FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was shortly after dawn, the sun was peaking through the windows of the barracks, plenty of light coming through as the lion took care of his normal morning routine.

He started by looking in the mirror. Using a small blade to trim his fur. Using one hand to pull it away from his face and the blade to cut it lightly. Little by little, till he had his mane at the length he wanted it. His mane had come in when he was in his teenage years, and it was a hassle to maintain sometimes. Especially if he let it get too long.

Towen regarded himself in the mirror, it was his first day back after the events in the forest. His captain had been killed and all the high-ranking individuals were with them. Towen, had only been a part of the city watch for about two years, Rulu had traveled with the caravan for the time he was in training, but now that he was properly in the guard, Rulu left the caravan and wanted to stay with him.

It hadn't been easy. His wages, and whatever work Rulu could find were spent on keeping Rulu in the inn he'd been staying in for the last 2 weeks. But without a reliable source of income, Towen's silver was getting dangerously low, he wasn't going to say anything to Rulu, and worst case, he'd see if the lizardman could sleep in the barracks with the others.

He wasn't anywhere near high ranking enough to assume any kind of command either. Which he was thankful for, he didn't want that kind of responsibility right now. But there was a vacuum in the guard. The top 5 highest ranking individuals had been part of his group, meant to take out the slavers. Towen has only come along because his brother was missing.

He'd only started all the paperwork, which he wasn't thrilled about, for the incident the day before, where his fellow senior knights had lost their lives. They'd sent off a letter by carrier hawk to the main capital, telling them what had happened, as soon as he got back, but he hadn't done the paperwork properly since. He was doing so now, and it was miserable.

“All those years learning to read and write in common, and this is how I use it." He grumbles annoyed at the work he is doing. Others worked in the barracks, but of those remaining, only a handful were able to read and write. Most of the older, veteran knights who were still alive, didn't want to do the paperwork, so it was foisted onto Towen's shoulders. Seniority must have had its perks.

Honestly, he was glad for the break, his ass was still kind of sore, from his night with Gurak. When someone shouted there had been an attack. But his heart sank when he heard it was an orc and lizardman who were the victims.

He rushed to get there as fast as possible. Finding Gurak's arms locked around an elf who was then taken into custody. With some help, he and another guard wrested the elf free from the orc's tight grip, and carried the unconscious to rest in a bed within the barracks. It was Captain Ashfury's room, but since he had passed away only a day prior, Towen used it for Gurak to rest. It's where he'd be doing paperwork anyway.

Once that was taken care of. The others set about questioning the elf first, as part of the three slavers in custody, the elf Gurak himself had been holding captive. Rulu gave his report and Towen wrote it all down. The pair eventually decided to talk while the others interrogated the slavers. It had been a group, but they caught a human, an elf, and an orc.

Rulu looked at Towen, sighing softly “Hey uh….so I was wrong. They were still after me. If it wasn't for Gurak, I don't think I'd be okay now."

Towen nods and wraps his arms around his brother, hugging him gently. “You damn fool." He sniffles and squeezes Rulu tightly.

The lizardman hugs him tightly, sighing. “Sorry, Towen. But, I had an idea." The pair lean back from one another, Rulu looking up into the lion's eyes. “I see the way you look at him," Rulu says softly. “You like him, and...I think I like him too."

Towen blinks, his ears turning red, flattening to his head. “You could….smell it on us, couldn't you, despite the baths."

Rulu nods and laughs. “Yeah, kinda." Rulu's tongue came out, and his sense of taste and smell was incredible, being a lizardman. "But, are both of you coming back at the same time? You had a little bit of a limp?" He snickers. “It wasn't too hard to piece together. I'm happy for you both."

Towen rubbed the back of his head. “The thing is. It can't go anywhere. He's probably leaving soon and, my job requires me to stay here. I can't travel with him." Towen laments.

Rulu nods. “I know, but….I could."

Towen's expression changed slightly as he looked at his younger brother. “Y...you want to go with him?"

The lizardman nods. “He's saved me twice over, I owe him my life and freedom. Can you think of a safer place to be, than at his side?"

Towen looked thoughtful. “Are you certain this is what you want?"

Rulu nods his head. “I can't stay here. They'll keep coming after me. You can't stay beside me all day, every day. I know I wanted to stay where you are, but, I've come to realize, I think my destiny is to travel, just not with our caravan."

Towen sighs and nods. “What about...he and I? Doesn't that bother you?"

Rulu shook his head. “He's the first person you've ever taken a liking to. If he's gained your admiration and affection, surely he's deserving of my own as well."

Towen nods his head a little. “That's fair, but...what if in years, I'm free to travel and I rejoin you. Would you be jealous if I were to pursue him again?"

Rulu smiles. “Not at all." He grins teasingly at the lion. “Maybe we could both be his beloveds. We've shared everything else since we were kids. As long as he's happy as well, that's fine, isn't it?"

Towen's ears got deep red again and he sighed. “You are a greedy little brother."

Rulu grins. “I am."

Towen nods though and hugs his little brother. “Well, if he doesn't mind, I'm fine with it. I can't be with him, not in the way I want to be."

Rulu nods. “Then I'll look out for him and take care of him till you can."

Towen kisses Rulu's forehead. “I'll go see how the interrogations are going for now, and see about sending in healers to check on Gurak. You can stay in here with him."

Towen hugged his brother once more, then left the room. First, to find one of the lower-ranked guards, and have him get a healer to check on the orc. Once the younger guard was sent out, Towen was headed to where the prisoners were being kept.

The other older guards were asking them questions. Two of them were completely uncooperative, but the third, the one that Gurak saved, was very forthcoming. Willing to tell them anything, in exchange for information about the orc who saved him.

He'd said his name was Orym, he'd been part of the slavers for about a year. They'd been grabbing homeless folks or anyone who had unique traits that could be sold for a high profit in slave circles. Folks who could read and write were valuable but were rarely in a vulnerable position.

When they spotted Rulu, with his ebon black scales, they were eager to sell him. They'd heard that black-scaled lizardfolk were an omen of good fortune, particularly a fortune, usually of gold or silver.

Orym told them everything. Their base locations. Their names, race, everything he could give up, he told them every last detail.

After he'd given them everything, he was allowed to speak to Towen, who had the most interactions with Gurak. It was the trade-off they'd made, and what was the harm, the elf was in custody and would be for years to come.

The elf asked him several things, including his name, and where he was from. What he looked like, what he was like. Towen didn't think it would do any harm to tell this elf the answers to these questions, it wasn't anything too invasive. He was especially excited to hear that Gurak had light magic, meaning he was a healer. Something about that seemed to resonate with the elf.

After everything. He made a point to tell the people in charge, that he wanted all of the information he'd shared to be accredited to Towen specifically. Orym was to be transferred to the capital, where he could give them more information, and serve out his sentence.

After all that, Towen had heard that Gurak was up and moving around. So he went to see him. The orc and Rulu were walking through the barracks. They stopped to talk briefly. Towen hugged the orc tightly. “Thank you, nothing I can say will ever be enough to tell you how much you've done for me Gurak. Sincerely, deep from my heart, I thank you."

Gurak waved his hand gently and smiled. “It's nothing worth mentioning. I just did what anyone would do in my position."

Towen huffs at him softly. “I gently disagree. But even so, thank you."

Gurak nodded and patted the lion's shoulder before he and Rulu left. Heading back to their inn. Towen and a few guards walked a few steps behind them. Keeping out of direct view of most folks, just to make sure they arrived safely.

Towen stayed outside of the tavern the whole evening, till dawn broke. He was determined to make sure the slavers didn't come after his brother while within the city walls at the very least.

Once the sun was coming over the walls, Towen went back to the barracks, and worked on paperwork. It was a few hours and more pages than he cared to count later before someone came in. Seeing the rank on the man's chest, it was clear this person was a captain. He took off his helmet as he came into the room. The man looked ragged and tired. Towen stood up immediately and saluted him, as was fitting a man of his position.

The man was broad enough to be a beastfolk, though he wasn't, The man was human and was the new interim captain, from the capital. He'd been specially sent to manage the town until a permanent captain was named. “Pleasure to meet you Knight Towen. I'm Captain Arval Nedz, from Macta." It was the lowest rank, even if he'd been in the service of the guards for two years, he hadn't done anything noteworthy of promotion, also, that was the name of the capital, they weren't playing around.

The man offered another stack of papers to Towen, who sighed and resisted the innate urge to grumble. He took them and looked them over, then looked up at the man. Since he'd taken off his helmet, giving Towen a chance to look his face over, he had short white hair and a scar across his cheek, stopping just before his lip. He was an older human, likely in his 50s or so.

Towen looked at him, unsure of what he'd just read. “Sir, did I read this correctly?"

The man nodded his head. “Aye, ya did. You're being transferred, briefly. I spoke with the elven captive, he demanded you be given credit for all of his information. Such a significant amount of information about the slavers in the area will make a significant impact on their operations here. It's not what you know lad, it's who." He smiles a touch and claps the smaller lionman on the shoulder.

Towen looked so confused. “But I'm still a rookie." He replies, almost in complaint.

The man shakes his head. “I was given full authority to run this town as I saw fit. As of today, I see fit to promote you. I'll be in charge here for a while, and I think you'd make a good captain someday. Until I'm replaced. But it could be months, maybe years. But you, with that orc fella, took out the slaver fort AND brought in three, one of which gave us enough intel to shut them down in the area for years to come. Congrats on the promotion, Lieutenant Towen. I know it's a big and sudden change. You'll be heading to the capital, where you'll get training, at my request. I think you have a hell of a future in the Knights. Coming from common birth is oft looked down on, by others. But I am of common birth and I've made a name for myself."

The man smiles and pats the lion on the shoulder. “You'll be fine Towen. Don't worry about what anyone else says. Focus on your training. Get better with your sword, your magic. I look forward to seeing your future."

Towen looked confused. The man chuckles. “Spend the day gathering your belongings. You'll be transferring the prisoners along with a few folks that came with me. We rode through the night, so they'll be resting for tomorrow. It'll be a longer trail back since you'll be transporting the three prisoners to Macta. It'll probably take you three days to get there, maybe more. If you run into trouble."

He smiles though. “Tell your sweetheart, if you have one, that you'll only be gone a few years. If she loves you, she'll wait."

The lion blushes and laughs softly. “Yes sir, thank you, sir." Towen salutes the man and leaves the captain's room, where he'd been doing the paperwork the last two days. Leaving it all for Captain Nedz to take care of now.

He'd jumped up in rank, not just one, but two levels. If the captain here left, he'd technically be the highest-ranking knight now. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. He went to the inn to talk to Rulu and Gurak, but the innkeeper said they'd already left.

Towen didn't know where they went, so he made for the front gate as quickly as possible. Towen got some paperwork, he thought might be necessary, ready and waiting. He waited for what felt like an hour or longer before Gurak and Rulu showed up. He was thankful he'd caught them before they left, he was excited to talk about his promotion, but he didn't want to tell them he wouldn't be in Vrose much longer.

He smiled seeing the pair approach. Gurak spoke up first as he came closer. “Hey uh, has anyone come to claim the wagon and horse I bought everyone here in?"

Towen shook his head. “No, not as of yet. It's probably something they stole from some poor merchant or farm." Towen had looked it over. The wagon itself had a sigil, but it wasn't one that he recognized. He wasn't familiar with many of the merchant families in every caravan, or nobles. He followed that up with “Were you hoping to claim it as your own?"

The orc nodded his head slightly. “Ahh, well I was going to ask. If I have no right to it though, I understand. It'd make traveling a lot easier." Towen nodded, going anywhere on foot was a hell of a walk. Wagons and horses made travel much easier.

Towen smirked at Gurak though. “I figured you might. I'd put in a request yesterday." And since the lion himself had been the one in charge of all the paperwork the last two days, he'd granted it. “I was just waiting for you to show up, just in case I'd guessed right. There is a small matter of a fee for the horse's upkeep for the last two days. But, besides that, once you sign the form. It will legally be yours. However, should the original owner show up? You'll need to pay them properly for the wagon and horse, or return them."

Gurak nodded his head. Signing his name in orcish lettering, it was the only language he knew, and then to the lion's surprise, he took out his dagger and pricked his finger, letting blood pool on it, before he pressed his bloody thumb to the paper. Towen tilted his head slightly.

Gurak looked at the lion and looked nervous. “Do you not do that here?" The orc asked, concerned. “Orcs keep promises in blood." He replies.

Towen laughed softly and shook his head. “Of course, you guys would." He smiled despite the awkward exchange. “Well, at least it adds legitimacy to your signature. No doubt it was an orc. I'm sure it's fine though." He waves to the wagon and horse that were nearby. Already hitched up and was ready. Towen had over an hour to wait, after all.

“Horse and wagon are all yours. Two silver for the horse feed for the last two days." Towen was surprised when Gurak pulled out a gold coin and tossed it to the lion. He looked at it and huffed. “I said two silver." Gurak nodded, he understood, and grinned, before he and Rulu started loading up the wagon.

Towen didn't complain, it was just an extra donation to the knights.

The lion stood at the gate, watching the pair head off, down the road as they headed southward, likely to the orc village down there. It was the next likely place they'd head. Since the northern village had been destroyed. Then perhaps to Whetstin.

Towen went back to the barracks, turning in the gold, and telling the captain what had transpired. The man laughs and nods. “Ahh, that Gurak sounds like a fun man. Wish I was thirty years younger. I bet traveling with him would be the highlight of my life." He fills out some papers and then, after taking the gold piece, hands Towen a bag of coins that seemed rather heavy.

He looks to the captain, who just grins. “Well, legally, he only paid 2 silver. That means the other ninety-eight is yours." He smiles at the lionman.

Towen's ears turn red and he nods. “Well uh, can I donate it to the knights?"

The captain shakes his head. “Nope. That's for you. Consider it a bonus with your promotion. Go get yourself a better weapon."

Towen was about to complain, but, he didn't think it'd get him anywhere helpful in the end. “Thank you captain Nedz." He salutes the man once more and then leaves the office.

He headed straight to the smithing guild, as a knight they had a contract to only get arms and armor from them. He arrived and the man behind the counter, a human man, greeted him.

“What can the smithing guild do for you today, good sir knight?" He spoke as Towen approached.

The lion stepped forward, took his blade from his hip, and set it down on the counter. “I was hoping to get a better sword. I was just promoted, to Lieutenant" From knight straight to lieutenant, skipping sergeant completely.

The man behind the counter smiled and clapped his hands together. “Oh, congrats, that's wonderful news!"

Towen smiles nervously and nods. “I have about ninety silver, so I was hoping to get something nice."

The man grins and nods. “Oh, delightful!" He turns and goes into the back. He returns with a handful of various swords and daggers. One of which, looked rather familiar to the lion. The man behind the counter said it was just appraised that day and was turned in by an orc who'd only just joined, an orc with a promising future from the looks of it.

He looks them over. He picked out a well-made sword first. It was a whopping fifty silver for the specialized steel sword. Towen also took the dagger that looked like it was made of iron. Something about it felt familiar. So he took both, costing him 50 silver pieces. However, by giving the old sword back to them, he got 5 back silver for it. Since it wasn't damaged in any way. He signed the paperwork, handed over the silver, and left. He went back to the barracks.

He had 5 silver when the day started, and now he had 53 silver left, all thanks to Gurak's kindness and generosity.

He reported to the captain, saying he had a new blade, the captain asked to see the blade, and he looked it over and nodded. “That's a fine blade. No enchantment though."

Towen nods his head. “Sadly, they had none in stock, even if they did, I didn't have the money for it. I'd been taking care of my brother while he was living in town. I'd been using all my money for that. He's left with my friend Gurak though, so I can start saving my money now."

The captain nods his head as he looks at Towen. “Very good. For now, take the day off. Rest, you look like you haven't slept in days, have a good meal, and do whatever you want. Tomorrow at dawn you and the rest of the guards I brought will head back to Macta." He smiles at the lionman. “I'll have your recommendation papers tomorrow morning as well. Make sure you take care of them, they'll be your ticket in the academy."

Towen nodded his head, took the sword back, and went to the barracks, he'd been running around all day yesterday and most of today, he'd barely gotten any rest in the last two days. So he laid in the bunk for a little while, before he decided to head to a tavern for a hearty dinner. He didn't sleep, but he did relax for a short while.

He paid three silver for as much meat as they were willing to feed him that night. Just as his food was being delivered, however, some other knights came in and saw him sitting alone. They joined him and the group made a celebration of his promotion. At least the other rookies who'd been there about as long as he had been, as well as any younger knights that had joined the service. He drank, made merry, and ate to his heart's content. The others shared in the revelry, celebrating in the lionman's bright future.

After all was said and done, the group made their way back to the barracks, where they dressed down out of their armor, crawled into their bunks, and went to sleep. Most of them had just gotten off duty and went to get dinner, it was just luck that they'd run into Towen as he was eating.

Towen finally laid down on his bunk and fell asleep almost immediately. The exhaustion of the last two days, staying up with Gurak, and then watching over Rulu and Gurak the day after had taken a toll on his body.

Morning came all too soon, however, though, Towen knew better than to overdrink, as he didn't want a hangover. Some of his fellow knights weren't as pragmatic however and ended up with hangovers.

Towen woke up first, as he hadn't overindulged this time, so he was well rested. He was dressed and geared up. He was the first to arrive and waited a short time before the others arrived. Last was Captain Nedz.

The human grumbles. “So uh, Orym, the elf that you spoke with, escaped last night. They're out hunting for him, but, I don't expect they'll find the guy." The man sighs softly. “Well, at least the other two are still in custody. You'll be escorting them."

Towen and the rest, a dwarf, a goblin, and a human were the other members of Nedz's group, each of them lieutenants as well. They had horses and a metal cage on a wagon with the two prisoners, one a human, the other an orc. Captain Nedz handed the goblin an envelope, sealed with wax, likely the senior officer of the group, and then turned to Towen, handing him one as well. “Here are your recommendation papers. Try not to lose them."

Towen nodded his head softly, and once the others started down the road. With the dwarf on the wagon, leading the horses down the road, the other three on horseback rode alongside, or behind.

Daylight was just peaking over the far mountains, and even at a full gallop, it would take almost a full day to get where they were going, so a leisurely pace towards Macta was the best plan overall. Which is likely how Nedz and his group arrived so quickly. They must have been dispatched immediately following the arrival of the letter by falcon.

They traveled most of the day. Slow and steady, stopping around midday for lunch. The goblin, the best hunter in their group, went off to catch something for their meal. It was a while before he returned, but he brought back a buck of decent size. The others focused on cleaning and cooking the kill. While Towen focused on keeping an eye on the folks in the cage. He didn't recognize either individual, but they were part of the slaver group that had been after Rulu.

After lunch, they headed down the road once more. The excess deer meat was cooked and set aside for later that evening. So the goblin wouldn't have to hunt again later.

They stopped around dusk, just as it was getting dark. Set up camp. Small tents, bedrolls, a campfire. They took turns being on guard duty. Giving each other about three hours alone.

Towen sat near the wagon with the two prisoners while he was on guard duty. The orc spoke up when he noticed the lion was nearby. “Hey, you're that lizardman's brother, aren't you?" He asked.

Towen turned his head and growled, before turning back to look at the camp.

“Look, we didn't mean no harm. We're desperate for silver. I was kicked out of my village a week ago. I had nowhere to go, and no one to help me. They took me in and said if I caught a prize like him, I'd be set for life."

Towen kept his gaze on the camp. “You chose poorly." Is all the lion replied?

“I know. The village got attacked I heard. The whole place is gone now. Getting thrown out's the best thing that could have happened to me."

Towen didn't say anything, just took a bite of the deer from earlier. The orc continued, however. “I heard Gurak survived, is that true?"

Towen's eyebrows perked, and he turned his head. The orc grinned. “Wow, you reacted fast. Guess so."

Towen scowled, not at the prisoner, but at himself for being so obvious. The orc spoke again. “I'm glad. Thank Aethos he lived."

Towen turned back to the camp and spoke up once more. “You knew him?"

The orc looked out over the camp as well. “Nah, not really. Only by reputation. His dad was a decent hunter. His mom was an incredible warrior. He trained with the shamans as a child, because of his light element. But he also had wind and lightning too."

Towen didn't react this time, but hearing that the orc had four elements was astounding. He'd only ever heard of people with such blessings in stories, in history.

The orc kept speaking, a little quieter now. “He had a fifth one too. We don't talk about it much, because, it's a big deal."

Towen furrowed his eyebrows. Why would having a fifth be a big deal? Of the remaining elements, water, ice, darkness, and earth weren't a big deal on their own. Then he realized, his eyebrows raising and he turned his head, looking at the orc, who just grinned at him.

“Yeah, you're a bright one, aren't ya? You figured it out! Imagine the haul that kid would bring if we'd nabbed him and the lizard." The orc slumps back and laughs. “But, I shoulda known better. Kids are the future of the orc race. He's gonna make you bastards in the civilized world respect us, he's going to take a seat at the table, and make you treat us as equals."

Towen's heart was racing. Gurak had the void element? That's the only thing that made sense. How else could everything have worked out? His insane power, his clear domination of the fort full of slavers. One man against a small army?

What had he done, sending Rulu with this man?

The orc looked out over the camp as he listened to the fire crackling. “Your brother's probably the safest man on the continent." The orc rumbles out. “Not just because of Gurak being who he is, but the power that kid has. It's ridiculous. You know he went into a dungeon at thirteen, and not only that, his team beat it because he took charge when the leader went down, a forty-year-old man, veteran of battles and such. A kid, a third his age, took command and led them to victory. Then saved the bastard to boot."

Towen's fear suddenly dispersed, he hadn't known any of that. His brother was traveling with the strongest orc on the continent. Maybe the strongest man on the continent. There was no way anything could happen to his little brother.

Towen turns and nods to the orc, he pulls a piece of meat off what he was eating and offers it to the orc. The man takes it and devours it hungrily. “For telling me all that. I appreciate it. I just met Gurak. Barely knew anything about him, besides he had a kind heart."

The orc snatched the food and ate it greedily. It was the only thing he'd been given since leaving Vrose.

The orc looked back out over the camp, after eating the meat given to him. “After what Gurak did to our guys, I doubt anyone will come after them again. The risk is too high for the cost."

Towen nods, and gets up, walking over to the fire, mostly to end the conversation, but also to warm up, as a chill had come into the air. It was still a few days away from the fall equinox, but the air was cooling down, it was especially noticeable in the evenings and early mornings.

Towen kept up his watch for the few hours he had left, before waking up the dwarf, who was up for the last shift. Towen settled down into his bedroll and drifted off, sleeping as best he could.

A few hours later, he was shook gently by the goblin, telling him to get up. Towen already smelled breakfast. They ate the last of the deer they'd had before, with some eggs and scraps of bread.

Soon, they were back on the road, heading northwest, passing a traveler every so often.

The day was mostly uneventful as before. No bandit attacks, no monsters rushing the prisoners. It was a quiet and peaceful day, and Towen appreciated that. As guards, it was hard enough to patrol the roads around town, but the spaces between towns, the stretches where towns didn't overlap were the most dangerous, for anyone traveling especially. It was a boon then when a city was founded in such places. The orcs, for example, had a place to the northeast of where they were now.

Sadly, that village was no longer, but, the monsters hadn't repopulated in the few days since the village fell.

As lunch approached, the goblin took off again, in search of another meal that should last them till they got to the city. It was another little while, they snacked on the rations they'd brought with them before the goblin returned with a boar this time. A mix of jerky and various nuts that kept well on long trips.

Again, the other three, seemingly used to this way of doing things, cleaned and parted out the beast. The human put some water into a pot from a large flask he carried, the goblin diced up the boar and put it in, and the dwarf added quite a few vegetables from his pack as well. And let the stew simmer.

A little while later, they were all enjoying the soup, the meat and veggies worked well together. It lacked spices, but, on a knight's salary, such things were often only enjoyed in taverns, one didn't have the means to keep spices fresh when traveling unless they were a merchant.

Towen made sure to take a bowl to each of the prisoners as well, along with spoons to make sure they were fed.

After their meal. The human had the two prisoners disrobe and hosed them down with water magic before Towen used the wind to dry them. They dressed and were back on the road in no time.

Towen asked the human why they had done that. “When we get to the capital, they'll want us to smell as nice as possible. It's harder for us guards to bathe, but we can clean off the prisoners. We'll turn them in, get a bath, and then report in."

Towen blinks and nods, that seemed pretty smart. He'd never really worried about his scent, he always had Rulu to give him a bath when they needed it. It didn't dawn on him how much he missed his brother till just that moment. He was half a continent away, and it'd be months, or longer before he saw him again.

At dinner, it was much the same as the night before. They could see the city on the horizon. Well, not the city itself, but part of the top of the castle rose above the road, they could see the flag of their country, Otrad. It was a fairly large continent country, thankfully, with no neighbors close by, so war was rare. Despite being a human nation, it was fairly diverse as far as races went. Orcs were the least common, but that was true of most nations, except for their nation of Kedresh.

The closest nation was to the north, a veritable winter paradise, if you liked the cold, anyway, was the elven nation of Loforayea, their elven church was there in their capital city, Ayholenor. He'd never been off the continent. He was born in the caravan and was likely to live his whole life here, on this small island, till the day he passed away.

After he'd spent enough time with the knights, he might go back to his caravan, and serve as a guard there with his skills, he'd be quite valuable and bring a lot of pride to his family in doing so. It wasn't uncommon for folks to leave the caravan, in search of skills that could be useful to the caravan.

His best friend, a bear had gone to the mage's college, to try his hand at becoming a scholar, or teacher. Bringing back years of education from the mage's college would be very beneficial to their group.

They slept as usual. Going in turns of who was on guard duty. Towen was last this time, so he slept almost the full 9 hours before being woken up. It was important to get enough rest, so they turned in early and slept a little longer if possible. Towen didn't speak with the prisoners again, instead opting to stay near the fire. He did make sure to bring them food for breakfast, which he started before waking everyone else up. It just seemed the proper thing to do.

Towen has just reheated the stew from the night before, and the six of them ate in relative silence. It was only a few hours till they were going to be in Macta.

The time passed rather peacefully, they were now within the domain of the capital proper, so it wasn't surprising that the monster population was annihilated in the area.

The large walls of the city got closer by the moment, till they were in line to enter the city. They presented their paperwork to the guards at the gate, were led to the barracks of Macta, and turned over the prisoners.

Once that was done, the three thanked Towen for traveling with them. They escorted him to the captain's office where he saluted the man. It was an elf who saluted him, Towen returned the salute and then presented the paperwork Captain Nedz had given him. The captain nodded in his direction. “I am Captain Fenian Faerona, of Macta's Eversharp Brigade."

Towen took it to mean that each town had its own 'group' of knights so to speak, to make them distinct from one another. Since he was from the Fathomless Shield of Vrose.

The elf looks it over and nods. “Ahh, I see Nedz has taken an interest in you." He smiles at the lionman and nods. “I'll have this sent to the academy immediately. For today, turn in your armor at the barracks, explore the city, and come back around evening. We'll let you rest here tonight, and tomorrow, you'll officially be part of the Knights Academy."

Towen's heart swelled with pride. Sure, they were all called 'knights' when they were inducted into the guards, but, this was 'proper' knighthood. Not just commoners referring to him as such, he'd have the true title. He couldn't believe Gurak turned down such a prestigious offer from the folks in Vrose, but, he supposed the orc didn't understand the weight of the offer either.

Towen did as requested, first, turning in his armor. It was the property of Otrad, officially, he was just using it while on duty. But, he'd get his armor, his sigil once knighted, if he passed the academy. A unique sigil for himself.

Towen spent the day then walking around the city. He kept his hands on his hilt and money pouch. He didn't know this town well and wasn't keen on losing what little he had to a brave thief.

Towen took notice of a lot of things, in the city. People often wore long, heavy cloaks to conceal themselves. Heavier armor wasn't often worn, not even by the knights he'd see walking around.

Mostly it was lighter gear on the majority of folks. Which made sense to the lionman. Crowded streets, narrow alleyways, likely speed was more important than strength in such an environment. It wasn't very different from Vrose, but it felt suffocating, with the buildings being so close to one another, and the streets so narrow.

Towen first paid a visit to the adventurer's guild, just because he was a guard, didn't mean he also wasn't part of the adventuring guild. He notified them he was from Vrose, and presented his iron rank tag to the man behind the counter, proving his identity. The man thanked him for updating their records so they knew where he'd be working for the next few years. The man also congratulated him on being inducted into the academy, it was a high honor for commoners.

Towen wasn't sure how their records were kept, but they always seemed to know if his dues were well, due, or if he needed something. The guild was usually ready to remind him of anything that he needed to do, their records were pretty stellar. Towen imagined there was some kind of magical artifact or something that they used, keeping all their records straight, but he had no idea how such a thing could exist.

Regardless of that, Towen just walked around the city. Stopping to get something to eat when he smelled something good coming from one of the taverns.

The place was a little homely on the inside, but the food smelled wonderful.

The lionman took a seat and a human man approached asking for his order. The lion didn't know what they had so, whatever special they were doing that day. The man smiled and nodded, before leaving.

It was sometime later, before the man returned, an odd assortment of food on his plate, was offered to him. Towen regarded it curiously. “What is this?" He asked.

The man smiled. “It's something called a 'Burger.'" The man says. “Our chef claims to be reincarnated, and has been trying to reintroduce the foods from his home, here. Most of the food has been quite popular with folks. This is the latest he's crafted. He's taken meat from a bull, ground it up, then packed it together. Then cook it on a heated pan like normal. Once it's almost finished, he adds a slice or two of cheese."

The lion man looks at the plate, unconvinced. “Served with a side of fried spud sticks and panfried vegetables."

Towen looks at it. It was placed between two pieces of bread as well. He lifted it, noticing how the bread protected his fingers from the grease, and then took a bite out of it.

His eyes shut slowly as he savored it. The meat was soft, the cheese a hint of sweetness mixed in, and the bread holding it all together. The lion-man ravenously devoured the rest of the burger presented before him. Then the vegetables were picked off last. Towen blinks as he sits back in his seat, realizing how aggressively he'd eaten the meal.

The man standing nearby laughed, however. “I'll give your compliments to the chef, I guess it's much better than it looks."

Towen nods and finishes off his mug of water.

Eventually, an orcish man came from the back. When Towen saw the red in his beard, he thought it was Gurak, and suddenly, the pieces connected. So much power? All those blessings, might he have been reincarnated too? Would that explain it all?

Before those thoughts could get very far though, the orc comes in, his beard a mix of darker and lighter reds. He bowed his head and thanked Towen for trying his new creation. “Ahh, thank you for trying my burger. Honestly, it was a little daunting for me. I had to invest a good amount of money to have a meat grinder created. Wasn't one here."

The lion man nods his head. “Are you truly reincarnated?"

The orc nods softly. “I think so. I was a kid, back on Earth. All I wanted was to cook food for others, I loved seeing how happy folks got with a good meal. Though sadly, I got sick and passed away before I could even graduate."

Towen nods his head softly.

“But, a lady in white, offered me a chance to not only cook again but share my world's food with this one. I accepted, happily. It's been hard because I'm an orc. But, I've enjoyed almost every moment of my life here though."

Towen smiles and nods. “The meal was spectacular, I've never had anything like it."

The orc grins, big and happy. “Thank you so much, please, tell everyone about us. I'd love to share my food with even more people!"

Towen nods, the orc slowly heads back into the kitchen, and the human returns moments later. Towen gives the man three silver for the meal, despite it being only two.

"Sir, you paid too much." He stopped the lion before he got up.

Towen shook his head. “Nonsense, I paid what I feel the meal was worth. I'd love to come back again and have it in again the future."

The man smiles widely and nods. “Of course sir, thank you and please come again."

Towen departed the tavern then and headed back to the barracks. Now that he had a full belly, and it was getting dark out, it was time for a bath and rest. Tomorrow was going to be quite busy.

Towen found his way back to the barracks, after asking a few guards where it was. Since he was still new to town he had a little trouble navigating the city. He did find his way, eventually, went inside and put his gear up on an unclaimed bunk. Then headed for the bathhouse within the barracks.

It was nothing fancy like he'd enjoyed back in Vrose, but maybe he could find another bathhouse like those, here. But it had a tub, hot water, and cleaning supplies freely available. The lion spent the next while washing himself, all the dirt and sweat of the day's travel getting here was in his fur and he didn't much care for it.

Sometime later, he was outside the tub, using wind magic to dry his fur rapidly, before brushing his mane out, and using a small knife to trim the mane around his eyes and face, before he retreated to his bed, most of the others were on duty, or out enjoying their day off. So it was peaceful. He climbed into the bunk and fell asleep easily enough.

Towen's rest was peaceful. The bunk was much like the ones back home in Vrose, so he had no issue resting. Towen was up early, got dressed, and his gear, which was just his sword and dagger, and normal clothing. He knocked on the captain's door and was permitted entry.

“Where do I go from here sir?" He asks nervously. He'd only just arrived in town the day before and wasn't sure what to do with himself.

The captain laughs and nods. “Ahh. Nervous, huh?" He finished up the page he was working on and then stood up from his desk. He comes around and pats the lion on the shoulder. “Don't worry so much. The academy will polish you right up into a knight proper. Then you'll get all sorts of offers to work just about wherever you want. Or, you could freelance after that too. Knight adventurers are pretty common and in high demand!"

Towen nods his head. “I just worry I won't live up to Captain Nedz's expectations, or yours. I'm just a kid from a caravan."

The elf shakes his head lightly. “We were all nobody, once." He reminds the lion. “Nedz was a snotty brat from the slums here in Macta when I met him forty years ago." He looks at the lion with a touch of a smile on his face. “He saw me in my full armor once and wanted to be just like me. Then he came to me looking for work. I trained him personally for a few years, before referring him to the academy. He had it rocky at first, but he adapted, as humans often do."

The elf grins. “But he was the proudest man I'd seen when he graduated. He spent a few years traveling the continent, seeing what was out there. Just enjoying his youth for a time, before he came back here and worked with me."

The elf watches Towen. “If your previous captain hadn't passed, he'd probably still be here, and I can't extend my condolences deeply enough. To give one's life for their duty is a noble thing, however, your lives are so short, compared to my own. So the loss is faster and cuts more deeply. It took me a century to realize the fragility of most mortal races."

Towen looks to the elf and smiles, he'd never seen an elf act in such a way before. “Thank you, sir."

The elf nods his head softly. “Think nothing of it. For now, let's head to the academy. They'll just be waking up as well, but, I've got some time, and the paperwork will still be here when I get back."

Towen smirked to himself, elves were ever known for procrastinating since they lived such long lives, why do today what you could do a century from now?

Fenian and Towen approached the academy, the lion having no idea where it was, was glad for the elf's help getting there. They arrived and went inside. Most folks were only getting up so no one was there to greet them. But the elf walked confidently, directly to the headmaster's room, knocking on the door.

The door opened a few moments later, and a lady dwarf was behind the door. She squinted up at the elf and grunted. “What do you want?"

Fenian grinned and offered her a slip of paper. “Recommendation from Arval. He wants Towen here to be inducted effective immediately. I understand this is unorthodox, and he is not joining at the beginning of the year. But I believe he has potential, same as Arval, so here is my letter as well." A second slip of paper was handed over.

The woman grumbles. “Oh for god's sake Fen. You didn't have to come at the asscrack of dawn for this."

He grins. “Oh, I know. I just wanted to see you looking miserable." His smile was wide and genuine. Was there some history between these two?

The lion looked back and forth between them as she retorted. “Well that's easy enough, seeing you darken my halls always puts me in a dour mood."

He laughs, she laughs and he takes a knee. The pair hugged firmly before he let her go, and stood up. Towen's expression was pure confusion.

The elf grins at him. “We were at a party together some forty or so years back. When she was still young and beautiful, not the haggard old crone she is now."

She grunts back. “And he'll just be ugly forever. At least I'll die by the time I'm around two hundred. There will be poor, traumatized generations of people, hurt by his ugly elven ass for centuries after I'm gone."

Towen tried his best, but he snort-laughed at that one.

The woman watched the elf who smiled as well, then she looked to Towen. “He likes my jokes. I think I'll like this one." She then turns to Fenian. “Thank you for delivering the young man. I'll whip him into captain material in no time. We got a proper mage with us a few months back, so she'll cover the magic, while my instructors cover the blade." Her eyes narrow on Towen. “It'll be hard work. But if you can listen, if you can learn and grow as a fighter, you'll be captain level in no time at all."

Towen nodded his head, put his legs together, and bowed deeply. Almost as low to the ground as her head was. She grinned. “Oh, I do like this one."

Fenian nods and pats the lion on the back when he stands upright. “For now. I leave you in her hands. I must get back to the paperwork. As much as I'd love to wait another decade to finish it. Humans aren't the patient sort, and the king wants reports daily." Fenian sighs dejectedly and then waves to the dwarf.

She waves and looks to Towen. “You, stay here. I need a few minutes to trim my beard and get dressed properly." She points to some benches on the far side of the wall. “Wait there."

He nods and goes to sit. She closed her door and was in there for some time, he was resisting the urge to sleep when she finally came out. She had some leather armor, a few plates, here and there, as well as a pair of axes at her hips, one on each side. A shield almost as big as her torso, on her back.

She looked like a whole other woman. She smiled warmly though, her soft brown hair braided, her brown eyes focused and her stout body ready for the day. “I am headmistress Elmasli Marblerock. You may refer to me as Lady Marblerock or Headmistress Marblerock." She watches the lionman. “You'll be put in the group with the newest recruits. They've all been here about a month longer than you. But don't let that deter you. I'm sure you'll catch up to them in no time at all. This isn't a rash decision on Nedz's part."

She takes the paper Fenian had given her and hands it to Towen to look at. Indeed, the name at the bottom of the paper wasn't Nedz's. It was Captain Ashfury, the predecessor to Nedz. He'd written the letter of recommendation, Nedz had just signed it as well and sent it with Towen. That was the recommendation of two captains, and then Fenian signed under that as well, was a third.

His eyes teared up a little, thinking of the man he'd worked with for the last two years before he'd been killed in the ambush.

Elmasli smiled at him. “Blamnar Ashfury was a good man, a respectable captain, and a friend." She says as they walk down the halls. “He believed in you. His loss diminishes us all, but that just means we have to grow into the void he left and become bigger than he was. So those who come after can grow and fill our shoes one day as well."

She looks up to Towen, who wipes his eyes lightly. “Yes ma'am." She grinned at him still.

“Keep that up and you'll be my favorite." She jokes and finally stops at a doorway. Towen moves to open it for her, and she steps inside.

There was a man inside, sitting alone behind a desk at the front of the room. It was still about an hour before classes started. Towen didn't notice it immediately, but once they got a little closer, he noticed the man was an Archas. He had white wings tucked against his back.

Towen had never met an Archas before and was surprised to see one.

Headmistress Marblerock grunted at him and he looked up from the book he was reading. “Yes, Elmasli?" He almost growled out. She huffed at him.

“Address me properly, Yehudiah." He rolls his eyes and stands up, feigning a bow and looking her in the eye as he did, Towen knew this to be a sign of disrespect when looking into the eyes of someone you were bowing to.

She grumbled. “I brought you a late applicant. His paperwork only arrived today, but it was dated correctly. So he'll need to catch up. I trust you can get him up to speed with the others."

The man sighs and stands up fully. “Do I have a choice, headmistress?"

She grins then and shakes her head. “Not in the slightest."

The man sighs and nods. “Very well. Name?"

The woman nudged Towen and he stood up straight and saluted. “Towen, sir. From Vrose and the Fathomless Shield."

The Archas nodded his head. “Years served?" He asked.

Towen replied. “Two years sir. Was inducted after six months of probation and then two years of actual service."

The Archas nods his head softly. “Mmm, good. You can join my class, we'll see how you do, and then I'll evaluate you after class, personally."

The way the Archas said it made the lionman nervous. But the headmistress didn't seem worried. She pats the lion man on the lower back as she turns to leave. “Good luck, Towen of Vrose. I look forward to watching you rise through the ranks in our academy."

The lionman took a seat at the front of the room, waiting for the others to arrive. The Archas went back to reading his book and they sat in silence until the room filled with students. As there were no assigned seats, anyone sat wherever they wanted, though, only Towen and another, a female goblin sat at the front of the room.

Mostly they went over forms of martial combat. Different schools of discipline for fighting closer quarters. What styles were effective against swords, axes, spears, fists, and even shield-style combat.

After the brief history lesson, they were taken outside for practical training.

Since they were still training, they were given wooden weapons.

Towen took up a sword and dagger as he carried normally. They didn't have the same weight, but they were passable.

The group was paired off. Towen was put up against a bear, a literal beastfolk bearman. He carried a great axe in one hand and a shield in the other.

The bear looked at Towen and laughed. “You must be the new guy. I'm Erth." He grins, easily a full head taller than the lion. “I'll try'n be gentle."

Towen smiles and bows politely. “Towen, from Vrose. I look forward to learning from you and the others."

The Archas shouted and the pairs were set to duel. Towen knew he didn't have the strength advantage, he couldn't overpower the bruin. So he'd have to rely on his speed. The bear, growing impatient as Towen didn't make the first move, stepped forward and took a wild diagonal uppercut swing.

The lion dodged it nimbly, moved around the bear's side, the side he swung from, and pressed his blades, both of them, against the bear's side and dragged them to the bear's back.

Of course, no harm was done, but, it was obvious if he'd had metal, the bear would have been killed.

The bear grunted and threw down his axe in a huff. Then sat down. The pairs kept this up, in a tournament style. Next, Towen faced the goblin lady that sat at the front with him. He had a full head over her in height at least. So he was the bear to her….well him.

He'd have to change his strategy. She wielded twin daggers, much like he did a sword and dagger. She watched him carefully. “Qurz Whizgigett." She feigns a bow. “It'll be a pleasure to kick your butt."

Towen smiles and bows in return. “Towen. It'll be a pleasure having it kicked by such a skilled warrior."

Quiz didn't expect such a retort and grinned. She stood ready till the teacher gave the go command.

She lept at Towen, wasting no time. Towen, expecting the lady goblin to use her agility for advantage, expected something like that.

He ducked under her strike and put his hands together. “Blessing of Anemabe, gusts of wind, push my foe, till her back is against the wall, Windball!" An orb of wind shot from his hands and hit the goblin in the back, sending her rolling across the ground. Towen was overtop of her in seconds., both the sword and dagger at her throat and belly.

She was too rattled to realize he was there till she moved and felt the wooden blade against her neck.

She smiled and he helped her stand up. “Most folks don't use magic. takes too long to incant and cast." She commented as she walked over to sit with the rest of the ones who'd lost their matches. Towen walked with her and sat beside her.

Towen smiled. “Then they didn't want to win badly enough." She grinned and punched Towen in the arm, as he waited for his next match to be assigned.

The next match-up was with an orc. He wielded a sword and shield and looked like a typical knight or soldier.

The orc saluted Towen and smiled. “Cagan, of Rizdrad."

Towen did the same and smiled. “Towen, of Vrose." The two recognized their hometowns weren't too far apart.

After their introduction, both took a ready stance. The Archas teacher gave the go-ahead, and the matches began again. There were only four groups left now, eight fighters total.

Towen wasn't sure what the orc would do. So he decided to strike first. He came in with an overhead diagonal swing, and the dagger held at the ready to defend. The orc took the hit to his shield and countered with his sword. Towen caught it with his dagger and held it at bay.

Towen felt he could physically overpower the orc. So he moved his dagger down. Let go of it suddenly, making the orc momentarily lose balance as the weight pushing against him was lost, Towen took the orc's hand and threw the orc over his shoulder, wresting the sword from the orc's hand and placing both wooden blades against the orc's chest.

The orc laughed and looked up at him. “Damn. You're good!" Towen helped Cagan stand and the two shook hands firmly. Towen returned the wooden sword to the orc and picked his dagger back up.

The other matches took a few moments longer.

Finally, there were just four. Towen faced a Demis now. The man had long dark hair, faint horns atop his head, and black leathery wings on his back. The man was intimidating, to say the least, and he'd been dominating every match with a mix of magic and spearplay that suited his style. Having wings meant he had incredible mobility so a spear matched him perfectly.

Towen readied himself. He didn't know what to expect from this guy.

The man bowed humbly though and smiled. “Pleasure to meet you. I am Mazon."

Towen bows in return. “Towen, of Vrose. Don't take it easy on me, because it's my first day."

Mazon perks his eyebrows and grins. “Ahh, as you wish." He takes a battle stance. Spear over his shield.

The Archas gave the go-ahead and the semi-final matches started. The Demis lept back and started casting. “Darkness of Knephair, blessing of the night, surround my foe in darkness, take his sight. Darkness."

Towen was suddenly surrounded by darkness, it was around him as far as he could see. A jab at his side with a shield let him know Mazon had come in close to torment him. Instead of using the spear to win the match, he taunted the lion.

Towen closed his eyes and focused. If he couldn't see the Demis, he'd have to just broaden his range.

“Blessing of Thuellor, lightning from the sky. Surround and protect me, shock any who would get too close. Lightning Cage."

Unbeknownst to the Demis, lightning surrounded the lion man. He'd rarely used his lightning blessing, but that didn't mean he wasn't skilled in it. The next time Mazon tried to jab at him with the shield, made of metal, no less, lightning shot through it and connected with the Demis. Making the man drop and his magical focus ended. The globe of darkness around the lion disappeared and his blade was pressed to the Demis' chest as he attempted to recover from the sudden shock.

Mazon yielded and, after Towen helped him up, smiled at him. “Using my dark magic against me. That was clever."

Towen smiled back. “Well if I couldn't see you, I imagined, you couldn't see me. So I gave it a shot." The two shook hands and Mazon went to sit.

The last match was about to start. Yehudiah wasn't showing any indication that he was impressed with Towen's placement so far.

The last match was between himself and the last individual. It was a human, female. She had long platinum blonde hair, almost silver. Her eyes were deep blue and her gaze was laser focused.

Towen took a ready stance and she did too. He spoke up first. “Towen, of Vrose, a pleasure to meet you."

She looked at him but didn't say a word. So, she wasn't very friendly. She must've been at the top of the class then. Either, she was arrogant, or confident then. Either option made her fairly dangerous.

Towen waited for the Archas to give the signal, and he did.

At the very least, he knew she had water magic if needed. He leaped forward, an underhand diagonal slice upward in her direction. She blocked the strike with her shield and shoved forward, pushing Towen back. Just as his feet touched the ground, he heard her chanting something. Before he could jump at her a second time. He caught the words “Ice Coffin" and his legs, up to his knees were encased in ice. Without much option, he launched his sword right at her.

She didn't expect this, the blade itself didn't hit her, but the hilt caught her in the face.

It was JUST enough time for him to focus and chant his own. “Blessings of Anemabe and Thuellor, one by one, follow up each other and strike my foe! wind ball, lightning ball!" From one hand came a ball of wind, which her shield caught and pushed her back, the second caught her off guard, literally shocking her.

Unable to move because of the ice, Towen focused on magic once more. “Blessing of Theullor, encircle my enemy and hold them in place, Lightning Cage!" Lightning came from his hand and surrounded the woman. She didn't dare touch the cage knowing the consequences of doing so. Instead, she smiled at him.

She didn't have to touch him, to win. "Blessing of Kruos, the frost of the elves, encase my foe, so that he may know his limitations. Ice Coffin."

The ice around him climbed higher and higher, till only his face was free. The chill of it numbed his body almost, and he lost focus of the lightning cage. The next instant, he felt a wooden blade tap his forehead and the match was called.

The woman dispersed the ice magic and bowed to Towen. He

returned the bow, and he swore he saw a smile on her face before she turned and sat down. Towen joined the rest of the ones who lost.

The Archas then came up to speak. “As you can all see. You all still have a lot of growing to do. Towen, who only joined us today bested more than half of you at least."

Towen's ears burned red with embarrassment. “I honestly didn't expect much from him, but if he's this adaptable in battle. He might just be the second-ranked fighter from here on out."

The Archas gestured to the woman who had won the final match. “Azile here remains undefeated. However, Towen is the first to ever land a blow against her. More than the lot of you have managed, combined, in the last month."

Towen's ears burned. This was going to be a hell of an academy. He hoped none of the others took to hating him for his skill.

The class lasted the rest of the day. Mostly they spent time sparring and the Archas, after determining their skill would instruct them, and give them tips to improve. Erth relied too heavily on his strength and not enough on being clever or fast, so he was easily bested by a smaller opponent.

Qurx was clever and quick, but Towen had been slightly faster, and the wind spell caught her off guard. She'd have to be less aggressive.

Cagan was chastised for being too cocky. He thought his strength would win him the match and his strength was used against him.

Mazon's overconfidence in his ability to predict his opponent was his downfall.

Lastly, Towen's weakness was underestimating his opponent. Azile was the strongest fighter in the class, but there was no way for Towen to have known that, but there also was no way for anyone else to know what Towen was capable of beforehand either.

Yehudiah smiled though. “Despite your failings, however, I see a lot of promise in all of you. If we can shore up your failings and expand on your strengths, you'll all become incredibly capable knights in no time at all."

After class, which took up half the day, Cagan showed Towen where his private dorm was. The lion man looked around the room. It was a plain, single bed, desk, lantern, and a window overlooking the city of Macta. Everyone got their room at the academy, seemed they had money to spare.

Cagan and Towen shook hands firmly before the lion man got comfortable in his room. This was the beginning of his future towards Captain Towen, of the Fathomless Shield.