FSE

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It all seemed such a short time ago, my past exploits with team Stormblades fading into the deep fabrics of history. Having lived so long, I outlived the other members of my old team, watching them die one by one, unable to do anything. Soon, I was the only surviving member, but I took under the guise of a simple traveller, unable to deal with the fame of being the last of the group that saved the world. I prefer to remain alone. I watched as history books were written and rewritten, our deeds slowly being erased by common myths and legends that were false. Soon all that remained of our deeds were that we saved the world and I was the last remaining member whose location was unknown and I was presumed dead. That was it.

_ _

I can feel it in my bones. The shadows of darkness once again threaten this land and the Stormblades are not here. Looks like I'll have to come out of retirement soon and get a group trained up myself or else it is curtains for all of us.

_ _

~Tenko Sakosushin, last remaining Stormblade

The crisp chilly autumn skies above the small castle town of Mirandus were bright and sunny, almost void of any clouds. Small ripples were created in the castle's moat by the light breeze wafting through the air. The leaves falling off the trees were carried through the air through the wind's gentle touch.

However, nobody cares about the weather.

The usual hustle and bustle of the town's various districts was present, and the murmurings of the large crowds rang throughout the air in one unintelligible mass.

Mirandus was split up into five different districts: the market district, the housing district, the arena district, the guardhouse district, and of course the castle district.

In the market district, there was the blacksmith, the armory, the shop of magic, the general store, and two different taverns: The Red Fox Tavern and the Red Dragon Tavern. Inside The Red Fox tavern, things were going lively and business was continuing as usual. Arguments broke out here and there, but such patrons were usually escorted out quickly before anything could break out.

Firenz the Lone Ranger, as he was known, as was seated here, enjoying a nice cup of cocoa. It may be sunny outside, but it has been getting quite cold recently. On his person was a rich red and green tunic with a black cloak hanging from his shoulders. Pinned to the cloak was a well-polished silver badge that bore his adventurer group insignia: a single arrow. On his back was a medium-sized short sword engraved with ancient designs on the hilt. He was wearing brown leggings with brown boots.

His head was covered with wild rich red hair and he always seemed to wear a grin on his face. Behind his ice-blue eyes burned a fire that was intensely fierce to the trained eye.

In a relaxed state, both boots were crossed on the table and he was leaning back on his chair. The other people didn't seem to mind him doing that, for he was a well-loved and respected member of this community. He was pretty much the only one that they knew of who actually does anything whenever threats come to the town. Such is the harsh life of being a trained adventurer.

"You must be awfully cold this morning, Firenz," Jeb the bartender said, moving over to his table. Firenz shifted an eye to the rather round but jolly man.

"Heh, it sure is! This cocoa does really hit the spot though. Thanks, Jeb!"

Jeb smiled. "You're entirely welcome. Is there anything I can get you?"

"No thanks, Jeb!"

With a nod, Jeb turned away from the table and seemed to spot something out the window. He quickly gave a look of horror and strode rather quickly to one of the windows facing out from the street.

Firenz turned his head over toward the commotion. "Hm?"

"Xaxis inbound! Brace for shock!"

He barely got out that last sentence and threw himself to the ground behind the bar for cover when the wall suddenly exploded. Bits of brick and dust flew everywhere as a heavily armored dragonborn proudly stood there in the opening with a huge dopey smile on his dragonish face. His armor was a bright polished gold color with a rather large axe and shield strapped to his back. He thrust out his chest and proudly placed both hands on his hips.

Jeb sighed. "Xaxis, how many times do I have to tell you to use the door?"

The dragonborn lifted his head in thought, made a few calculations and then reached into his coin purse. He pulled out a few gold coins and handed them to Jeb.

"Here ya go! For today's repairs!" he said.

Jeb sighed and looked down, accepting the coins. "Thanks, Xaxis. I don't know what we would do without you," he said sarcastically.

The dragonborn walked right past him and plopped himself down on one of the stools surrounding the bar. "Gimmie a drink, the strongest you have!"

"You mean the usual Dwarven Ale?"

"That the strongest you have?"

"Yes, we don't have a large selection."

"I'll take a mug."

Firenz watched the entire scene and shook his head. This has been occurring for the past three weeks, ever since Xaxis moved into the town. He seemed to be rather fond of his ability to walk straight through walls, creating a Xaxis-shaped hole right through them. This was sadly the usual daily occurrence. He would enter the bar in any way, shape, or form but the door, pay for the repairs, and then proceed to knock himself out through his stomach. He even came through the ceiling before, and there were rumors that he popped up through the floor once. If it wasn't for his efforts to help repel invaders to the town, he'd surely be run out by now.

Firenz coughed silently. "Three, two, one-"

Right on cue, there was a loud slurping sound and a shout of "Two!" followed by a loud thunk as the dragonborn was knocked out cold by the alcoholic beverage, his head slammed down on the bar.

Firenz never understood why he always shouted a random number before knocking out, but on the very rare occasion he shouts a high number, like 19 or 20, and continues to sit on his stool, apparently unphased. Firenz tried hard to find the logic behind Xaxis' thinking, but failed to come up with anything.

He and Xaxis never talked much to each other. He just preferred to stay out of his way. Not that he was afraid of him, of course, but he just didn't want to have anything to do him. Also, he smelled kind of funny.

Firenz shook his head and continued to sip his cocoa.

Just then the door opened, letting more of the cold air inside. All eyes turned on the newcomer who actually used the door.

Standing in the frame was an athletically-built male human in a full suit of armor. A large sword was strapped to his back covered up by a shield with the symbol of Pelor, god of the sun. On the front of his plate armor was the symbol as well. He thrust out his chest and proudly placed both hands on his hips. He then loosened his posture and looked at the hole in the wall, confused. After staring at it for a few moments, he thrust out his chest again.

"Hello!" Jeb greeted him. "I've never seen you around here before! Who might you be?"

"I am Roman the Mighty," the guy declared with a friendly grin. "I just happened to stop by this town today and I'm looking for a drink!"

"Well, you came to the right place," Jeb smiled. "Please have a seat. I'll be right with you in a second."

Roman nodded and found an empty seat at the table where Firenz was seated.

"Hello, good sir!" Roman greeted Firenz.

"Hello yourself, Roman the Mighty," Firenz said back with a nod of acknowledgement.

"May I ask for your name?"

"I'm Firenz, the Lone Ranger. So what brings you here to Mirandus?"

"I have been travelling to different ancient ruins and lairs and slaying the monsters within, all in the name of Pelor."

"Soooooo... You're an adventurer, right?"

"Precisely, my friend!" Roman said, taking a gloved hand and giving Firenz a pat on the back.

"Interesting. It just so happens that I am an adventurer myself, albeit a retired one."

"Oh? What do you do?"

"I generally keep the monsters that decide to attack this town at bay. Call it helping the town guard if you will."

"That's pretty awesome. Say, what say you and I become friends?"

"Sounds pretty good! How long you planning on staying?"

"Gee, I dunno. I just got here today. I was just planning on staying the night and moving on."

"That's too bad. I pretty much live here. Decided to spend my retirement time here."

"What have you done throughout your career?"

While the two were conversing, Xaxis lifted his head off the surface of the bar, gave a wide smile to the rest of the bar and left the same way he came in: through the wall.

Jeb only sighed and shivered due to the now two openings to the outside world, letting cool air quickly replace the warm.

After watching the strange exit, Roman turned to Firenz and said, "Well, let's see how about getting myself a-"

Firenz cut him off with a raised hand. "Hold on. Listen." His usually smiling face was replaced with a frown of concentration. Just then there was a loud explosion and the shrill sounds of screaming quickly followed. What accompanied the screaming was the sound of thundering hooves striking the ground. It sounded like an army of them.

Both Firenz and Roman rushed outside (through the conveniently placed holes in the wall) to meet this threat, and it was a huge one. At least thirty bandits on horseback were present, riding through the town with swords and axes, slaughtering anyone who got in their way. They were pillaging and destroying as they pleased.

Firenz was usually the one who took care of such threats, but even this was out of his control. He needed help.

"Roman! See about asking Xaxis for help! I'll try to hold them off!"

"Who?"

"He's that guy in the armor that left through the wall over there!" he said, pointing him out.

However, Roman needed to not say anything, for Xaxis, obviously drunk, already had his huge axe and shield out, holding it in a threatening manner to the horsemen. He was pounding the shield with his axe, asking for any challengers. Sometimes he missed his shield and only swung at the air, nearly hitting himself in the face.

Two decided to take him up on his offer, and quickly approached him on both sides.

However, Xaxis didn't care, as he cleaved one of the horses in two with his mighty axe and brought it back down through the other, leaving the riders horseless. In angered frustration, the riders called for backup and soon about eight of them surrounded Xaxis. All he could do was raise his shield, and protect himself from incoming blows.

Roman, on the other hand, was busy himself. He had his large bastard sword drawn, ready to repel incoming bandits. He was surrounded himself. He was eyeing his surroundings, looking for an opening to attack.

Both of them seemed calm and collected for being under attack and Firenz admired this. They appeared to both be men who have seen combat many a time.

Firenz himself had his hands full. The horsemen surrounded him as well. His sword was drawn and he held it at his side, waiting for them to make a move.

One of them finally swung, but missed as he stepped to the side and gave him a deep cut from a counterattack. The man roared in pain and barked an order. All of the horsemen seemed to attack him at once. He seemed to dance around the flurry of steel as none of the weapons ever hit him. He returned the favor, but that seemed to do little with his little short sword. He looked over to the other two, and they appeared to be in trouble. Both of them had various gashes and appeared exhausted, bloodied from their wounds.

Firenz needed to do something and something fast.

"Well, I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice. Tenko ol' boy, it's time to come out of retirement," he said quietly to himself.

He made the horsemen stop in surprise as he calmly plucked a leaf from a nearby tree and placed it on his head. He held his sword upside down and plunged it between the cobblestones on the ground. Then he worked his hands in intricate gestures and spoke a few cryptic words.

Suddenly, there was a loud poof as he was surrounded with a white smoke. When it cleared, Firenz was gone, but a humanoid fox was in his place. He wore a tunic that was green on the top half, and red on the bottom half, split diagonally down the middle. A large quiver full of arrows was strapped to his back. His overall features were fierce in general and nine long fluffy tails fanned out behind him. Pinned to his clothing was a single brightly polished symbol of a sword surrounded by a lightning bolt.

He lifted his sword, which was now a greatsword, from the ground and hefted it on his shoulder. He met the eyes of the horsemen with a fierce gaze.

"W-who are you?" one of them demanded.

"My name's not important," the fox said. "Are you ready to fight me or what?"

"GARRRR! I'll cleave you in half!" the horseman roared.

"Wait, is that all you have to say? 'Garrrr?'"

"Stop makin' fun of me, punk!" he screamed as he lunged with his sword, only for his sword arm to be caught by the fox and dragged off his horse to the ground. He was quickly beheaded.

"Well? Anyone else?" the fox called to the others triumphantly, showing a keen fang through his smile.

Meanwhile, Roman managed to survive despite getting attacked at once by five men on horseback. He parried various blows and returned some of his own, relying on Pelor to give him strength. Suddenly a horse bumped into him and he was sent hurtling to the ground. He managed to be able to turn around before he was met with the point of a sword to his throat. Frozen in fear he could do nothing but watch the evil smile on the horseman's face. However, behind him, he could see a cloaked figure standing on the branch of a tree pull out two daggers and crouched, ready to strike. He brought a single finger to his lips.

"Well? Any last words?"

"Yeah. You might wanna look behind you."

This only confused the horseman as his face twisted into an ugly stupid look. "Huh?"

He managed to barely get that word out before the figure leaped from the branch and buried both daggers into the man's shoulders, killing him instantly.

"Nice one there, friend," Roman said to the newest fighter, trying to be nice.

"Just shut up and fight," he returned, standing up. For some reason he thrust out his chest and placed both hands on his hips before pulling out the knives from the dead horseman's shoulders and turned to face the other horsemen. "Save the commodities for later."

Roman nodded and hefted his sword, bringing himself back to back with the newcomer.

Meanwhile, on Xaxis' front, more and more bodies of dead horsemen were piling up by the minute. Even though he was drunk, he was fighting rather well for the situation.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his carnage and looked down. This only confused the horsemen as they stopped as well, wondering what happened to cross the mind of this strange fellow. One of them was about to strike when Xaxis lifted his head again.

"Twenty!" he declared with newfound happiness.

Before the horsemen could react, his face twisted in a look of sudden, instant, and immediate rage as he easily carved through his share of the horsemen. Blood and bits of horse and horseman flew everywhere as he hacked and slashed in an unstoppable rage that could only be stopped by destroying all who opposed him or half a Snickers bar and a pint of ice cream, leaving him by himself surrounded by a pile of corpses of horses and men. With that, he happily waddled off to join Roman and the others.

Both Roman and his savior heard the carnage taking place and turned to see the dragonborn happily waddling over to them. His axe and armor were heavily stained with blood and bits of flesh and entrails, yet he was walking over toward them as if he was strolling into a picnic. A bit of intestines, stuck to the heel of his left boot, trailed behind him. A few houses stood in between him and the rest, but he crashed straight through the walls without breaking stride, unphased. The remaining horsemen were driven into a panic after seeing what only four people could do against their army of horses.

"Urrrgh... How are they so strong?" one of the horsemen wondered out loud.

"Dunno. Did you see any of them thrust out their chest and place their hands on their hips?"

"Yeah. Why?"

The second horsemen's eyes went wide with terror. "That's why! They're PC's! Let's get out of here! RETREAT!" In a wild mess of confusion and panic, the rest of the horsemen reared up and stormed through the town's front gates and well off into the distance.

The rest of the group, staring at the hasty retreat with their mouths gaping open, didn't notice the fox walk up to them.

"Great job, guys," it said, walking up to the rest of the three. "We routed 'em."

"Who are you, exactly?" Roman asked, not knowing if this newcomer was friend or foe.

"I am Tenko Sakosushin, retired adventurer," the fox replied.

"Tenko? I think I have heard that name before." Roman placed a hand to his chin in thought. "Ain't you that guy from the Thunder Swords or something?"

"Thunder Swords? Never heard of it."

"He means the Stormblades," the cloaked man said. "If what you are saying is true, then you are the famed Tenko, who holds some responsibility in saving the world years ago. According to the older history books, he is the last remaining Stormblade, and he is sought out for his expertise, in hopes of receiving training so one day that person may save the world someday. You should try reading books sometime, Roman. Sometimes they teach you things that you would never have known."

"Mmhmm. And that's why I wore the guise of Firenz the Lone Ranger. Just wanted peace and quiet. However, it limits me to about a fifth of my true power, so that's why I had to drop it during that fight."

"I forgot to ask," Roman said. "Just who are you, anyway?"

"They call me Cato the Silent," he replied. "What's it to you?"

Tenko suddenly whipped his head around when he felt something pulling on one of his nine bushy tails. Xaxis was there, holding one of them in his hands and squeezing it.

"Heehee. So soft," he said simply.

Tenko snatched his tail away. "It would be wise to keep your mitts off of my tails without permission, less you draw back a stump."

Xaxis pouted, crossed his arms, and threw himself to the ground like some spoiled child who never got his chocolate sprinkles. Tenko ignored him.

"So what do you reckon we do, then?" Roman piped up. "I'm very certain that all of us has been given the call to adventure!"

From the ground, Xaxis suddenly pointed at something and exclaimed. When the rest of them looked, they saw what appeared to be an enormous floating fish hook floating above the castle. It was very shiny and glowing.

"What do you suppose that is?" said Cato.

"Looks like a plot hook to me!" Xaxis proudly declared. That comment only earned him confused stares. Xaxis only replied with a bright smile. He then pulled out a pineapple from who knows where and took a big bite out of it, skin and all. He made a disgusted face, swallowed his mouthful with great difficulty, and then pulled out a bottle of what appeared to be hot sauce. He opened it, poured it over the exposed fleshy part of his pineapple, and took another bite. This time he was satisfied.

"Xaxis, sometimes you scare me," Roman said.

"He's been that way ever since he showed up at this town, I'm afraid," Tenko said with a great sigh. "I take it we're supposed to visit the castle, by the will of this... strange floating fishhook thing."

"Right behind you," Roman said, patting Tenko on the back. Tenko only picked up Roman's hand with his own off his back and then dropped it off.

Together the four of them approached the castle. Right above the entrance was a huge sign that read "TEH CASTLE! OMG! D:" in titanic letters. They figured the lettering was in some cryptic other language. They could read out the word "castle," but couldn't figure out what the rest of it meant. When they approached the main gate, they were stopped by two guards.

"Halt!" one of them said. "What business do you have here?"

"Not sure," Roman said. "We just saw this giant floating fishhook floating above the castle and figured we should drop by to figure out what it means."

"Oh! You must be the adventurers!" the guard said, dropping his guard a bit. "We've had that hook floating above there for a few hours now. We've tried to get rid of it, but it was too high out of our reach. We'll grant you an audience with the king of course. Anything to get rid of that blasted fishhook. It's scaring away the birds."

"Jeez... You're too kind..." Tenko mumbled sarcastically as the guards opened up the main gate and led them inside.

The main hall was large and spacious, adorned huge red and green tapestries that hung below the stained glass windows. Sunlight poured through the windows, bathing the floor beneath them in a brilliant multi-colored light. A long red carpet ran the entire length from the main doors, up a couple small flights of stairs, and up to the throne itself. Massive marble pillars lined the carpet, each adorned with an unnecessarily lit torch. The king was seated on his throne and flanked by two heavily armed guards.

However, nobody really cared what the room looked like.

The moment the group approached him, only Tenko took a knee and lowered his head. This was because Tenko was considered a citizen in the town of Mirandus, and thus under the king's rule, though he had forgotten that it was "Firenz" who was a resident, not Tenko. The rest of the group were from neighboring countries.

Though Xaxis was a resident of Mirandus as well, he didn't bow. He was too busy being distracted by pondering the reason why pumpkins exist.

"Your Majesty," Tenko greeted the king of Mirandus.

"Rise, er, fox thing," the king returned. "How do you hail?"

"I am Tenko Sakosushin of the Stormblades," he said, rising to his feet. "We have come here because we have felt the draw of adventure. We wish to aid you and the kingdom in investigating why those horsemen attacked the town. We request a job offer and adequate supplies to aid us on our journey."

The king pondered with his chin thoughtfully. "Well, we have heard of a large bandit group operation taking place in the Black Onyx Compound about twenty miles west from here. Recently they have been harassing us and nearby towns. I was about to put up fliers requesting for a group of brave adventurers to investigate this complex and wipe out the organization before it gets any worse. Would you do this for us?"

"Of course, Your Majesty. We will prepare for our journey and depart at once."

"I'm still trying to figure out how the king so easily agreed to our request and giving us free supplies," Cato wondered out loud.

"Excellent. I expect a full report when you all get back," the king continued as if he had heard nothing. "Speak to my steward over there and he will gather any necessary supplies for you."

"Thank you, your Majesty."

Thirty minutes later, their backpacks full of gear, they found themselves standing outside the main gates to the castle, a new destination in mind.

"Wow, I'm impressed, Tenko. A creature as powerful and legendary as you bowing to someone lesser than you," Cato said with a small smirk.

"Well, he isn't exactly 'lesser' than me, per se," he replied. "It's just a sign of respect. He is a king, after all."

"Well I don't give a damn of what you all think. I'm hungry," Xaxis said.

"You just ate an entire pineapple," Roman said, giving a scrunched-up look.

Xaxis patted his belly. "I'm STILL hungry!" he roared. "All those puny pieces of bread weren't enough!"

Roman went wide-eyed. "Xaxis, that was Halfling short bread. It was meant to last you the entire journey. Are you saying you finished all of yours already?"

"Uh huh!" he nodded his head in satisfaction. "They were tasty too."

Tenko slapped his forehead with a paw. "Sometimes, I swear..." he mumbled.

"Can I have yours?"

"ENOUGH! Granted, I'm a little hungry myself. Why don't we go someplace and grab a bite?"

"What do you have in mind?" Roman asked.

"Well, there's Mama Luigi's, not too far from here. It's said to have the strongest drink in all of Mirandus."

"Hey guys? Where's Xaxis?" Cato wondered, looking around.

The rest of them looked, and he was gone, leaving Xaxis-sized hole in the walls of the houses that dared stand in his way between him and Mama Luigi's.

"Ha. Somehow I knew that he would be sold on that little fact," Tenko said, following the others and rolling his eyes.