• Chapter 1
    Unexpected events

    The glow of the moon gleamed brightly, the wind swept through lazily, the clouds slid by on this warm night. There were few out on the streets, almost everyone in their homes. A cloaked man casually walked into a tavern with a sign over it saying Adventurers Journey. This man stood about six feet tall and kept the cowl of his cloak over his face. He walked over to a table in the far right of the large tavern, close to a window. All eyes were on him for a bit, but most went back to their drinks talking, as well as the laughing continued.
    A tavern maid went over to his table, offering him liquor or wine, which he quickly declined. She just went on as usual, going through the tavern getting drinks for patrons.
    “Hey Caiul, new competition,” A short man with dark hair said, smiling as he pointed to the cloaked figure. His friend just stood and grinned as he held a glass cup.
    “He seems a waste of me time,” A large man with dirty blonde hair said laughing. After a bit of coaxing and persuasion the large man gulped down his pint as he walked over to the cloaked man.
    Caiul eyed the man, and then laughed some more.
    “Looks like ye owe me a drink,” He said slamming his empty cup down on the table with his left hand. The cloaked man just smiled and otherwise ignored the large drunk.
    “I said... ye, owe me a drink,” Caiul growled clenching his right fist, still holding the cup in his left.
    “Go back over to your friends and demand drinks from them,” The cloaked man said, crinkling his nose as he smelled the liquor from the tall drunk’s breath.
    Caiul growled and sent a right hook toward his opponent’s face. To his surprise the blow was dodged and he was struck in the gut twice. He quickly recovered and launched his knee with renewed rage, and aimed to slam the cup on the man’s head. The cloaked man just sidestepped the blow, while he grabbed the bottom of the cup; he kicked Caiul in the face, then dropped down and sent a low kick to trip up the large man. Caiul fell to the ground with a grunt, and getting back up he roared, charging, at the man with more intensity. The cloaked man sidestepped again and, using the drunk’s momentum, pushed him towards his friends. Those unable to dodge were flying into tables or the bar with their friend. One of the patrons shouted “Fight!!” and then everyone was attacking any potential enemy in sight.
    One man rushed over to the cloaked man, aiming a fist at his face, but was grabbed and the man was hit in the chest and was knocked to the ground.
    Another, a friend of Caiul, escaped the majority of the fight, and holding a broken bottle lunged at the cloaked man. He tried one, twice, thrice, but each time was gracefully dodged by his opponent. The cloaked man then feinted to the left followed by a fist from the right striking the man’s face. He growled shaking the blow off and rushed with a dagger. The cloaked man just smiled as a dark, abyss black, blade appeared in his left hand, and this stunned the man for a few seconds. Too much time, it seemed, for Kyaim sent the dagger flying into a wall and piercing the sword into the man’s chest biting further into his flesh every second.
    The man screamed, but to no avail as everyone else was enthralled by the larger fight going on. The man soon crumpled up on the floor, his body lifeless and pale.
    Time to leave seems like they aren’t here, the cloaked man thought as he slipped past the other fighters and exited the tavern.
    Why are you leaving so quickly, let’s fight these fools, let’s make them suffer. A thought came into his mind.
    That would only satisfy you, Eversio. He thought dismissing the idea. Eversio was a physical manifestation of his hunger for destruction, to put it simply all his hunger for what is considered evil put in a dazzling, masterfully crafted blade.
    Well done Kyaim, remember the reason we entered into this city, another thought surfaced into his mind, combating the first thought.
    Yes, our reason in this city. Should be such a simple task, just have to find one person, how hard can that be, Animus? He thought smiling.
    Similar to Eversio, except for one important thing, it was the exact opposite. Animus was his search for good, his justice, and his mercy in a physical form. It was his balance to Eversio, for one cannot truly live with out knowing this balance and be able to truly choose for themselves.
    The man glanced around and then walked through the streets venturing for a place for more information. Those that passed him had more than casual glances as news spread of the latest tavern fight.
    As the man continued on his way, on the roof of a building 20 feet from the tavern stood a tall hidden figure. She pulled back the hood of her cloak revealed smooth ebony skin, and long white hair waving in the wind. Her piercing blood-red eyes glanced over this small street. She flashed a quick smile, and then disappeared.
    Kyaim kept walking down the street, and then he turned into an alleyway only one block away. He smiled as he went into that dead end knowing some one was following him, and then turned around. His gray eyes grew wide with shock as he looked into piercing blood-red eyes, the mystifying ebony skin, and the long white hair. He heard about The Drow, the cursed cousins of the Elves, but never thought to see one. She just gave a smirk, resting her slender hands on the hilts of a sword and dagger.
    “Great job in the tavern, you’re lucky they were drunk,” The female Dark Elf said in the common tongue.
    “Such praise from a Dark Elf? I’m touched,” Kyaim said with a laugh just glancing around for any other enemies.
    “So who are you looking for, iblith?” She inquired with a glare.
    “And why would you care to know, Pyrn?” He answered matching the intensity of the glare.
    “I knew that you weren’t like the others,” The Drow said with a grin.
    “What do you mean others?” Kyaim asked confused, just watching for any movement around her.
    “Yes others, but why should I tell you, when you should already know?” The Drow said with a laugh and then showed a grin, “How well do you think you can fare against a Drow in battle?”
    This battle will be interesting, we must win. Eversio growled, hungry and eager for the fight.
    Why kill? This may be a Dark Elf but we haven’t seen them do any wrongdoings. Animus whispered, quiet but assured.
    He just sighed, knowing what choice he had to make. The blade used in the tavern appeared in his left hand, and a white similarly crafted sword appeared in his right hand. Kyaim quickly went into a crouch facing the female Dark Elf who was smiling. In the blink of an eye, Kyaim only saw blinding darkness; instinctively he rolled forward and coming out of the darkness, glancing over his shoulder to see a globe of darkness over where he was standing earlier. The Drow was rushing out of the globe, sword and dagger in hand with a vile snarl on her beautiful face. She leapt forward with a left-right-left attack, sword striking low, and dagger high.
    Kyaim slapped the weapons away, inches from his flesh. He hit the dagger wide with Animus and lunged low with Eversio, and the sound of metal hitting metal echoed throughout the alley. The Drow was just laughing and knocking the blades up high and out wide, then stepping forward quickly lunging both blades aiming for his stomach. Kyaim parried the blades before they were able to cut at his belly, and jumped back. He then lunged forward with Eversio, feinted to the right, and slashed low with Animus.
    She grinned while she parried the thrust and quickly recognized the true attack, used her dagger to slam the white blade downward and connected a boot to his face, followed by an echoing crunching noise.
    A growl escaped his lips as dark red blood started to run freely from his nose. Kyaim lifted Animus upward, and knocked the dagger wide while battling her sword with Eversio. He smiled only for a bit as he started to get the advantage, where he was able to break through the sword’s dance to strike her right hip with Eversio.
    She grimaced as Eversio bit into her flesh, the blade licking the blood and glowing darker as it disappeared. A smile escaped Kyaim’s face as he felt the blade’s excitement.
    Ah, it has been too long, Eversio said in his thoughts gleefully, and then he noticed Animus, who was displeased at how easily he let his anger get control of him.
    The Drow just waved her dagger hand in front of her, and a red faere fire outline appeared on Kyaim. He panicked for just a second, trying to put out the “fire”, when Eversio roared in his mind Drow Trickery! But it was too late.
    The female Drow slapped Animus away with the dagger, and did likewise with her sword, followed by a connecting kick to his chest. The sword quickly rested across his throat, as he lay onto the ground.
    “You lose iblith, The Drow answered with a devilish grin.
    “I think I will let you live this time, I did so enjoy our game. Until next time then,” She whispered into his ears, dropped a globe of darkness over them. When he could see, the Drow was gone. He could hear Eversio quickly getting angry, and feeling the anger in him rising as well.
    At least we’re still alive, how weird to see a merciful Drow, Animus said in his thoughts. He slowly nodded calming down, and then pulled up the cowl of his cloak after checking his nose for injuries. Kyaim walked off into the night looking for rest after his first and humiliating defeat in a long while.