Sanctum Polis - The Talgen

Quadrangle Games, Inc. Š 2014 All Rights Reserved

Quadrangle Games, Inc. Š 2014 All Rights Reserved

The Talgen

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Talgara knelt over, beaten and cold. Wind stabbed into her as she clutched onto her scarf. The warmth had been lost as her fingers slowly became numb. The blizzard smashed into her with each new wave. There was no end to this maelstrom. She could hear her mother’s voice telling her of it. How it claimed Hunter and demon alike. How all who entered were swallowed whole, never to be seen again. The Dyagarad, the one true blizzard.

Still, Talgara forced herself onto her feet. She needed to move forward. There was no failure at this point. No demon could stop her. She’d be damned if a storm bested her. So Talgara pressed on, letting her feet move in creaks and painful numbing. Soon she could feel nothing --- only seeing forward onto the shine of something off in the distance. She forced her fingers to move. Off the handle of her hand cannon they reached forward. She had to reach it. Talgara moved, her goal in sight. All the while the blackness of oblivion crept along the edges of her vision.

Far off in the mountains of old Brel, when magic still ran through the veins of Diurne and demons ravaged the land, rested a snow-torn village known as Ecurek. The sharp cold and piercing wind sculpted the residents in both body and mind. They were deemed Hunters. Those tasked with the job of ridding the world of demons. The Hunters of Ecurek were known throughout the land as the best. Those magically gifted enough to hunt down the terrors of this world. Among them was a young kitsune, named Talgara.

This young fox was coated in fur as gold as the new day’s first light with red patterns painted along her skin like freshly caught flames running in unpredictable patterns across her body. Her strength burned with similar intensity. Born a Hunter, Talgara swiftly became the strongest among them. The chief’s daughter, she led with the grace of a gentle flame and fought with the intensity of a newborn star. As she grew, Talgara took the helm of her band of Hunters, and her fame grew with each new victory. Children all over Brel would rest their heads to stories of the young fox with four tails who overthrew the wicked Lurador, with one shot from her hand cannon. Even Demons spoke of her in yells of rage for vengeance.

Talgara, however, was not all fire and brawn nor did she spend all her nights training her body to handle new feats of strength. No, Talgara held a love for something far rarer in a village of Hunters: knowledge. Books and pages filled with histories long past, exaggerated legends, and mysteries of the mind. From the small collection of books she had gathered from traveling merchants, Talgara taught herself about the world, and longed to delve more into it. However, she was her mother’s daughter, and therefore the future leader of the Hunters of Ecurek.--allowed to travel only when vanquishing. Guiding the village through the harshest of winters; She was bound to this land, and it was bound to her.

Written By: Luis Velasco

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Prologue - Chapter 00 - Page 02

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The Talgen

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One day, a young stallion found his way into Ecurek, drawn there by stories of a Hunter fox with a presence as bright as the sun. As a traveler, he owned only two things in the entire world: a scarf made of thread that warmed you in the sharpest of blizzards and cooled you in the harshest of summers, and a lute made of wood and string that somehow carried the song of the wind when struck by his fingers. His name was Clen and he was no fighter. His hands were not built for force nor his voice for battle cries. No, Clen used his hands to play music and his words to write songs. His legs carried him throughout the world, for its mysteries to learn and stories to tell. That day they had carried him there, through the harsh blizzards of Brel, to find something new.

As a bard and stranger, Clen was given the hospitality expected of such a renowned village in exchange for a few songs to brighten the tavern that night. He happily agreed and simply asked for a warm place to rest his head as he tuned his lute. A travel pack almost as large as the horse himself rested on the table next to him. Notes floated around as he plucked each string in turn. Talgara sat at the bar of the tavern, watching the small horse. He seemed half the size of anyone within the tavern. Then again, most would be smaller than any trained Hunter. Either way, Talgara could not help but smirk as a large red fox bumped into him in a drunken uproar.

With a squeal that Talgara had never heard any living thing make before, Clen fell to his side, knocking the travel pack onto the floor. Papers and books of all kind spilled out, filled with handwritten markings and pages that seemed older than any she had ever seen. The burly fox that had bumped into him began to apologize in good humor until his eyes seemed to catch something. From where she sat, Talgara could not see what was so interesting.

“Could you please,” Clen protested as the fox grabbed at the pages hungrily.

“Talgara,” the fox yelled. “Looks like she has garnished some fame. This horse has a song for her.” The Ecureki in the tavern all cheered in unison. Talgara herself arched an eyebrow.

This wasn’t the first time a proud young bard had tried to write a song about her. Of course, she often led the Hunter’s into battle, yet somehow each song never mentioned more than her. Each time the verses would be sung, they proved to be nothing more than hero worship, something Talgara was not fond of. For when a demon was slain, that was the victory of Ecurek. Not the spoils of any one of them. For they were family, and though she may have been the head, Talgara was nothing without the other Hunters who followed her into battle.

However, not everyone was of the same mindset. To some a song of glory for one meant a song of glory for all. Now these same Hunters urged Clen to play this song.

“I cannot,” Clen said. “It is nothing more than a few strung together verses. I came here to try and find out more.”

None paid him any heed. Instead alcohol infused enthusiasm pushed Clen onto the stage. His eyes wandered back and forth. His hands shook. Talgara watched as the frail Written By: Luis Velasco

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A Spark - Chapter 01 - Page 04

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looking horse sighed. She took a large swig of her drink and prepared to listen.

Clen’s voice wove in and out of notes as words faded into melodies. The tavern was filled with curved smiles as his voice carried through notes that felt like the whistling of cool wind through the mountain side. As his fingers ran across his lute, the notes punctuated against Talgara’s skin. His words spoke of a kitsune, who felled mighty demons. Who had the appearance of fire. Who stood taller and larger than any mountain. It made her laugh as did others.

As he sung, Clen’s voice shook. She could tell that he was unsure of the song. Rather than boastful pride, Clen sung with a humility of a Hunter’s first hunt. Uncertain and anxious.

He had said that the song was unfinished. Yet still the crowd roared. Apparently the liquor made them more easily accepting. He provided entertainment, and they responded in kind.

Talgara eyed the horse as he got tossed back and forth by those twice his size at minimum. A laugh leapt from her lips as one drunken boar hoisted Clen onto his shoulder, turning the melodic lyrics into an alcohol fueled chant. His body swayed. His voice cried out.

Yet no aid came as the Hunters raised their flagons to join in the loud chorus of song.

Eventually, Clen’s hooves found the ground, although they slipped from under him a few times before he caught his balance. The crowd guided Clen towards the bar where Talgara sat. His eyes flew back and forth taking in scenery like a newborn. They had even found Talgara herself once or twice, yet seemed to take no notice. Perhaps the horse did not recognize her? An odd thought about one who had taken the time to create lyrics about her prowess. Then again, all too often she knew that the one told of in stories and the one of Ecurek were rarely similarly described. So with a sly curve of her lips, Talgara decided to play with the small horse.

“Quite a large voice,” Talgara began. “For one so small.” Clen turned his head to find the source of the words, but fell just short of actually seeing her.

“And I have never seen one quite as minute as you, Little Horse.” Talgara waved to grab his attention.

“Well, I’ve been told-” Clen stammered as he jostled over to the fox. “I’ve been told that the voice can sometimes be larger than any mountain. Or so I’ve always believed.” His words carried music, yet his voice shook until he stood next to Talgara, where others had left a small patch of space for her four tails.

“That can be true,” Talgara smiled. “Yet it makes it no less amusing.” She laughed as Clen’s skin darkened just enough to be noticed.

“Amusement is the job of a bard,” Clen said. “So at least I have done my job for the night. Although I must admit it was not that hard considering the strong scent of liquor combing the air.”

Talgara motioned for Clen to come closer as her smile widened. “Well it is natural for a Hunter to celebrate a victory over the foul scourge of demon kind. And nothing screams victory as drinking to excess with your brothers and sisters in arms.”

As her words mentioned victory, Clen took on the face of a child. Awestruck, Written By: Luis Velasco

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questioning, and begging to know more,as if he had walked into the beginning of one of his own heroic stories. Yet almost as immediately she saw that wonder begin to be reined in as his face attempted to calm.

“Even you yourself had a song of glory to sing, did you not?” Talgara urged the horse on, wondering would make him reserve his excitement.

“Oh that.” Clen’s voice shook once more. “Unfortunately that was not nearly ready to be heard, but as a bard, I must give the crowd what they want.”

Talgara just watched him, her initial thoughts of mischief leaning more toward curiosity as he spoke.

“You see,” Clen continued, as he rummaged through his pack. The papers and books now clumped together in odd ways. “I have been traveling to gather information. Each story I have collected has been more fanciful than the last. Fantasy is all well and good, yet I desire truth. Rather than the Talgara I hear in stories, I desire to understand the Talgara that truly exists. That is what initially brought me to the village, but so far I have had no luck.”

The horse let out a sigh as he placed parchment littered with notes and diagrams.

They were all well-worn from use. Talgara furrowed her brow at his words. They were not those of some prideful youth, hoping to claim recognition for his fantastic stories.

Clen’s words were of one similar to Talgara herself. A seeker of knowledge. Someone who wondered about the world in the same way she had.

For once, Talgara took a moment to look Clen over. Although weak in appearance, she noticed his hands as they flipped through papers to show her. Hands with callouses that spoke of nights spent painfully plucking a chord. Hands that curled with precise movement without so much as a wasted thought. That’s where she saw strength--a strength of creation.

Talgara did not interrupt as Clen rambled on into stories of the world that brought him to Ecurek. Instead she listened intently to the words that spoke of lands she had yet to see, and histories she had yet to read. She found her lips curled in a genuine smile as the horse spoke, a gleam of intensity in his eyes.

“-that brings me to this last village where-,” Clen paused mid thought and looked up. “I just realized, I never got your name.”

“I believe you may already know,” Talgara said, leaning back in her seat.

Clen stared at her in confusion, until his eyes widened in acknowledgement. “You’re…”

Clen stammered. “I mean, you can’t be…”

“Yes. I am Talgara,” She laughed. “I guess the stories make me out to be some sort of monstrous beast. I apologize if I don’t live up to expectations.”

His face darkened once more. “No, it’s not that. You are far more-” His mouth shut, closing off what she presumed to be something he wasn’t sure if he should finish

“Calm down before you hurt yourself,” Talgara comforted. “I am no legendary hero.

Just a kitsune slightly intoxicated after a day’s work.”

Silence filled the space around them. The cheers and banter faded into the background, as Talgara truly looked at Clen once more. His eyes full of questions. His hands Written By: Luis Velasco

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A Spark - Chapter 01 - Page 06

The Talgen

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with that strength. And she found herself drawn to him as he had been drawn to her.

“I believe that you are much more.” Clen’s voice broke through the silence that had gathered between them. “Not some Hunter that rids the world of demons single-handedly as stories will suggest. No, I have also heard of how you guide your people. How you care for them. How almost none have died under your leadership. I want to know the Talgara that has captured so many and why. If you wouldn’t mind, I would ask to hear your story.”

Talgara paused. She could hear the anxiety in his voice and the nerves that shook his body as he spoke. She could also see the honesty in his eyes. The true desire to understand.

And he chose to understand her.

“On one condition,” Talgara finally said. “That you tell me some of the other tales you have gathered first.”

Written By: Luis Velasco

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A Spark - Chapter 01 - Page 07

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The Talgen

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And so, Clen told Talgara the tales he carried in his lute and his books. He recounted the world three times over and enlightened her to things that her small collection of books had yet to show her. She sat like a young child on a journey through the world. Every so often, Clen would stop and ask for Talgara to share. To give him the pieces unknown to him of her stories untold, for he needed to write the next few verses in her epic. So they spent the night together until dawn broke over the horizon. Liquor induced cheers turned to snores and whimpers of dreaming.

Unfortunately, Clen was a bard, and as such, a wanderer through the lands of Brel.

The next day he made to leave with his new story in his pack. He promised Talgara that he’d return when her story grew, so she promised to give him an epic worth singing about. Clen left her a book, the spine worn from reading, as a promise of his return. And so he went.

And so she trained. Until the day that he would again sing stories to her. Until the day she would be written into history forever.

If ever she had seemed diligent before, Talgara doubled her efforts with each passing week. Soon she had conquered even the foul scourge of Shevari the Trickster, a demon known for luring even the bravest of Hunters to death’s door. With each deed, three full moons past, bringing Clen back to Ecurek to pen her newest feat and sing to her a new song. And so she fought. Ever burning.

Yet as the time passed, it was no longer simply the stories she longed for. No, she found herself enjoying the tilt of his smile. She began to find that even this frail horse had a strength hidden deep within him. One that burned with an intensity for knowledge that she had only ever imagined herself to possess.

With each verse, Clen slowly realized that the kitsune was more than just a hero. She was kind. She was clever. And most of all, she had the smile and eyes of a child learning to walk every time he sung a new story.

No longer were they strangers drawn together by stories of heroes past. Now they unknowingly began to write the story of a flower that could blossom in the snow. Love.

Something that starts off with a note and then explodes into a masterpiece. An ember that soon becomes a raging fire.

However, all was not freshly sparked love for Talgara and the village of Ecurek. Her mother, Aluara, leader of the Hunters of Ecurek, fell ill one hateful winter. Her breathing weak and her body withering, Aluara called her daughter for her final request.

“My little flame,” her mother began, her voice as brittle as a tea leaf. “I am not long for this world. I cannot lead the Hunters as I once had.” Talgara opened her mouth to protest, but a quick glare from her mother quieted her. Even on her death bed, she demanded authority.

“Ecurek must stand tall,” she continued. “With you as its lead. However, a lack of a future heir concerns me.”

“Mother, I am not ready,” Talgara protested unable to hold herself back.

“We rarely are, fire of my heart. “ Aluara looked upon her daughter with eyes as calm Written By: Luis Velasco

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as the winter sky . “Yet Ecurek needs you and needs stability.”

“Who shall lead the Hunters while I am with child,” Talgara whispered.

“Foolish girl,” Aluara laughed roughly. “I felled at least three lively villains while you rested inside me. However, you do pose my next point. Since there will come a time, when you must not endanger yourself, I have proposed a tournament.” Talgara’s heart raced for she knew what her mother was asking.

“Not one of those silly dispute challenges,” Aluara continued. “No this shall be to find out who can make the renowned Talgara, daughter of both Aluara and the village of Ecurek, yield. Only they could be worthy of providing an heir. Only they could be worthy of my daughter. Only they could lead the Hunters of Ecurek into battle for the short time you are with child.

“This is my last wish.” Aluara raised a withered hand to her daughter’s face. “To see my grandchild before I die. I believe I can hold on for that long.”

She erupted into a coughing fit, having spoken more than was wise in her condition.

The nurse rushed in to tend to her, leaving Talgara alone with her mind. No child could refuse a mother’s wish. No matter what they felt. No matter if their heart had begun to understand what it was to be with another. Yet from her knowledge, Clen would return in a month. Just in time to watch her fight.

Talgara spent the month in solitude, only visiting her mother on occasion. Two sides of a war raged in her head. Chances were in her favor that she could hold out this tournament.

As champion of Ecurek, Talgara had never lost a bout. Hardly even come close. Yet if she chose to elongate the tournament, her mother would die before seeing Talgara’s child. What her mother was truly asking her was to yield for the right challenger. For one whom she believed to be the best to lead Ecurek at her side. This was her first challenge as the new leader--and her heart ached.

Yet a few days before Clen would return and the tournament commence, an idea took to the tinder of her thoughts. She had been reading through stories of the past. Histories that detailed successions and leadership. She learned that sometimes through a quick turn of wit, one can turn the most dire of straits towards their favor. So when Clen arrived the night before the tournament, Talgara told him of it, her mother, and her responsibility. And how she felt about him.

“Talgara,” Clen whispered. “I had actually come with news of mine own, yet yours does seem slightly more pertinent. However, I shall present it just the same.” Clen reached into his pack and pulled out a small wooden ring. Carved into it were the runes that spelled out Talgara’s name. It looked roughly carved. Yet Clen’s hands were filled with bruises and splinters that told Talgara of the hard work he had put into it.

“As a wanderer,” Clen began. “I have hardly ever had a place to call home, since I left my first one when I was but a colt. However there was one tradition that I never forgot. You see, I was born in a farming village, even smaller than Ecurek, so many of us would leave for a time the return once we were ready to begin a family. I guess, I had just never bothered to Written By: Luis Velasco

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A Promise - Chapter 02 - Page 10

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return.

“Still, when ready, we were expected to find a tree as old as our oldest ancestor and carve from it a ring. So I traveled back to my first home and found that tree: a large alder that rested on the top of a hill behind my family’s farm. From it I took a root as thick as my arm and carved this ring. My grandfather always told me that the deepest of magic runs through the dirt. So this ring ties you to me. To my family. To my home. And I to you and yours.”

Talgara let the ring rest on her paw. The cracks in the wood. The harsh edges where it was cut. Even the rune which bent in odd angles. Yet it almost glowed when it touched her fur. As if the imperfections hid a deeper sense of harmony. This was the shape it was meant to be for what else could Clen give her. It was perfectly made by his hands.

Clen stepped back and stood taller than she had ever seen him. “Yet you are bound to this land. To these people. As one with no home, I cannot hope to grasp the meaning of having one, so I will not ask you to forsake it. Yet the ring is yours.”

“Fool,” Talgara said, her voice foreign to her. “I have made my decision.”

That night, Talgara told Clen her plan. His objections took half the night itself, before she was able to fully convince him. None had ever done that. But again, he was not as frail as he appeared.

Written By: Luis Velasco

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A Promise - Chapter 02 - Page 11

Quadrangle Games, Inc. Š 2014 All Rights Reserved

The Talgen

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The day of the tournament had come, and Ecurek had transformed overnight. The Ecurek that Talgara had known throughout her life had been calm. Houses the color of burnt wood carved their way out of the mountainside in harsh edges and sharp lines.

Others seemed to bloom from the ground itself. All covered in a thin layer of snow. It had always been simple--though it was its simplicity that echoed beauty and thrummed through Talgara’s heart.

Now, crowds of people from all over Brel had come to take witness. An even larger crowd had come to prove themselves against the mighty Talgara. A stage built into the side of the mountain had been set. It had not been used for a few years, but this day it appeared as though new. The crowd filed into them to the beat of drums. A group of Hunters had taken it upon themselves to sing The Glory of Talgara, Clen’s song, as they came into the stadium: Far off in the mountains of Brel I heard of a place where fires dwell.

A heart that carried guiding light that could shine through the darkest night.

Fur as gold as new day’s painted snow with red etching in a crimson glow, and grace that swayed like the aurora, I came to find the name, Talgara.

Clen had spent time over the past months adding and reworking parts of the song. Yet now everyone heard it. Most began to hum along. Other Ecureki joined in as they led the crowd to the stage.

Talgara herself could hardly hear the words sung as she dressed in a small room hidden underneath the stage. Her armor of gold and red clung in shifting plates as she shrugged it on. Flashier than what she would ever wear on a hunt, the armor gleamed with constant fervor between gold and red, casting the echo of a flame onto the wall behind her.

No dent. No scratch. No imperfection. As much was expected from the armor of a champion.

On a desk rested a pair of pistols. Hand canons that shot out small metallic rounds enchanted in various ways by Talgara’s own hand. Some rounds exploded into the purest fire consuming all in its path. Others caused anything it touched to melt. Then there were the newest few. The ones that Talgara had spent the remainder of the night preparing. They were something she had never tried before. A complex set of magics that Talgara had never thought herself capable of. Yet now they rested there. Two bullets that would hopefully make her plan work. The rest was in Clen’s hands.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Talgara came onto the stage, her bullets held in pouches at her side. She pumped her paw into the air and they grew louder. The arena, Written By: Luis Velasco

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Blind Faith - Chapter 03 - Page 13

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that had been left alone for so long, burst forth with life. Statues of leaders long past now loomed over with watchful eyes. Even the ground beneath her feet shook with the roar of the crowd. It hummed in a slow crescendo of a champion’s might. Talgara felt it move through her in one wave of sung glory as her mother called for attention using a spell to amplify the voice.

“All of you have gathered to bear witness,” Aluara’s voice boomed, yet the weakness behind it stayed. “To the glory that is Talgara, my daughter. To some she has been a famed Hunter. To Ecurek she is family. To demons, she is retribution. Yet today, Talgara must become leader, and choose someone with which to bring forth an heir. So come forth brave Hunters, and show us if you are worthy. Worthy to be by my daughter’s side. Worthy to be a parent to her child.” With that, the tournament began.

Challengers came and went, each unable to withstand her might. It soon became a competition among the battlers to see who could outlast each other once they knew that none could beat her. Then Clen came, and the stage was silent.

Underneath the new day sun, Clen appeared even smaller in his leather armor. He carried nothing but a small pistol at his side, similar to Talgara’s own make. Some in the crowd began to whisper and wonder if the small stallion was hiding something within his stature. Then Aluara announced him.

“Clen, son of the land,” her voice spoke. “Show us if you are worthy.”

The match began. Talgara rushed forward. She became of a blur of gold and red as she sped towards Clen. He moved with purpose to the side, raising his own pistol towards her. She pivoted left. Then right. Then across the stage with one kick off her paw. With every movement, the barrel of Clen’s pistol followed her in quick jerks. As if he knew where she was going to be before she did. The crowd roared as Clen anticipated each movement. At least that’s how it was supposed to appear.

Talgara jumped back, her fingers clutched around a small round pellet. Not one of her prepared bullets. Just something that would help to get everything in place. As Clen raised his pistol, Talgara twisted in the air, sending her body into a wide spin. Her fingers launched the pellet straight at his hand. With a clang of metal on metal, the horse’s pistol flew out of his hand and into the crowd.

The stands chanted Talgara’s name, yet some had even begun to shout Clen’s. So far he had lasted longer than any on this day. They stood tall at either side of the stage. Like two monoliths trying to see who’d reside in who’s shadow. The rest was timing. Talgara took a breath. Everything had to be perfect. Most of it on her. Clen had done his part better than she had dreamed. Now the rest was on her--as it always had been.

With a practiced smirk, Talgara raised one of her twin pistols. It stretched out along her arm, wider at the barrel then at the hand, embroidered in shades of silver metal and the deepest auburn wood. An enchanted bullet rested deep within each of her hand cannons.

This first would begin it all. She fired. Her aim true. Straight at Clen’s head.

Written By: Luis Velasco

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Blind Faith - Chapter 03 - Page 14

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The night before hadn’t only been spent in planning. Practice was just as important.

As Clen repeated his role three times over, Talgara began calculating what she would need. She would correct him. Too fast. Too slow. Too much to the right. Until Clen was able to repeat each step with perfection and without hesitation. His was the easy part. Slight movements. Keeping composure. Learning how to act like a hunter without actually being one. Although Clen’s faults had made her laugh, his quick study had made Talgara smile.

Her part, however, was much more complex. Magic had lingered in the air around her. She had known the art of demon hunting. How to destroy. How to trap. How to best them. Yet what she needed was something much more intricate. These two enchantments could mean death for either Clen or her if not done correctly. The idea had sounded simple enough. Yet the execution caused her to use every inch of cunning and wit she could muster. Manipulating magic in complex patterns that would make any Hunter seem like nothing more than a blunt instrument.

Now the time had come to see if it would work. There had been no time to test it out. She had not told Clen. He didn’t need to worry. He needed to be strong and confident enough to make it work. So in that, he needed to believe that she had no doubt. The bullet sped forward with a prayer.

Clen raised his hand in a practiced motion, dramatic yet sturdy. As it closed in on Clen, the enchanted pellet erupted just a foot away from Clen’s outstretched arm. The explosion of smoke and flame licked at the air and curled around the horse as pressing against some invisible barrier. It grew in intensity, climbing higher. Crashing in waves before a magical barrier. Or so it would look. Then it flared and began to twist, funneling into the air in one last dying breath.

The crowd hushed as they watched Talgara’s flames wither away into nothingness.

Never had anything overpowered her magic. Yet here was Clen, a bard who felled her fire with a single gesture. Underneath that frail physique must have been a mage of a caliber not yet seen in this world.

Or so that was what Talgara would want them to believe.

Either way, the crowd broke the silence with an uproar. That meant it was time for the final act in Talgara’s plan. One that was just as dangerous as the last. Had she enchanted that last bullet wrong, Clen would have been turned to ash. If this next one failed, she would be.

With a flick of her wrist, Talgara’s lowered gun fired silently. To any but the most attentive it would have seemed like nothing more than a trick of the light, flashing off the barrel. She breathed and brace herself.

One.

The bullet had to be small. Small enough to escape notice, yet hold the impact of a spell strong enough to break the very stage beneath them. However, that wasn’t the most complicated part. The metal round would have to lodge itself into the ground without breaking. Without igniting. Even worse, the timing had to be exact. Three counts. Three long Written By: Luis Velasco

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moments to see if her hard work would fulfill the plan that held Clen’s and her hopes.

Two.

Clen rose his arm in a flourish, as if gathering for a final blow. He then threw it forward.

Three.

Fire burst forth from under Talgara’s feet, throwing her into the air. It bent around her body in an eruption of flame and destruction, searing cloth and fur. She hurtled to the edge of the arena, the force of the explosion bouncing her off the surface of the stage until she came to a stop with a loud thud. Her pistols lay across from her. The flames licked at the air as if begging for more.

“I…” Talgara began slowly in a hushed voice. “I…yield.”

Silence weaved through the crowd as if waiting for an echo. Then they began to cheer, chanting Clen’s name in such revelry that the ground seemed to shake beneath them. It had worked. The plan had actually worked. Talgara lay crouched and hunched over, fearing that her injury would be revealed as fake lest she remain fallen. Clen beamed, his part complete. However, his eyes were full of worry. Yet why? Everything had gone as planned. Every detail. Not even Clen could take that away.

Unfortunately, she would have been lying if she told herself that a seed of unease hadn’t taken root within her mind. Something was wrong. She could not place it. She said a silent prayer. One in hopes that she was just becoming paranoid. Yet still it did not leave her.

“Enough!” Her mother’s voice crashed through the arena. Only silence remained.

“Talgara,” Aluara said. Her voice seemed to have gathered in strength. “I will not allow you to disrespect those gathered here with that display.”

She hung her head in failure. Everything had been for not.

“How dare you,” Aluara roared, her voice cracking with both frailty and rage. “How dare you believe that I would let this be? You may have tricked the untrained. Yet you cannot, and will not, deceive me. As any, this would-be mage must prove his worth. With this display, you have insulted not only me, but also all of those that have traveled here to prove themselves. If you shall not fight in earnest, I shall.”

“Mother, no,” Talgara cried. Her body had moved without her thinking, proving her mother’s words. The seared fur and fabric all rested on a perfectly healthy kitsune. She could not let her mother fight. Aluara had once been the pride of Ecurek. Now, even the slightest of bouts could prove too much for her old frame to handle.

“Then shall you fight?” Aluara replied. “Shall you prove to me and those around you that you take this matter seriously? What proof do I have that some other deceit does not rest in your mind?”

Even at this distance, Talgara met her mother’s gaze with conviction. She may have loved Clen. Both truly and entirely. That did not mean her duty to her kinsmen was lessened any. She may have lost this battle. Despite this, Talgara did not plan to give up. She would just have to find another way. For now, she had to protect her mother.

Written By: Luis Velasco

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Moment Of Truth - Chapter 04 - Page 17

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Surrender on Clen’s part was no longer an option. Those were the rules of a tournament such as this. If a champion was caught using trickery, surrender would no longer be allowed.

One had to be injured in some way as payment. In a true fight. Without deceit. Talgara had not planned for this. One does not plan for failure. Yet now she faced a decision as she looked upon Clen, confusion lacing the edge of his eyes.

“Clen, do not move,” Talgara said softly. Her hands wrapped around one of the fallen hand canons.

“Talgara-” Clen stopped as she raised it towards him.

“Please Clen.” Talgara felt her heart pound against the wood of the handle. “Do not move.” She leveled the barrel. One shot. Through the arm. He’d be wounded, but alive. Her hand shook as she began to tighten her finger.

Clen stared at her, his eyes unsure. He nodded even while shaking. The world seemed to shake. Seemed to tremble all around her. Just one shot. One she had made countless times before that day. One that would take back the insult. One that would appease her mother. One that would save her mother. Just one shot.

“Just don’t move,” Talgara whispered, her breath hot against her lips.

“I won’t.” Clen met her gaze with a calm in his eye that his body betrayed. They looked upon each other, unspoken words flowing in the air between them. One plan had failed. This one would not.

The trigger cracked as she fired.

Written By: Luis Velasco

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Moment Of Truth - Chapter 04 - Page 18

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The Talgen

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Snow fell on the silent village of Ecurek that night. Silence filled the now empty village. Only the light wind playing off snowflakes could be heard for miles as Talgara sat outside the stone cottage she had once called her home as a child. A flame flickered above her in an orb. The light it cast danced along her fur, making the patterns of red and gold shine as a companion to the flame above.

Her two pistols rested on her lap. The cold seeping through her fur to the skin beneath. The metal had been shaped alongside the wood. She had made them by hand.

Striking the metal into its true shape. Carving the wood in guiding motions so it carried the form. Most often she hardly took notice of the weapons. They had become an extension of herself. Her identity as a Hunter. Now the image carved into it, once meant as devotion to her deity, mocked her.

She felt numb. Even the cold held no power over her. She had failed. Her first time.

Her last time. The thought of it scratched at her skin in ways, gnawing at her skin. Trying to claw its way into her. Talgara could no longer force herself to ignore it. So she gave in.

Letting the thoughts be the only thing her body could feel. The only thing she could handle to feel.

“You can go in now.” A nurse appeared next to Talgara. The rather large black rhinoceros had once been a protégé, rivaling Talgara’s skills. Most had expected him to join Talgara as leader. Despite this, he had chosen the path of the healer rather than the Hunter.

Some would even call his the most noble of professions. Since they had grown together, he had proven to be her closest friend. His name was Clevethi.

Talgara lifted her head slowly like a boulder weighed it down.

“Tal, I want you to go inside” Clevethi said, his voice low and warm. He only ever called her that when he knew she needed help.

Talgara’s voice shook on the brink of breaking. “And what I want?”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “We cannot change the past. We must look on to the future and pray that our aches lessen over time.”

“You say it so easily,” Talgara whispered.

“For I too have lost,” Clevethi assured her. For once she understood him. How he felt his love had left the living behind. “You must move. For to not move would be a failure you could not live with. You must stand, Tal.”

“If I must,” Talgara said as her paws pushed the weight of eight mountains for her to stand. “I am just not sure how to.”

Clevethi faced her, clutching her shoulders. “Then you must learn. Now go see her. She does not have long.”

With a tightening of his grasp, Clevethi turned to leave the small house. Talgara forced herself to holster the hand canons and enter the home. The warmth of the fire pressed against her skin in waves, banishing the cold. Her mother lay on the cot that had become her resting place. When Aluara’s eyes caught sight of her daughter, she motioned her over with all the strength she could muster.

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Lament - Chapter 05 - Page 20

The Talgen

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“Talsoreth, my little flame,” Aluara spoke with battered voice.

“Mother,” Talgara said. No more words could find their way out of her.

“I know that look,” Aluara continued eyes wondering towards the ceiling. “I carried that same look when your father was taken.”

Talgara looked upon her mother who seemed to glow in the light. She could remember the visage of strength that Aluara once had been. Tall. Strong. All five tails flowing behind her as she ran across the mountain side. She could also remember her father, taken from her as a young child on a hunt. He had followed in Aluara’s wake, his own four tails bright red and orange against the snow. That was the life of a Hunter.

Aluara began to sit up against Talgara’s protests. “In my old age, I may have forgotten what it was once like to be in love. And in my foolishness, I may have asked too much of you. For that, I am sorry.”

Water began to collect on the sides of Talgara’s eyes. Hot tears rolled down her fur as she met her mother’s gaze.

Talgara had fired. Her aim true. Her bullet meant for more than nothing than a wound.

It had been Clen who had feared. Uncertain. Hesitant. And in that moment, he moved. Just slightly. Nothing more than a few inches to the right. Yet those few inches carried a bullet meant for his arm, through his heart.

The look in his eye as the bullet slammed against him etched its image into Talgara’s mind. She would never forget as his body began to fall and her own lunge forward. No matter how fast she ran. The damage had been done. Clen had died, clutching her ring in his hand. She had killed him.

The sound of her mother’s voice brought her back to the present.

“Let me tell you a story,” Aluara said, slowly placing her hand on Talgara’s own. “It is of a young kitsune who lost her love to a demon. During a hunt, the fox believed herself to be invincible and made a mistake. A mistake her love paid for. He protected her, and for that he lost his life. That is the truth of your father’s death. I blame myself to this day.”

“You cannot blame yourself,” Talgara said, refusing to meet her mother’s gaze again.

“And why not,” Aluara laughed. “It was I whose pride led to that fatal mistake. Either he or I would have died. I had been prepared for my life. Not his. Should someone else pay for my missteps? No. Never. Yet here the both of us stand with others having paid the price.”

Aluara looked upon her daughter with a smile. “I probably should not tell you this. You may wind up making the same mistakes that your mother has. Unfortunately I do not have long, and that expression tells me that you shall find out eventually. So please listen while I have the strength.” Talgara sat on the edge of her mother’s bed.

“When your father was taken,” Aluara began. “I was much like you. Destroyed and using any means with which to punish myself. However, that soon turned into a wish. A wish to bring him back to me. If only for a day. If only to share my love with him once more. So I searched. I looked for any way that could bring him back to me. Do not look at your mother so. If you are anything like I, then that thought will soon cross your mind.

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Lament - Chapter 05 - Page 21

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“In my search, I came upon a legend of a demon who granted wishes. As a Hunter I should have known better. Yes. But as someone who had lost their love, it appeared as a miracle. So I went in search of this demon, this Tobari the Masked One. I found it at Agios, the fire pit where one such demon would make its home. As I looked upon the demon, its face rested just underneath the fire rocks surface. It smiled at me and asked me why I had come.

“I told the creature. And it granted my wish. Without so much as a breath, your father stood next to me, as new as the day he was taken. Then I was told the price. Remember, little flame, nothing is gained without first having paid a price. I had forgotten that lesson, and as Tobari spoke its price, I realized that it was too great. It had given me three months with him. After then, he would have to join Tobari in the flames of Agios. To forever burn.

And if not him, my own soul would be the price.”

Aluara took a breath at the memory. “I spent those three months looking for any way around the demon’s deal. Rather than cherish your father, I ran myself to the bone trying to find a way out. There was no answer. I had failed. The day came, and no solution had found its way into my grasp. I was left with the choice of sacrifice: the one I loved, or myself. As any Hunter would, I chose myself. However, your father had other plans.

“He snuck out under the light of the moon. When I awoke he was gone. Tolbari had taken him. To this day, his soul dwells in the fire rock of Agios.” Aluara breathed heavy, a tremor in her voice not brought on by illness.

Talgara watched her mother. She saw a woman who had lost love twice over. The pain that seemed hidden beneath the surface until then now played its way through the paths carved out by time. She threw herself into her mother’s grasp and let the tears flow. Hot and heavy.

They lay there for a time, letting the fire warm them as mother and daughter once more. Then Aluara met Talgara’s weak gaze. “You must not make the same mistakes I have, Talsoreth. You must move forward. At least that would be the right words to speak. However, I know you. I know that look that haunts your eye. So just promise me this.”

She gripped Talgara’s hand with as much strength as she could muster. “Find a way.

Outsmart it. Defeat it. Something so that you will not endure the same pain. Yet most of all, cherish every renewed moment. Promise this, Talgara.”

“I promise, mother.” Talgara leaned her forehead against her mother’s. She knew this herself. She would find a way. She had to.

Written By: Luis Velasco

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Lament - Chapter 05 - Page 22

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The Talgen

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Aluara passed on mere days following their conversation. During the period of mourning, Talgara spent time preparing for her journey, searching for an answer. Her kinsmen did not question her for they had seen her sorrow. They knew that she was now their leader and no one’s faith had been shaken. They were Hunters of Ecurek. Each one a fighter. Each one a member of an ever growing family. They did not judge one another.

Talgara sat in her home on the final day of mourning. She caressed the soft scarf that graced her neck. Clen had left behind his only two possessions: the lute that now rested strapped over her shoulder and the scarf that gave off an ebbing flow of warmth. A scarf meant to warm you in the cold and cool you in the heat. A simple enough enchantment that most had not bothered replicating since more interesting means of warmth had been made readily available. An enchanted pendant, for example, could create a field of warmth for more than just oneself. An enchantment such as the one on the scarf was unnecessary since hardly anyone traveled alone--except for Clen.

And now, the simple scarf wrapped around her neck, cooling her fur as she stood next the fire. However, she did not just stand next to it. Talgara stood close enough to burn just from the radiating heat. Yet she still felt cool. Comfortable.

In the time following, Talgara began her journey towards Mount Agios. Although reluctant to leave Ecurek alone, she had to follow Clevethi’s words. She had to move forward. That meant crossing the valleys and flatlands that separated to northern village of Ecurek from the southern Agios.

Though her focus never wavered, the journey dragged on for about half the span between moons. Along the way, she would rest and polish her hand cannons. Clen’s name shone along the etching on its barrel. After, she would pluck the strings of the lute in an unformed melody that called her mind back to that tavern where they first met.

Soon, Talgara arrived at the mouth of Agios. Molten fire rock swam beneath her, as her feet cradled the volcano’s ledge. Her eyes grazed the thick movements of the liquid like rock. The air wrapped around her like a weighted cloak. Her back straightened against it.

She would not let herself appear weak in front of this demon.

“Like mother, like daughter,” a voice leaked from the rising smoke. It whispered as if lingering over her ear. Talgara winced against the voice before she could stop herself. A face rose from the fire rock below. Even against the harsh streams of the Agios’ current, the details played vividly. So vividly, Talgara realized it too perfect to be a real face. A mask.

“So this is why they call you the Masked One,” Talgara said. Her own voice boomed across the cavern.

“I’ve always liked the name,” Tobari replied. Its voice came from nowhere yet it was the only thing she could her. “Good faces are always hard to come by. I’ve had this same one for so long that the craving for something new has filled my very core. Maybe yours.

Although, it is not much different from this one, now is it?”

Talgara stared as the mask moved closer to where she stood. Then the details further expressed themselves. The golden color of its fur. The red along the cheeks. That was the Written By: Luis Velasco

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Sacrifice - Chapter 06 - Page 24

The Talgen

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face of her father. The father Aluara said had flown headlong into Agios in order to protect her.

“How dare you wear his face?” Talgara found rage entering her voice. She had to calm herself or the demon would overcome.

“I did not make that deal,” Tobari laughed. “Nor shall I make the one you’ve come here for. I’m always so glad when I get to see family.”

Talgara stood there silent at the demon’s taunts. Even against the tremors of her own clenched fist.

Tobari continued, only visible through the mask, “Your father told me your name was Talgara. In between his screams of course; nevertheless, I quite like the name. The Guiding Flame. Talgara. I cannot begin to word the beauty of standing before my own fire. I’m assuming your mother has already told you the price. Yet still you come. So what is it you’ve come for? What is your wish?”

Talgara took a breath. “Clen.” She said no more for no more was needed. Demons knew things no other creature could explain. Tobari would know who she meant. It would see into her heart and bring him forth.

“How very like her you are,” Tobari cackled. With his words, a body appeared next to her, lying in a dead sleep. She almost ran to him. Almost dragged him close into her to never again let go. Almost.

“Of course, I must still give you the rules,” Tobari continued. “For as long as three moon cycles you have to cherish him. Once that has passed, he must join me in the fires of Agios. He must offer himself to forever burn with me, giving me my new face. Yet if that fails to be, you shall burn, my flames consuming you, body and soul. Wherever you are. No matter how far you run. I shall have one of you.”

Laughter filled her head with pounding as the mask disappeared beneath the fire rock. As the ache subsided, Talgara found a hand resting on her shoulder. She turned slowly to see him. He wore the same shirt and trousers from the day of the tournament. As if that bullet had never passed through his heart. As if he had never been the victim of her failure.

She looked at his face. His hands. His eyes. The same lines of worry and care lining the deep brown of them.

Now Clen lived. Brought back from beyond by a wish hardly spoken. She pulled him towards her, trapping him in her arms. He was real. She could see him. Smell him. Hear his heavy breath as their bodies met. Clen now laid in her arms and her anger disappeared.

“I’m sorry.” Those were the first words that left her mouth. Soft and nearly silent. “I’m so sorry.”

“I moved.” His voice sounded like fresh water. “I didn’t trust you as I should have. I let fear take me, and now your face resembles the verse of a well-worn lament strung from the purest of lutes. For the pain I have caused you, I am sorry.” Talgara showed him the ring he’d given her, now firmly caressing her long finger. No more words were exchanged, for none were needed.

Written By: Luis Velasco

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Sacrifice - Chapter 06 - Page 25

The Talgen

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As they left the mountain, Clen questioned what Talgara planned, but she said only to trust her. His memories had become blurred and though he wondered how he had arrived there, she avoided the question as much as possible. Clen did not need to know what she had done. Clen took her word, at least for that moment. At least until the three months had passed.

The next few months were spent in the revelry. The advice of Aluara rung in Talgara’s mind, as they travelled through Brel. She took the time to hold him. Cherish him. Keep him close. No moment was wasted between them. As if this was the beginning of forever. Yet time passed too quickly, even with every moment used to its fullest.

The day before Tobari’s debt was due arrived. Talgara and Clen clung to each other in a cabin. They rested in a village along the valley under Agios. Their love calmed them, yet time nagged at the back of her head.

“Tomorrow I join Tobari,” Clen said, sitting up. Before Talgara could ask how he knew, Clen raised his hand. “In this village, there was the story of a demon who grants wishes.

One who tricks those into giving of themselves to get what they truly desire. After a few began to explain how it worked, it did not take me long to understand. That is why I cannot remember I died. And you brought me back. Now you wish to sacrifice yourself?” There was both accusation and worry in his voice.

“I told you to trust me, Clen.” Talgara’s voice growled slightly.

“I do,” Clen said turning. “I trust you. But I cannot allow you to suffer in my place. I have caused you enough pain. Please let me go in your place. My time is already over.”

“Clen, you shall not join Tobari,” Talgara said firmly. “I won’t allow it.”

“Just tell me,” Clen pleaded. “If you are so sure, then tell me your plan. Explain how we will survive tomorrow.”

Talgara sat silently for a moment. She could not tell him. If she did, he would not believe her. He would beg her not to. He would do all in his power to stop her. It risked everything. Either way, Clen would live. And that was how it must be. “I can’t.”

“I don’t understand,” Clen sighed.

“Please promise me.” Talgara pulled him close. “You must trust me. You will not go tomorrow.” If it had been up to her, Talgara would have travelled far from Agios. Traversed the desert to separate them from the demon. Unfortunately her decision had been made for her. Whenever they left the village, Clen would faint. Almost dead. Another unsaid part of the deal. He could not leave the earth of Agios. His soul tied to its ground until this day came. She could practically hear the sound of Tobari’s laughter.

Clen met her eyes and gave in. “I promise.”

They spent the rest of the night wrapped in each other’s arms. She fell asleep against him and dreamed of fire. All consuming. Burning her core.

Talgara woke abruptly. Alone. The first rays of sunlight painting the bed. She was alone.

Panic ran through her veins. Then she saw parchment. Newly inscribed.

On it read, Forgive me.

Written By: Luis Velasco

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Sacrifice - Chapter 06 - Page 26

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The Talgen

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Talgara cursed as she sped through the village. The stupid horse. He was going to ruin everything. Her heart thudded in like the ring of a hammer. The air stabbed at her lungs. He had promised. He had promised her.

Now only a matter of moments separated him from eternal fire. What could she do? What could she say to him? Would she have not done the same if the roles had been reversed? Was she not planning the same fate if her own plan failed? Though as much as she reasoned. As much as she loved him. She cursed the horse’s name angrily. How dare he?

She ran. As fast as her paws would carry her. Her fingers danced, looking for the lines of magic. Her voice chanted a string of unheard phrases, calling it to her. She needed more speed. Something. Anything to get there before it was too late. She felt the magic hum into existence around her and take shape. It was quick. One of the quickest she knew. Bursts of flame erupted from underneath her feet with every other step. It propelled her forward in small explosions. It was the closest to wind speed magic she knew.

Every other step carried her farther as the flames launched her forward. The magic roared as her fur of gold and red blurred into the mountain side. She had to make it. There was no question. She refused to fail again.

Talgara leapt over the last stretch and watched as Clen hung on the edge of Agios.

Tobari lingered in fire rock beneath.

“Clen!” Talgara screamed as she grabbed Clen. She flung him back hard, his eyes wide. Her breathing was hard, as she stood there, glowing in residual magic. Red and gold hovering in the air.

“How dare you!” Talgara yelled once again.

“Calm yourself, Talgara,” Tobari’s voice circled into her ear. “Like your father before you, Clen here is willing to make the sacrifice. For love. For you.” His laughter filled the air once again.

“I’m not talking to you, demon,” Talgara yelled.

“Fiesty,” Tobari said, a smile in his voice. She kept her attention to Clen.

“You promised.” Her voice lowered as he looked into his brown eyes.

“I can’t let you,” Clen coughed. “I just can’t. I’m the one who deserves this. How can I rely on a plan I don’t know? I love you, Talgara. You must live. You must move forward.”

“I am,” Talgara growled. “More so than you know. Now for once, Clen. Trust me.” This was her moving forward. Towards the mouth of Agios. Towards Tobari and his hellfire.

“I will,” Clen said, resigned. He sat there as the sun rose over the horizon. She went to him and held him in her arms. She felt every muscle. Every breath. Every tension.

This would be the moment she had to remember. Where she held him and a magic with no name seemed to engulf her mind. The magic between two souls that calls to each other unendingly. This would be that touch. That final moment between them. Whatever happened.

“It is time, oh powerful Talgara,” Tobari laughed. “Your choice is made. Your fate Written By: Luis Velasco

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Guiding Flame - Chapter 06 - Page 28

The Talgen

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decided. Let my flames consume your soul into oblivion.”

Talgara stood at the ledge as flames came to life, engulfing her entirely.

Of all the demons and magic of Brel, there was one form that transcended even the most gifted mage. The Relics. These ancient tablets of time long past were said to predate the gods themselves. Their magic had been deemed too powerful for any one being, so the divine had scattered them across Brel, where they took hold of the land around them, twisting and turning it with the powerful magics imbued within them.

One such Relic was said to reside in the center of the ever-raging blizzard just north of Ecurek. It ravaged the land, consuming any who dare delve within it. It had claimed the lives of lost travelers and prideful Hunters alike. People had taken enchantments of various kinds to extend a magical barrier of heat between oneself and the raging storm. Each had failed.

Despite this, Talgara journeyed north of Ecurek to the storm known as Dyagarad.

The one true blizzard. Through the snow drenched mountains of northern Brel, she carried herself towards it. As she drew near, a white and gray barrier raged in the distance. She gripped at her scarf. She had to reach the center. There was no doubt. If she did not, she would die. That would be the end of it.

The wall of Dyagarad slammed into her like a thrown boulder. The cold wrapped around her bent over body as she tried to recover. The scarf felt warm against her, yet could not keep everything out. It was a focused spell. More so than newer enchantments. It was simple. It would hold. But not for long. A voice in the depths her mind questioned if it would be long enough.

She pushed herself forward against the rage of the storm. Thicker than any earth.

Stronger than any demon she had face. Still she pushed herself. Her mind focused on Clen.

The sound of his voice. The warmth of his smile. The care in his eyes. It gave her strength with every step. Against the cold that began to pierce on her extremities.

It crept along her fingers until she could not feel the fur beneath. Still she moved forward. She no longer began to feel her arms or feet. Despite this, Talgara knew they were there, so she pressed on. Soon she only knew her body was moving from the vision in the distance. The vision of a small edged tablet that floated. It seemed to be the center. Exuding gray-blue and white energy. The Relic. She moved. She rose her arm from where it should have been. It grew closer. And closer. Her eyes grew heavier. Only the thought of Clen kept them open as her fingers wrapped around the Relic’s edges. She pulled it close.

And the Dyagarad died around her.

Now that Relic was fused into the scarf that hugged her neck. Dark red flames bit at her, yet still she stood. Strong. Flames licking at every part of her body.

“How,” Tobarai’s voice crashed through her head. “How are you still there?”

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Guiding Flame - Chapter 06 - Page 29

The Talgen

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It worked. The plan had worked. All doubt fled from her mind. Only resolve remained as she watched the current of Agios’ fire rock growing stronger. Tremors shook the ground beneath her. Still she stood. Eyes looked on the mask of her father’s face.

“How!” The Relic of Enhancement increased the power of the scarf a hundredfold.

Even hellfire could not pierce it.

Tobari raged. “You wretched beast! I shall take you myself. How dare you make a fool of me?” The mask rose, spreading the molten rock underneath it. Until a scaly beast began to reveal itself. Its eyes large and yellow. Its appendages webbed as fins along its side, red cut into the scarred black of its back. Tobari’s true form.

Tobari screamed with rage as it lurched forward. Fire rock spewed over the side in its wake. Talgara leapt into the air, her body a living fire. Her hand cannons rested in each hand.

Talgara was a Hunter. She hunted down the vile plague of this world. Putting down evil with her strength and magic. Tobari was just another of these evils. Her body filled with magic. The flames around her seemed to echo in response. They would be her new companion. Following her until she took the scarf off and let them consume her. Now they were her anger. They represented the flames of vindication that burned within her.

Tobari’s body burst into the air. Talgara fired. Metal cracked against its scales. It mocked her. It taunted her, lashing out with molten fire rock and teeth. She heard none of it.

She pulled the second trigger. Another crack resounded. It just laughed at her as it swiped its webbed arm at her.

She twisted in the air. A flick of her thumb sent two metal rounds into the air. They found their way into the barrels of her pistols. She fired. No spell attached except for the burst of flame propelling them forward. Only this did she focus her magic on. Speeding them forward with each pull. She twisted. Turned. Dodged. Fire danced around her. Her body glided along the air like she had been born to lick at the sky. As if she had always been meant to be a flame and had been trapped inside a kistune.

Talgara leveled her cannon once more. Tobari spoke curses. Still she heard none of it.

Every demon had a spot. A point on their body Hunters learned to scan for. Always hidden in some fashion. It was the first thing she had seen, but it did not make sense until her body became flame and the mask had risen. The Masked One.

A sharp click barked from her cannon one last time. Straight towards the mask.

Straight towards her father’s face, now cracked by the rounds she had put into it. It shattered. The bullet slammed into the demon and it roared one dying breath.

Talgara landed on the edge as fire rock consumed Tobari’s corpse. She watched it with a driven glare. This was who she was. Hunter of Ecurek.

“Talgara,” Clen’s voice sounded off in the distance. “You’re alive.”

She just smiled at him. “That I am.”

He came forward and raised his hand cautiously. Talgara shook her head. “You can’t.

This scarf keeps me from burning. But not you. If you touch me, these flames shall burn you Written By: Luis Velasco

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Guiding Flame - Chapter 06 - Page 30

The Talgen

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to your very soul. If I ever remove this scarf, they shall do the same to me.”

“I see,” Clen whispered. They looked at one another for a long moment. She could see his restraint. He wanted to hold her. She wished for the same. But she would not let her triumph be wasted. So they just looked upon each other.

“What now,” Clen finally said.

Talgara smiled and looked at the ring on her finger carved with the rune of her name as fire begged to eat away at her. Talgara. The Guiding Flame.

“We move forward.”

Written By: Luis Velasco

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Guiding Flame - Chapter 06 - Page 31

Artwork By: Gregorius “Rumz”

Quadrangle Games, Inc. © 2014 All Rights Reserved