The One Who Unites

The village bells rang three times. Out in the fields outside his family home, Varin heard the message and instantly understood what that meant: Raiders.

He ran toward the city gates where a crowd had formed outside.

The shouts of the bandit leader rang loud through the town. "Open up." A gruff voice yelled. "We've come for our payment, and I will not have my men waiting."

The boy recognized the voice. T'kav, a half orc monster that had killed his brother the year before.

"What are you doing here." Someone pulled on his shoulder. He turned to see his father. "You should be back at home, hiding in case they come in." He said.

"I'm tired of hiding." The boy could not help but clench his fist. "How long are we going to keep paying him to leave us alone. It will never step."

"If the Gods are with us today, it will. Stay close to me."

They watched as the village elder cut through the crowd. She walked with a bent posture, poking ahead with her cane. The villagers made way for her, and two men pulled open the gates as she stood in the entrance way. A lone old lady against a crew of bandits.

The raiders were dressed in leather armor, horns on their helmets, wielding bloodstained clubs and maces. The way they grinned at the defensless village unsettled Varin to his core.

"Good that you finally showed up." T'kav, their leader, bellowed. He was taller than any human Varin had ever seen and carried a huge club over his shoulder. His skin was pale green, and he had two tusk like teeth sticking from his mouth. Father said he was a half orc, gifted with both incredible strength and cruelty. The Elder looked like an ant compared to him.

"We have nothing for you." The Elder said.

"Really?" T'kav pointed his club at her. "Because that would mean me and my boys will have to come in and check. I'm sure you have some food, or woman, lying around we can use."

"Winter will kill all of us if you take our harvest. That means you no longer have a village to raid from. Don't you have any sympathy or reason?"

T'kav looked up to the sky as if he was deep in thought. "No, and I really don't care about the ideas of peasantry. Pay up or find some way to entertain me."

He turned, addressing crowd. "I'm a fair man, so any challengers that hope to stop me can challenge me to a duel. Win and my men walk; lose, and i'll give you another week to pay."

Vorin winced. That was the challenge his brother had taken. It was a trap. No one here could beat him. T'kav enjoyed giving them this option because it was what he considered *fairness*.

"The strongest rule." He yelled as his men chanted.

That was what he said the last time. Varin remembered the image of his brother, crumpled to the floor as the orc towered over him. The way T'kav laughed and took joy in the killing stuck with the boy through most nights.

"It just so happens we do have a challenger." The old lady said.

A tall figure in a black cloak stepped next to her. His face was obscured, all Vorin could see was his back turned as he faced against the raiders.

"Who is that?" He asked his father.

"A traveller. He arrived in the village last night. From what i've heard, he promised to stop the raiders."

"Can one man really do that?" Varin asked, to no response. Their attention was taken back to the encounter.

"What have we got here?" T'kav eyed the man up and down. "A runt in a black dress? At least you have more courage than the rest of the cowards here. I'll take extra joy bashing your head in with my club."

"Leave now, and I will spare your life." The man said. His voice was suprisingly soft, but his words carried throught the crowd. "This village is no longer under your control. Your band of deserters will have to find another target."

T'kav raised his club. "You dare make demands of the great T'kav? Especially in front of my men? I'll have to make an example of you."

The raiders jeered at the villagers. Shouting threats and cheering their leader on.

"Is this your final decision?" The man readied a silvery sword in both hands.

"I don't know. You tell me." The half-orc wasted no time in starting the fight. He charged at the black coated man and swung his club wildly.

The boy was in awe of the grace which their defender moved. The length of their cloak made it seem as if they were levitating just above the ground. He easily dodged the deadly, crushing blows of T'kav.

The orc bellowed and yelled curses. Though his breath was becoming ragged, it seemed the exhaustion only pushed him into an even more wild frenzy.

*Bang* *Bang* every failed striked reverberated and sent small shockwaves through the ground. Any hit that landed would surely kill the man in a single strike.

Suddenly, the man in the black cloak stopped in place. He moved his hands quickly, as a light traced around his fingers. It formed into a strange symbol that hovered in front of him.

T'kav rushed to take advantage of his stalled opponent, sending an overhand swing that gave no time for the man to dodge.

Vorin turned his eyes, hugging his fathers tunic. He could not bear to watch, not again. A second passed, and then another. Everyone was silent.

The half orc laughed as the dust began to settle. "Squashed like an ant." He lifted his club to find...nothing. His opponent had disappeared.

"Look." His father said.

In the air, the black cloaked men had appeared high above his opponent, his right hand up to the sky as thunder boomed and the clouds darkened. A spear of lightning manifested in his his fist as he threw it straight to T'kav's heart.

T'kav had no time to react, readying his club in a desperate defense. The lighting cut through the giant with little resistance. He had a shocked look on his face as he felt at his chest.

"Huh..." T'kav said. "I cannot move... What did you do... to me?" Were his final words as he crumbled to the ground with a *thud*.

Varin could hardly believe what he was seeing. None of the villagers could.

The man slowly lowered from the sky, as if carried by some invisible force. He kneeled as he landed before picking himself up to his feet. Now he stood of the defeated T'zak. The orc raider no longer looked so imposing.

The man who had terrorized them for so long had been dispatched so easily, and the way he was killed puzzled him even further. Their defender controlled lightning within his fist? That was a power only heard of in stories.

His father began to cheer, and Varin joined in too. The raiders routed, leaving their leader behind. They were just as shocked by the black cloaked man as the villagers.

"Enchanter." The villagers shouted as they moved in to cheer their savior, circling around him.

That name, Varin remembered now. Enchanters were powerful mages, they hardly visited small villages such as this. They had only existed in the fairytales of his father where they slayed monsters and brought peace. Now, the stories had come to life. For the first time he had seen evil defeated.

The Enchanter rose, and in a smooth movement, sheated their sword and bowed towards the fallen orc.

The village had become silent as they watched him with great interest. The Enchanter turned to approach the elder. As he tried to take step forward, to Varin's surprise, the man collapsed to the floor.

A shocked gasp went through the crowd, and the village healer rushed to his side.

Lying on the ground, the Enchanters hood had fallen. Vorin looked at him.

He had expected an old man, with grey hairs and scars along his face, a toughened warrior from battle like in the stories. Instead, their savior looked to be almost as young as his older brother had been when he passed in his twenties. There was hardly anything terrifying about him at all, especially compared to T'kav. By all manners, he seemed to be quite normal, which was even more strange.

Either way, it did not matter his age, or profession, or reasoning for defending them. He had saved them and they were finally free. There was some small justice he felt for his brother too. A sense that things had returned to what should have been right all along. For the first time in a long time, Varin did not imagine the future with dread, and he had the black cloaked enchanter to thank for that.

Simon Greydance saw visions pass before his eyes. Some were dreams, others were brief moments of lucidity as his body struggled to find comfort.

His last bouts of consciousness were after defeating the bandit leader. The cheers of the villagers, the defeated body of the half orc, and the world becoming a blurry haze as he toppled to the floor. He had used magic again and he was now paying for it.

It was not a peaceful slumber. His body ached and burned, but the world around him was cold as he writhed in the pains of mana withdrawal.

At the very least the villagers had brought him to a bed, though in an unfamiliar room that was small and dark.

Sometimes he would emerge from his coma, only for a few seconds at a time. He realized something in those moments. There was someone beside him, a warmth on his body that he eagerly accepted. It hugged his right side.

Green eyes, dark hair. From her lips came words that soothed him. It was impossible to make out what was being said, but it lessened the pain. Then, it was back to the darkness of sleep.

He stayed in this state for what felt like ages. Waking for a few moments, sometimes alone, sometimes with the dark haired girl before succumbing to the withdrawals. But slowly, his strength and thoughts returned to him, and finally he awoke.

Simon's eyes opened and he stood up. At his bedside an elderly woman clenched a rag over a bucket of water and turned towards him. Her face opened in suprise.

"Oh, you are awake." She said smiling. "It is about time."

"It seems I am." Simon realized he was naked underneath the blanket he was wearing. His black cloak, along with the rest of his posessions were on a table the other side of the room. "You are the elder. We met before the fight."

"That is correct." She said. "It seems what you told me was true. You really are an enchanter. At first I thought you were lying for a free room, but you actually defeated T'kav. On behalf of the village I thank you."

It was all returning to him. He was passing through this town when the Elder asked him for help. They were poor and already expecting a tough winter. It felt like the right thing to step in.

"No thanks are necessary." He said. "I only did an enchanters duty."

The old woman snorted at that. "Yes, that is what they should be doing. Most enchanters in Haldstrom won't move a muscle unless you have the coin. We were lucky when you arrived."

Lucky was the right word. If he had know the size of that orc, he would have rethought his bout of heroism. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Three days." The old woman said. She looked him up and down. Her eyes seemed to study him. "Everyone was quite confused when you collapsed. There were no wounds on your body. It was strange indeed."

"Three days?" Simon moved too quickly for his body, immediately the aches in his stomach and back sent him reeling back. "Damn, I can't lie in bed like this. I am on a mission to the Haldstrom capital. A noble has requested me and I am already behind."

"Perhaps you should stay put a while longer." The elder said. "There is no use straining yourself. You will need your strength for the road." She replaced the rag on his forehead. He laid back as the waves of nausea lesssened, but did not dissipate. It would be another day or two at least before he could move well enough to return to the road.

"During your coma you were pale and cold." The Elder continued. "With winter storms blowing through our village, the nights were especially difficult. You looked in dire condition."

"Mana withdrawals." Simon said. "A side effect of overstepping my limits as with magic. He remembered the woman at his side. "There was someone with me while I was recovering. She stayed beside me at night."

"Yes, Aylin had taken quite an interest in you." The elder said. "Normally she hardly says a word and stays to herself. But since the battle she has stayed by your side watching you almost religiously. She would only ever rest if it was me taking over watching you."

"But why?" He asked. "I have no recollection of meeting her before."

The elder shrugged. "You are held in high regard by the people. Those bandits had their reign here the past two years. It is only natural people are thankful to their hero."

Simon laughed in the way he did when he did not know what to say. "I am no hero." He said. "I was just in the right place to help when they arrived."

"You are too modest." She said.

There was a sound of a door opening from outside the room. The elder turned and got up excitedly. "It seems she is back. I will tell her you have awoken, we have important matters to discuss."

"Important matters?" He asked, but she was already gone.

A woman appeared in the doorway. She was dressed differently from the average villager. Adorned in a forest green dress and a circlet with a red gem at her forehead. Simon recognized her from his withdrawals. Dark hair, green eyes, and... pointed ears.

"Hello." She turned her head away as she spoke. "You are awake."

"It seems I am." Simon said. She was an elf. In his life he had only met humans, something that would change as he travelled more. Most elves were nomads, moving in tribes throughout the great forests of the region. They were reclusive and generally avoided the affairs of humans. One living among a human village was unusual.

"Why have you brought me here?" Aylin looked to the older woman.

"I thought you would be more happy he was awake." The elder said. Her voice had risen a tone, sounding more innocent and friendly. "I was just telling our enchanter friend about you."

She then turned to Simon. "You say that you are travelling to the capital. Then that means that you must pass through the Great Forest to the west."

"That is correct." Simon nodded. "I will need to move quickly, it is a rigorous journey from what I have heard and I am already behind."

"It would help to have a guide." She gestured to Aylin.

"You know the way through the forests?" He asked. If it were true, that would be helpful. He had never travelled to Haldstrom before, and was relying solely on maps to inform his way forward.

"I do." Aylin said. "But it is a dangerous place, especially as of late. There is a darkness sweeping through the area. From what little I remember..." Her face tensed in frustration.

"We found Aylin in the fields of our village a few months back." The elder said. "She remembers little of before, but with the forest filled with bandits and monsters, she can't return home. With you as an escort, you could see her safely back to her tribe."

"You would be relying on me quite heavily for such a task." Simon admitted. "I myself am uncertain of the dangers I will be facing. It would be irresponsible for me to offer protection I could not keep."

"What better reason to have an elven companion then." Said the Elder.

"I am attuned to the forest." Aylin said. "I can foresee danger much better than you could with your own senses. Bringing me would increase both of our chances of survival."

"And your fighting abilities?" He asked. "You say you have forgotten your memories. Can you still fight if it came down to it?"

"Why answer when I can show you." She turned to the door way. "If you can still stand that is." Her tone had the inkling of a challenge.

"Of course I can." Simon stepped out of the bed. Immediately, he realized his mistake. Not only did his legs instantly fold, he remembered he was naked underneath his blanket.

Aylin and the Elder both widened their face in shock, their eyes trained on his exposed manhood.

"Oh, dear gods." The old lady said.

Aylin's expression grew wide in shock.

"Hey, what are you both looking at?" Simon had recovered and picked himself back up to the bed. "You are both looking as if something is wrong down there."

"There's nothing wrong." Aylin turned.

"I see why you have taken a keen interest to this man." The elder replied.

"That has nothing to do with it." Aylin kept her eyes cast to the floor.

"I don't follow." Simon said plainly.

"Do not worry about it." The old lady laughed and handed him his clothing along with a wooden cane. "Here, you can borrow one of my extras. This should help you move."

"Thank you." Simon said, putting his trousers and cloak on as the two turned their backs. Wearing his uniform again already made him feel much better.

Simon got to his feet as he levied his weight along the cane. With a few steps he adjusted to the movement and walked with Aylin outside the cottage home into a small yard that extended out to the rest of the village.

"You go ahead." The elder told them. "I have dinner cooking over the fire for you when you return."

They walked around the side of the cottage to what looked to be a makeshift archery range. Wood boards were scattered around the yard with drawn on rings used as targets.

Aylin picked up a bow and looked at him expectantly, as if asking *Are you ready?*

Simon nodded.

She knocked an arrow and aimed ahead.

The first shot was a direct hit. Simon counted no more than a second before the second was fired, and another. The arrows flew unnaturally through the sky, arcing and curving at impossible angles.

Simon could not help but smile. It was incredible manipulation of elemental magic, controlling the wind around the arrows so that they flew in their desired direction. The amount of concentration that was needed to direct so many arrows was impressive in itself, but her accuracy was near perfect.

The last arrow flew high, upwards toward a line of trees. The arrow arced and shot downwards. The leaves shook something fell from the branches.

"What was that?" Simon asked.

"The reason you should take me along. Go examine it."

He obliged and hobbled to the tree to find a striking discovery. It was a black bird, Aylin's arrow had pierced through its chest cleanly. Where there should have been blood was instead a green earthy substance.

Simon recognized it immediately: Essence. This bird was not natural, but summoned by magic.

"You knew I was being tracked?" He said.

"It is not the first one i've found." It was only a hint, but there was a certain excitement in her tone. She is rather proud of this fact. "It seems that there are people interested in keeping an eye on you."

"You did a good job." He said. "My work makes a lot of enemies. Still, I have only recently entered Haldstrom's territory. This must be related to the contract I was given."

Simon had been summoned by an old friend of his father, A noble of high renown in Haldstrom, requesting protection. He had expressed fears of corruption and betrayal in their letters. This was an ill omen.

"Perhaps they want to silence you before you can reach your destination." Aylin said. "Your act of bravery surely alerted them you were here."

"Yes, you may be right about that." Another unintended side effect of his actions. He needed to be more careful of the quickness word spread in the future. A man shooting lightning bolts through bandits is bound to be talked about.

"I sense you are doubting your actions." Aylin said.

"No, but there were better ways to go about it." He said. "Ones that did not track further danger to this village. Another reason I cannot delay in leaving, if only my body could recover more quickly."

"What if there was?" Aylin said.

"That is impossible." Simon shrugged. "There are no know ways to restore a person's mana. It can only be naturally produced by the body over time."

It was an understanding at the core of magic usage. Everyone had different thresholds, but overstepping your available mana led to consequences such as the ones Simon is facing; A complete exhaustion of the body that could lead you to being bed-ridden or even dead.