Shadow Slayers

Daryn felt her chest buzzing with excitement over the thought of seeing, touching, even using new armor, the armor of a knight. Something she'd always dreamt of having for herself. Her father's armor worked as armor, but it never felt like hers, not to mention the bitter memories linked to each piece.

Also it would be nice to stop wearing the dumb fearen breastplate.


"I-I could use some new armor. These boots have never exactly fit me." She said, looking overhead at the arches to make sure she didn't miss the military sign. She gasped audibly at the realization when Enoch pointed out the archway that would lead them to where they intended.

"Oh! That's it! Let's go, let's go!" Her excitement was really getting the better of her, and she quickened her pace to their destination.

Enoch hummed and raised an eyebrow curiously, looking over at her as she sped up. She sounded incredibly excited, and he couldn't help but smile. He followed behind her quickened pace and began glancing through doorways as they passed some of the war rooms.

"You seem quite excited for this," he chuckled, examining the armor she was already wearing. It had definitely gone through some wear and tear, although he recalled her looking rather beat up the day she arrived. He hummed as he remembered one of their earliest conversations where they'd been goofing off in front of Oxy, lightly tapping the back of the fearen armor with his fist. "Are you finally going to get a proper chest plate?"

He continued to glance into the rooms as they walked further down into the military wing, passing a couple more of what appeared to be meeting rooms and administrative rooms.

It appeared as though nobody had followed the imp. This was good, as he needed some time away from people. Plus, where he was going, others may not be welcome. Zerah began his long trek through the woods, a sense of determination replacing the depression he had once felt. If Zerah remembered correctly, the place he had been looking for should be somewhere inside of these woods.The woods were hauntingly quiet, not a noise to be heard. This was a bit off-putting to Zerah, as he had expected to hear something. Birds, running water, leaves being blown by the wind. Anything. Instead, all he got was deafening silence. This didn't stop him, however, for he needed to find something out for himself. Zerah's face was plastered with purpose.

After what felt like hours of searching the area, trying to fine any sort of opening in these thick woods, he stopped. There was a noise. Zerah looked around for any person he could find, as it sounded like some sort of singing. "SHOW YOURSELF!!" He shouted into the woods. But no response. Yet, the singing continued. Zerah became annoyed at this, and decided to track down where the noise had been coming from. He rushed through the woods, the enchanting song getting louder and louder, until with no warning at all, it stopped. Perplexed, the imp searched the area. Perhaps he had spooked off the person who had been beckoning him forward with their enticing tones. He was about ready to give up, when he saw a glow not to far from where he currently was. With his interest piqued, he began to maneuver towards the glowing sensation, and what he stumbled upon was exactly what the imp had been looking for.

"My village..." He whispered to himself.

The opening Zerah had stumbled upon was a beautiful spectacle of nature. A small pond, radiating a vibrant blue with magic. Trees surrounding every corner of this pond. And in the center of the pond, a beautiful Lethlglyneros, brimming with mana. Zerah could feel his heart skip a beat at the sight of the village he had grown up in, even more beautiful than it had been before. But this wasn't all he came to see. Although it didn't look like it, the trees around the pond had a different use. They were the very homes his fellow imps used to live in. Zerah ran to his old home first, the tree seemingly vacant. No furniture, no people, nothing. Merely grass that had grown through the flooring. Zerah checked each and every tree, each one seeming to exhibit the same sort of manor of abandonment. Zerah became a bit disheartened. Was he truly the last of his race? Had Tairaga killed all the others in his genocide of all non-human species? No.. That didn't make sense. All of the imps' belongings were gone, not just the imps themselves. They must have caught wind of the king's rampage and migrated out of the village.

A wave of relief washed over Zerah. The idea that his kind could still be out there filled him with a new sense of purpose. Find his people. Zerah smiled as he began to walk back to the castle. However, he stopped. No one was waiting for him. He could spend a bit of time here. Zerah walked over to the cool, shimmering water. He sat down and dipped his armored boots into it, feeling the magic coursing through his body. This feeling revitalized the imp, and made him feel refreshed and cleansed, something he hadn't felt for nearly 2 years. Zerah stared off at the glimmer tree, a warm smile spread across his face.

Manasa nodded towards Enoch as he left. She should start doing the same... she had so many thought whizzing around her head, she was starting to come close to breaking down. "Rezza, You are strong and you are worthy of support just as the rest of us are." She picked up the note in the healer's lap, gesturing it towards him while still keeping it closed out of respect. "I need to go clear my head, but if you ever need me, I'll be here for you."

Manasa stood up and exited the dungeon, taking one last glance at Rezza before turning away, giving him a smile and nod as she did so. As soon as she was out of sight and earshot of the rest of the guild golden teardrops wetted her face. She found her self a secluded room- a humble servant's quarters, and leaned against the wall, muffing her cries with a rag as she let out her sorrows. She would empty herself of them before rejoining the guild her supportive and smiling self.

How many friends had she lost to them being weak? Unworthy? For nineteen years Manasa had shaped her entire being around fitting her village's standard of beauty and talent. There was no empathy among her kind, nobody to console her when she felt weak or another one of her peers' seat was left empty during class. When she cried with split open and blistered feet not a single look of pity was casted towards her, all they did was look down upon her for being weak.

Consoling Rezza had brought back memories she had buried deep within her, memories of her lost child and her brother's cruel words, and of tears shed after every dance practice. Manasa poured all of her emotions onto the dirty rag covering her face before her tears flowed no longer. She wiped at her face, checking herself in the reflection of a dusty window before deciding it was safe to once again join the guild. She still had things to do, she needed new clothes and to learn more about the contents of Rylan's pockets. Manasa decided to search of the clothing first, she headed towards what seemed to be an armory only to discover Daryn and Enoch already there. "Oh," She closed the door behind her quietly, trying to find the right way to approach the two. "Am I... interrupting you?"

"Hmm. Red. You need a change!" She said, barely judging the colors before coming to a conclusion.



Daryn was very surprised to see someone else come in, but continued Enoch's line of thought by walking right up to Manasa and pointing at the things she was admiring.

"Yes, look! Look at them! I'm sure you'll find something!" She said excitedly, then walking away from Manasa toward some gauntlets that just begged to be ogled. "Oooh, these are nice!" She said, picking them up and trying them on. They fit generally well, too. She thought back on the spike that was sent through her hand in their battle against Necrosis, and decided to keep the gauntlets in her arms as she looked through more armor. She then thought on her and Enoch's previous conversation. Man, I really am in need of a new breastplate. I wonder if there's one that fits?

She then looked and saw among the other armored suits was a lone breastplate. It looked like it might fit, so she dropped the gauntlets and picked it off of its stand, holding it up for her comrades to see.

"Look at this one, guys! I'm so trying this on."

Manasa nodded. "Something light... if that's possible. Last battle I was better protected, but my dances weren't as effective because I was held back by heavy armor." Manasa removed the gauntlet she kept on one wrist as well as her boots, flexing her feet and taking a few steps as she admired her newfound mobility. "To be honest this is all very foreign to me, I've never seen a vishkanyan wear armor it just, mm... did not exist in the desert," She said, stroking her torn ear. The ear would most certainly effect the way Naga saw her... but perhaps should could get by covering it.



Manasa smiled as Daryn busied around all of the armor, stars in her eyes. Manasa had never seen her like this before, though was happy she had the chance to. Daryn's excitement was infectious, the smile on her face brought to it a charm Manasa had never even considered. The dancer walked forward, happy to be rid of the cage like boots she had been wearing for so long and ran her fingers against the various metals, admiring how they shimmered in the light. "And it all has to look nice. If Naga is unhappy with how I look then my dances will all be for nothing."