lower their guard. He stood angry and defeated by the doorway as Anthony finished his prayer and stood back up. The two walked together to the outside where storm clouds were already stretching over The Valley Below.

“It looks mighty dangerous to be walking in this,” William remarked and pointed to the other end of the valley, “Head to Widow’s Wake until this passes. I’d hate for a possible future customer to have to suffer through all of this.”

“Looks like you’re proving useful after all,” Anthony said and began off for the town, “Take care, William, and don’t be so greedy about the temple.”

William waved back without a word. As his men exited out of the temple for a better understanding of the situation the head thug shook his head with a grin, “At least we’ll never see that man again. Let’s close down for the storm. Once the skies are clear as the sea we’ll reopen and raise the price higher. Sound good, you guys?”

“Yes sir!” The others responded.

4: Chapter Four: Heart of the Storm

The storm was fast approaching, the wind already showing ferocity. Anthony made his way quickly to the town of Widow’s Wake on the other end of the valley just in time to watch the rain begin to pour from the demonic clouds up above. He stood on the porch of a local tavern that was housing many guests until the weather cleared up. Two men were sitting quietly, smoking to their heart’s content.

“Where you come from, partner?” One man asked.

“Must be far away with the kind of defense mechanism you’re holding there.” The other man noted the Chainblade on Anthony’s side.

Anthony turned to the older men nervously, “It’s quite a way from here. A place called Mercy Loft. Ever heard of it?”

Both men shook their heads and continued on smoking, quickly losing interest.

“Of course. Not many have.” Anthony remarked and entered into the tavern. It was brightly lit and incredibly busy with all of the guests that the employees and bartenders had to serve. All tables were packed as well as the bar itself. Anthony decided to head to a corner in the far back and situate himself comfortably.

As he passed by the largest of round tables, one drunk man stood up, his long brown hair a raging mess. It was apparent he was drinking long before the storm even began, “Hey, you’re that guy with the Chainblade, eh?”

Anthony touched the chain with his finger, “Maybe so, but I’m busy right now.”

“Busy doing what, eh?” The man asked.

Anthony turned from the man and continued walking. He sat down in the corner and tried to rest the most he could before setting off for his next destination. However, he knew something was afoot when he began listening in on the drunk man as he was talking to his friends.

One of his allies spoke up as the drunk man stood, “Ronnie, don’t do it! I don’t wanna be kicked outta the bar while a storm tears apart the valley! Think of your friends, will ya?”

Ronnie slammed his wooden mug down, “Shut up! That man has been the target of the Red Capes for so long that it’s unbearable to let him slide this time. It was our fault letting James and that buffoon of an assassin take the mission on. It’s time we put an end to this bounty once and for all!”

“You’re going to make everything worse for us!” The same ally said.

“Why act so anxious when we have enough power to overthrow this bar, nay this entire town with ease!” Ronnie laughed and stood all the way up. As the ally tried to stop him, other Red Capes grabbed him and held him down.

One of the bartenders stepped out from the counter cautiously, “Excuse me, but what do you think you’re doing?”

Ronnie turned to the man and grinned, “Nothing. Go back to your job.”

“One of my employees overheard you discussing plans to kill somebody. I do not condone such actions. If you decide to pull anything I will have you removed from the facility at once. Do you understand?” The bartender was becoming more upset.

“You don’t control me. I’ll do what I want.” Ronnie said and removed a knife from his belt.

The sound of metal unsheathing caught Anthony’s guard. He opened his eyes and was able to duck just as the knife sailed into the wall above him. He stood up and looked at the scene that he nearly missed from his uncomfortable slumber - an ally was pinned down, the bartender was being threatened, and the bar was in panic now.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Anthony spoke up.

Everyone in the bar turned to him. Ronnie turned away from the bartender and laughed, “You’re letting everyone else get hurt. Come face me, Chainblade!”

“I have a name,” Anthony said and unsheathed the sword with a flick of his wrist, “And you will not have the honor of knowing it.”

The threatened bartender scratched his chin, “Then why tell him that you have a name?”

Anthony thought about it for a second, “Okay, you’re close to being killed right now and you wanna criticize what I say? That’s not the smartest move, sir.”

“Listen up, Chainblade!” Ronnie said and removed a gun from his belt, “Are you familiar with the Red Capes?”

“The Red Capes? I do believe so. Two of you guys tried to kill me the other day. Not too good at their job, but they still seem superior to people like you.” Anthony began to step aside to give him room in case he needed to dodge a surprise attack.

Ronnie shook his head, “Don’t even have James in the same sentence as I! The man was a failure as an assassin, bandit, or thief. If you knew a thing or two about what it means to be one of those then you would know how they violated every law there is. I, on the other hand, intend to uphold the true meaning of thievery!”

“What is it that you want from me, then? Is it my Chainblade?”

Ronnie turned to the rest of his crew who unanimously confirmed, “Not only the Chainblade, which is simply a bonus, but your life. We simply want to be noticed by our peers. The Red Capes have a terrible reputation, and your death will change that!”

While Anthony found his opponent rambling he lunged forward and disarmed Ronnie of his gun. The Red Cape leader began to mindlessly punch at the air, but was quickly kicked onto the round table where the other thieves were sitting. They all stared at their leader in shock before standing up to defend him.

“Don’t make me hurt you since you don’t deserve it.” Anthony said and held the Chainblade out in front of him.

The other Red Capes stopped and stared as the tip shined in their direction. Some trembled, others were determined to kill the swordsman, and one man stood back in defiance of Ronnie’s orders.

Several men went forward with nothing but their firsts. Anthony fended them off with his nimble feet, resisting to use his Chainblade as it could mean bloodshed. As the men dropped to the floor one by one, he felt more relaxed and in the moment. Eventually all that remained was the defiant one who sat at the table.

Anthony walked up to the table, “Not gonna follow orders even though you’re a Red Cape? Types like you always make me wonder.”

“I do this because I have nowhere else to go. Been looking for a reason to call it quits, though. Always looking for that silver lining, ya know?” The defiant one said. He seemed to be surprised by Anthony’s skill in defense.

Outside the rain was beginning to come to a stop meaning that Anthony could resume his journey. He looked out the window and prepared to depart again before noticing something out of the corner of his eye. A head popped out from behind a table with a barrel staring Anthony down. The trigger was pulled and a bullet flew through the air, just barely missing the Chainblade wielder.

As the gunman began to reload, Anthony quickly launched his sword across the room. It wrapped around the gun tightly, giving him enough force to lunge himself over the other tables and to the last Red Cape. He swung to the backside of the gunman, released his Chainblade, and kicked the man into the wall. The man fell over, his gun distorted because of the sword, and the people of the bar cheered on Anthony as he sheathed the weapon happily.

The threatened bartender followed his hero out to the front porch where they watched as only a few drops fell from the sky a second. The bartender offered Anthony a cigar, but the swordsman turned it down. Eventually he found the weather to be clear enough for him to move on. Before he could leave the bartender stopped him and gave him several gold coins.

“These are a gift from my employees and I. I am truly thankful for your service to the tavern today.” The bartender said and shook Anthony’s hand.

Anthony simply smiled.

“You must be happy to be saving so many lives.”

“No, that’s not it,” Anthony said and began walking off with his reward, “I didn’t kill anybody.”

5: Chapter Five: The King of Carrot Lake

The gold coins in Anthony’s pockets caused him to irritatingly pay too much attention to them rather than searching for the next temple. His pleasure in finding that no casualties were found during his battle at the tavern distracted him from the thought of asking for directions. He was too far gone at this point to turn around. Either way, once he says good bye, he prefers to not go back on his word.

He soon found a path heading upward over a mountain. The good thing he found about his journey was that it was only in one direction. As long as he didn’t go backwards by accident, he would be fine. Temples were hidden high and low, however. Some were in plain view; others were located in the center of towns; some were guarded by enemies; some were in the sky, or underground, or underwater, or on the tops of the grandest of mountains. With him making it over the edge of The Valley Below, he felt that he was accomplishing a lot more than he had in the past eight weeks of his quest.

When Anthony reached an even patch of grass on the side of the mountain he sat down and rested a while. Sitting in the tall grass, he inspected the gold coins that the bartender had rewarded him with for defending his establishment. They didn’t seem to put Anthony into much awe since he wasn’t one to use currency. Whenever he needed something, he simply got it himself rather than paying someone else to get it for him.

“Mister?” A childish voice said.

Anthony looked up from the coins and at a little girl in a white dress. She was covered in dirt and looking to be lost, “Um, yes? Are you lost?”

The girl shook her head, “You have a weapon, right?”

Questions like this always made Anthony really wonder if the person he was talking to was honest or not. He stood up and pocketed his gold coins, “I do, but who I use it on is solely my choice. Is there some sort of problem, miss?”

While the girl seemed to be calm upon first meeting, she slowly began to tear in the eyes and break down right in front of Anthony. She fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands, “It’s my father...”

Anthony felt he should care more, but just nodded, “Uh huh. Tell me more.”

“We were traveling when some man came and kidnapped him. I’ve been walking for so long and I just wanna go home!” The girl kept on crying.

“Then go home.” Anthony said.

“I don’t know where it is! I mean, I don’t know the way. I’m new to this area.”

Anthony sighed and decided to listen to the girl a bit more, “Okay, tell me your name, miss.”

“Claire.” The girl said.

“Alright, Claire, here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna take me to where your father was kidnapped and I’ll see if I can find him.” Anthony said.

Claire seemed joyous, “Thank you! Follow me!”

The two continued on up the path and towards the top of the hill. When they reached the peak she pointed down to a large lake at the bottom, “I remember being somewhere around that lake there when he was taken.”

“Do you remember what the kidnapper looked like?”

The young girl thought for a moment, “I didn’t know if it was a guy or a girl, but it had white hair and a sword.”

“That sounds promising,” Anthony said and grabbed Claire’s hand, “Well, let’s not waste any time. You’re father is waiting, I suppose.”

At the bottom of the hill the pair took notice of the large variety of fish swimming around in the lake. Some incredibly large, others surprisingly miniscule, and then some things not looking like fish at all. Claire watched one specimen as it swam around at the bottom of the lake, its joints moving smoothly as it moved forward.

She pointed to the figure as it swum by moving its hips from side to side. As its shadow began to grow larger she backed away. Anthony remained in place when the water rose up and fell over him. A figure stood in front of them, soaked all around and smiling. This man seemed poor and bruised, but happy nonetheless.

“Come to Carrot Lake, huh? Who brought ya here?” The man asked hastily.

Anthony looked at Claire as she backed away from the odd stranger. He stepped in front of her and kept his hand close to the Chainblade in caution, “No one brought us here but ourselves. It just so happens to be in our way.”

“Have you come to see Astrid?” The swimming man asked.

“Who?”

Claire jumped up, “That’s her! The person that kidnapped my father! I remember the person saying her name to me before knocking me out.”

“Astrid knocked you out? That’s going a bit far,” Anthony noted, “I guess we are looking for Astrid then. Where is she?”

The stranger walked past Anthony and pointed to the west where mountains of fog rose high, “She lives in a place called The Moon Rock. Whenever she comes around she tells Ol’ Roderick to keep an eye out for any possible instigators that are in pursuit of her.”

“And who is this Roderick?” Anthony asked, becoming more wary of the stranger.

“Why, that’s me,” the stranger said and removed a knife from behind him, “And I’m not one to let Lady Astrid down. She’s my hero and the greatest sword wielder I have ever seen in my life.”

“Well, let’s see if you still have that opinion in a minute.” Anthony smirked and unsheathed his Chainblade. Roderick looked at the well-crafted blade and nearly froze. Never before had he come into contact with such a high quality weapon. The times where he had to defend The Moon Rock he only faced people who were either bare handed or carrying sticks.

Roderick did the only sensible thing and swiped at Anthony, who stepped back and knocked the knife out of the stranger’s hand and into the water. “Okay, maybe this time is different. What do you need to see Lady Astrid about?”

Anthony put his Chainblade away and looked aggressively at Roderick, “This here is Claire and she tells me that her father was recently kidnapped. We suspect Astrid to be the culprit so we really just want to ask a few questions before moving on.”

“Alright, okay, sounds reasonable. I’ll allow it this time as long as you leave your weapon with me. Otherwise she might suspect you of wanting her blood.”

“I’m afraid the sword stays with me whether you like it or not.” Anthony replied.

Roderick became nervous, “Just please don’t hurt her or it’s off with my head!”

Anthony nodded and looked to Claire beside him, “Stay here until I get back.”

“With him?” Claire couldn’t stand being around someone as insane as Roderick.

It was a reasonable answer. Anthony couldn’t quite stand someone so far gone as the stranger who is willing to do the bidding of someone who sounds so terrible. He looked at Roderick as he fretted over letting a swordsman past his guard, “Roderick, why are you doing guardwork for Astrid?”

“I’m just a lost soul with nowhere to go. She promised me rebirth.”

Anthony removed the gold coins from his pocket and tossed them to Roderick, “Take this and make your own life. I’ll deal with Astrid.”

The coins fell to the grass in front of Roderick. He only stared in shock that someone was being so generous to him. He bent over and picked up the currency before turning happily to Anthony, “You are truthful?”

“I am. You don’t deserve to wallow in someone else’s filth.” Anthony said. He turned to the mountains and began his departure for The Moon Rock while Claire remained behind at the lake, quietly anticipating the return of her father.

Roderick smiled happily before running off into the horizon of the grassy plains beyond Carrot Lake. The gold coins shook in his pockets, reminding him of the great fortune that he had just fallen into. The sun soon began to set, and as he noticed it he stopped and turned back to the lake, “I hope Anthony gets her. Otherwise I’m done.”

6: Chapter Six: The Darkest Moon

When the fog began to block Anthony’s path he began to truly wonder what kind of person Astrid looked like. He recalled Roderick calling her a sword wielder and a great one at that - would she be a proper match to him? With her home being so far out from society, could she very well be psychotic in nature? Such thoughts were put on hold as he reached a dilapidated bridge in the middle of the mist.

Across the bridge was the mountainous region where The Moon Rock and Astrid awaited his arrival. Below the crossing was more worrisome since he wasn’t quite sure of what there was. The fog was growing thicker and he had trouble seeing just in front of him. The bridge was clearly visible which he saw as a blessing. He began crossing with regret of ever getting involved in Claire’s troubles.

The bridge was a long and dangerous one, casually swaying from side to side. Even when Anthony slowed his pace he felt the wood underneath him gradually collapse. In minutes he would be drowned in the sea of mist below him, he thought. Fear was become present within him at this point. Not only was the crossing capable of being the end of him, the thought of Astrid’s sword skills became more intricate.

Anthony had been involved with assassins, thieves, ninjas, and others in the past to the point where he could consider himself one, if not all. One thing he realized was that mist was usually present where very skilled swordsmen lived. If this still held up, could it mean that Astrid was a dangerous force? Would she use the mist to kill him early on?

His attention was straining him. He was considering turning around and lying to Claire in order to continue with his own mission which he found to, personally, be more important. He couldn’t pull himself to do it, however. He was a father and would never want to be separated from his son, yet he was. He knew the very pain of isolation.

The urge to find Claire’s father overcame his fear. He picked up the pace and became more determined to confront Astrid and put a stop to her criminal ways. The light from the full moon above shone through the fog brightly, causing great distress to him since he remembered it being day when he left Claire at the lake.

Anthony felt his feet step onto the gravel as the bridge finally ended. It relaxed him slightly to know that he was on solid ground. He turned and looked to the bridge but couldn’t see it any longer. The fog behind him was growing denser, but the mountain in front of him was clear as night.

Several paths branched off of his current location. He could tell that Astrid would most likely be higher up the mountain, possibly towards the top. While it wasn’t a particularly large mountain, he felt overwhelmed by the suddenness of the experience. From the looks of his surroundings he could see that the mountain was on some sort of isolated island. Was it floating on air? Water? Something else?

With the decision to take the closest path heading upward, Anthony pondered whether or not he was making the right decision. Thoughts about what Astrid could be doing to Claire’s father was haunting him despite not even knowing him at all. The fear of telling Claire that her father was killed was too much for him to bear. If he ended up taking the wrong path, that could very well mean uncertain death that Anthony found to be uncalled for. He began running now.

As he approached the mountains, he noticed the path leading to a cave mouth blocked by boulders. He cursed internally and turned to find another path. He took the next one and began rushing himself past the large rocks strewn abundantly. Hope began to shine within him as he noticed the path leading towards a valley in the mountains, but all light died out when he noticed that he was going for a dead end again. Another path, the one which led into the valley, was too high for him to climb onto.

The feeling of a looming presence sent all his hairs on end.

Quickly unsheathing his Chainblade, Anthony turned and swung the lengthy weapon across in defense. He retracted the sword when he noticed that he was still alone. What if Roderick wasn’t Astrid’s only guard? Were there more? Would they come for him instead of waiting?

A thought came into mind. Anthony held the sword in hand while staring up at the cliff above him. It was cragged, crumbling, and possibly to weak to carry a person. He decided to take his chances and threw the sword up to the cliff. At first it didn’t land, but after a second throw its tip stuck into the side of the mountain. Anthony tugged on the chain which caused the sword to pull him up to the path.

Before he could grab hold of the path, the rock around the sword began to fall apart. With one hand holding his sword and the other holding onto the cliff, Anthony felt more vulnerable than ever before. He calmed himself and sheathed the Chainblade before grabbing onto the cliff with his other hand and hoisting himself up

The valley before Anthony made him feel uneasy. While he was catching his breath from nearly falling to his death he thought that heading into the black valley would be far more dangerous than crossing the failing rope bridge that led to the mountain in the first place. With a woman who could be a master at sword fighting possibly looking for him he had to force himself into the darkness.

Every step made Anthony feel all the more mortal. His fear of the unknown that was Astrid was completely blinding him from his original mission to serve his son. There was no turning back now. If he did he would lose himself in the valley. He would give Claire a reason to despise the world. Most importantly, he would disappoint Evan, of all people.

A small light turned on to his right. It was yellow and bright for being so insignificant and small. Another turned on right afterwards followed by several more. The dark path in front of Anthony began to shine with the lights of thousands of fireflies giving him guidance. Though he still lacked the confidence to face Astrid with the thought that he would make it out alive, he knew that the way there was a lot clearer. He smiled and began to run forward.

When the dark disappeared and the moon became dominant once more, Anthony could see the aforementioned place known as Moon Rock. A path spiraled up through the center of the mountain to a large crumbling tower on the cliff. The lights inside were shining, making it seem all the more likely that Astrid and Claire’s father would be there.

There was only one way to find out. Anthony threw his caution to the wind and began up the path.

7: Chapter Seven: The Master

Somehow the inside of the fortress known as The Moon Rock felt a lot cooler than the humid outside environment. There was no electricity or systems that formed the building into a suitable habitat. It was mostly just stone with several windows on its side. The inside had a waxed ballroom floor with a single red carpet running down to the other side. It was leading to something and Anthony was far too afraid to follow it.

This was the only room, he figured. For how tall the structure was it was rather hollow and not a place he would want to live in. No other rooms or doors could be found. Anthony looked up and saw that the actual ceiling of The Moon Rock was several meters above him, meaning that there were also no other floors. Where he was was the only place that Astrid could possibly be in the entire fortress.

With his Chainblade in hand, Anthony put a single foot on the carpet, “Astrid, show yourself.”

The sound of stricken steel echoed from the corner behind him. He turned just in time to block a sliding blow from an unknown foe with a sword. It was an insanely quick attack and forced him back. The attacker disappeared to the other side of the room, his or her appearance unseen by Anthony.

“This can only get better, I hope.” He uttered to himself. He faced the direction that the force had dashed to. It was a dark wall with barely visible writing. Carefully he stepped over to the wall and inspected the letters. They were of another language, looking to be ancient at this point.

Anthony turned and blocked another sudden attack by the steel sword. This time the person using the weapon began to try and force him back. It was a woman with long silver hair holding a magnificent steel sword. She was definitely aging despite being so nimble.

With a single push Anthony forced the woman off of him and launched his Chainblade in her direction. She knocked it back with a single strike. As it retracted, the woman moved forward and violently attacked Anthony with her sword. Anthony couldn’t defend himself properly since his sword’s chain was still returning. Instead of dodging the manic woman repeatedly, he instead flicked his wrist and swung the chain around the woman’s waist. The Chainblade came around on the end and knocked the steel sword out of the woman’s hand and to the floor. She stood still, the chain biting her body and constrained her from escaping.

Anthony sighed and picked up the woman’s sword, “Surprising that I could overcome the great and mighty Astrid. Or maybe the rumors were just false.”

“You don’t know what you are doing, boy.” Astrid’s voice was young but feisty.

“I understand completely what I’m doing. It’s why I came here in the first place. From what speculation has told me, you are a violent one. A young girl told me that you kidnapped her father and left her stranded. Do you really want to see a child like her become an orphan simply because of your actions?” Anthony said.

The woman was choking now, “Release me and I’ll explain,” Anthony obliged and retracted the Chainblade. Astrid fell to her knees, begging for air, “It isn’t that I’m a villain, but merely someone who knows more than she should.”

“I admit that you are good with a sword, but your actions are still questionable. Is this for some sort of cause?” Anthony held onto Astrid’s sword a while longer, feeling that it would put him at risk to return it.

“Claire was in danger, but not any more. By bringing her father to my abode I was able to spare her life and give her the opportunity to enjoy life. If it weren’t for I then she could very well be dead now.” Astrid stood up and leaned against the wall.

The conversation stopped for a moment while Astrid fished for matches in her pocket and lit several torches along the walls. Now that The Moon Rock was aptly lit, Anthony could see just how many ancient letters were engraved on the wall. Though their meaning was mysterious the very sight of it was incredible.

Astrid stroked her finger along the markings, “This tower has been here for ages, long isolated from the rest of the world. It seems like a decent enough location for mothers and fathers to hide while justice is brought upon the individuals responsible for endangering the lives of children.”

“Has this always been such a big deal?” Anthony asked.

“Slightly. These tragedies have always existed, but in different forms, ever evolving. It is simply my turn to prevent them.”

Anthony looked at the red carpet and followed its path to a staircase on the far wall, “It seems like a risky move. All this is a dangerous way just to protect children.”

“You sound as if children don’t matter to you.” Astrid said.

Those words stung to Anthony who turned back to Astrid, “I used to have a son named Evan, but lost him. He’s gone now and I miss him dearly, so don’t go and say things that are lies. Children matter to me, but what you are doing is harming them.”

“Is it their life that matters more,” Astrid looked at Anthony angrily, “Or their feelings?”

Tension began to build up. Anthony shook his head and gave the sword back to Astrid who seemed to be more relaxed around him. He looked back to the markings on the wall, “What do these mean?”

“Nothing. They are words from philosophers of the past. They are meaningless words - simple notes that they used when studying. Even I cannot translate them and I have been residing here for years.”

The howls of wolves echoed into the fortress, ringing endlessly in Anthony’s ears, “So if I cannot return Claire’s father to her, what am I exactly supposed to say? She misses him dearly.”

“Say nothing and move on to what you were doing before encountering the child. She will only become a burden to you if you choose to linger. If there ever comes a time that she becomes worried then I will intervene. This is no matter for you to involve yourself in.” Astrid said.

“I am just here to do whatever I can to help. Like I said, my son was killed and my mission is to make sure that he stays safe in the Hereafter. Don’t think that I’m an ordinary man of no importance - this Chainblade is just the start.” Anthony remarked and walked toward the entrance.

Astrid turned to Anthony as he prepared to leave, “Killed, you say?”

“Yes. By a horrid man that’s name is not worthy to-”

“Ezekial.”

Anthony looked back at the aging woman as she became troubled by some terrible thought, “Yeah, but how did you know?”

“Go and find Claire. Take her far from here and never allow her to return.”

“Excuse me?” Anthony was shocked by the sudden change in heart.

Astrid led Anthony to the outside and looked out across the mountains surrounding The Moon Rock. The mist was climbing higher into the air. She was looking to be worried about something. Anthony could see it in her eyes, “You are a good swordsman. Please, tell me your name.”

“It’s Anthony Way.”

“Ah, Anthony,” Astrid put her hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes, “There may come a time when we meet again. Perhaps it will be in good times - perhaps it will be in bad times. All that I hope is that we can be friends and no longer enemies.”

Anthony was being pushed down the steps by Astrid, “I don’t understand, Astrid! What is going on here?”

“Take Claire away from here. Take care of her and protect her at all costs. If Ezekial ever comes by, know that I shall put an end to his spree.” Astrid said proudly.

“But I don’t-” Anthony turned around to Astrid. She had disappeared back into The Moon Rock. All light inside was out. He was left with no other option but to admit that he was a failure in his mission to Claire. What Astrid was failing to explain was how Ezekial was involved in all of this. Anthony wasn’t sure about one thing, however.

Did he want to be the one to kill him?