39 Strength in Numbers

The next few days, Leo and Bianca trained their new small militia thoroughly. They would need to know how to use their aura if they had any chance in getting to Will, let alone the next village over.

Within the first day, the group had been able to summon a small flame at first. To Leo's surprise, they were able to increase the density within only a few hours. In his mind, he knew he should have expected it. The gift came from the very land they had traveled to after all.

The second day, Leo paired them into twos and had them spar with their weapons. There were so many different types of weapons ranging from swords, axes, bows and even some he wasn't familiar with. In the end, he allowed them to choose their partner for themselves.

While sparring, he saw a lot of injuries in which should have benched them, instead some of them were more adept at healing which stood to the side. In moments, anywhere from bruises to slashes were healed and the injured would return to their training.

Some would fight in teams as Leo and Bianca would. A sword for one, and a defensive ability for the other. He appreciated the fact that he didn't need to stress the importance of team work. The group already worked like a well oiled machine.

As the sun began to set on the second day, Leo had been watching the crimson in both aura and blood of the group's training rise through the air. He had not expected such a response to receiving their gift, but at the same time he was grateful. As he stood at the head of the makeshift training ground they made from one of the crop fields, he could see Roy coming out of the group.

"Feel like sparring?" he asked with a playful smile. Leo raised an eyebrow. None of the others were brave enough to ask. Since he was more adept at his abilities, no one really felt like a match.

Leo nodded while returning the smile. "If you think you're ready to take on a veteran, I'll indulge you." Silver flame shot out of his ring in a large ball. He threw it up in the air, his sword fell into his hand in the ready position. Within a span of a few seconds, his partner saw the silver gleam in his eyes.

Roy took a minute longer to summon his weapon. He felt out his aura and circulated it to his ring. In moments, his axe materialized in his hand from a burst of crimson flame.

Not holding back even For a second, Roy launched himself forward. The axe gleaming in the rays of the falling sun. Aiming for Leo's midsection, he came up short as his opponent parried the blow with his sword. For an instant, the weapons colored as silver met crimson in a dance of flames.

Leo jumped back to gain some distance from Roy. He hadn't had as much defensive training from Will as he had offense. He needed a counter attack before Roy could cover the distance. Within a span if a thought, his hand glowed silver as he launched a fist of silver flame towards the new member.

Roy met the silver missile with a wall of crimson, cancelling out Leo's flame. As the crimson subsided, Leo launched himself over the wall and surprised Roy with an attack before he was prepared.

Roy fumbled with his axe, trying to match the angle the sword was coming down at. The instant he got his weapon In the correct position, Leo brought his sword behind his back to the other hand as he used his opponents axe as a stepping board and launched himself in the air with a condensed flame under his feet.

With dozens of feet in the air, Leo launched five more silver missiles. Roy was struggling to keep up. The silver was inches above his head before he used a blanket of his crimson flame over his head as protection. Leo took advantage of his opponents momentary blindness. The moment he touched back down, he used the same condensed flame to launch himself forward under the blanket. When the crimson subsided, Leo's sword was planted firmly to Roy's throat.

Roy took a step back from the blade. Leo had been precise with his movements to the point that the blade itself was dulled by his flames the moment it reached Roy's neck. The cooling effect helped nothing as he stared at Leo. "How?" he gasped as he rubbed his neck. "How could you know to use your flames this way? Even when they were still around, I have never seen those moves."

Leo's eyes gleamed silver as he chuckled momentarily. "Its really not about the power of your gift, but how you can use it to your advantage." Leo looked at Roy and put the flat of his blade on his own shoulder. "I used small flames on you in order for you to panic and use a large wall to block me from view, I only needed seconds to get through your defenses."

It was quiet in the field as he looked around. Leo saw every eye on their quick yet intense battle. "It isn't about overpowering your opponent any longer," he yelled out to the group. "It's about using their power against them. Make them confident while you are ten steps ahead of them. Take advantage of their power and you will never fail."

With his instructions given, Leo nodded at Roy as he put his sword away. Good lecture, glad to see you were paying attention. He heard in his mind. Leo smiled as he turned towards the town. "Of course you would be watching." he said with a sigh as he turned his head towards the sky. Don't worry about me for a while bro, keep up with the training and I'll tell you where to go next. You're doing better than I could have hoped for.

Leo felt a presence leave his mind. He knew Will ran out of time. "You better come back to us." he muttered as he went back to his new cottage, It was time to pack up and set out. He had to be near the next village before Maya struck once more.

While Leo and Bianca set out once more with the new militia within Nearwood village for the next few weeks, a stranger walked the gravel road near the dark forest.

Wearing a brown duster over a black shirt and blue jeans, one would think he came from a western novel. He wore brown boots and his his face with a brown cowboy hat. His dog tags rattled in the steady breeze as he walked.

No matter how you looked at the man, his long sandy blonde hair pulled into a pony tail and the sandpaper scruff on his chin, he looked almost as if the West spat him out in the middle of Crystallia.

He did nothing to conceal himself while travelling the roads. It seemed he was more at home within Crystallia than he would have his own back yard.

It would seem as though the man had lived within the land since birth were it not for his strange appearance, which attracted a patrol only a few paces up the road coming towards him.

Two crimson knights came to a halt when setting eyes on the strangely dressed man and dismounted their horses. Usually when doing so, they commanded the road. Countless other times they stopped those travellers of whom tried to make more distance on the kings road after curfew. Anyone within the kingdom of Ebonhart new there was a fine for disobeying the laws.

"What do you make of this guy Christopher?" The guard to the left questioned as the man closed the distance slowly.

Christopher was a guard in the time the crimson king was at his best. He remembered the days of glory they once had. When the crimson knights fought for the people instead of this practical form of slavery. He remembered the times in which they would come upon a stranger on the road and greet them instead of the interrogation he knew was about to happen.

Christopher looked at his partner Loren for a moment as the stranger drew near. The man had been with him on patrol for years now though he joined as High Advisor Aremesis had come into power. He never knew the mercy in which was almost the law of his time. Even now he could see the man's hand twitch over his military issued gold embroidered scimitar. Christopher could only sigh as he put his hand up to the traveller of whom stopped only feet in front of them.

"Halt stranger, the Crimson Knights on behalf of the King of Ebonhart would have words with you." Loren exclaimed with enthusiasm as he drew his blade. "You as well as all within the kingdom know the toll for travelling at night, pay up so we can be on our way."

The stranger only stood his ground while Loren moved in close for a better view. "I don't think I've seen your kind within our patrols," Loren said as he tipped the man's hat upward to get a better view of his face.

What happened next took only seconds, though to Christopher it seemed more like an eternity. He saw a green glow outline the man. It stood out so eerily against the brown of his outfit almost as if he didn't want anyone to mistaken it for a trick of light. When Loren tipped the man's hat, Christopher could see the green glow within his eyes regardless of the night sky that had set in recently. The man had only to tap his foot on the ground to send cracks upon the dirt road. It was clearly a threat to get Loren to back off. He clearly didn't see anything as Christopher's eyes widened. He only knew one man to have that power.

"Loren back off," Christopher tried to get his partner to give the man some distance. He only stared back with a murderous grin on his face before turning back to the stranger.

Tapping the point of the scimitar to the strangers black shirt, he heard rattling underneath. "What have we got here?" he said as he tried to take the dog tags from his neck. "If you have nothing to give me, I suppose I'll just take these." he said with a laugh. He believed this man to be a weak man of whom lost his voice in fear to a superior opponent. His partner knew better.

With one more tap on the ground, the stranger took a step back be for Loren could take his tags. The tap sent cracks in the guards direction as if a spider web had been shot from below. Christopher could only watch

With wide eyes as his partner fell within the ground.

Realization hit Christopher as he remembered who this man must have been. He fell to his knee the moment the thought occurred. "My Lord," He said as fast as he could. "I apologize for my partners actions, he is much too new to remember the Desert Sage."

The man smiled at his title. It had been much too long since he had heard it. "Rise." he said in a voice that could only belong to a superior. "Tell me what has happened within Ebonhart to make my knights into such thugs."

Christopher bowed his head to the ground as much as his slightly burly body would allow. "The king has been absent from his kingdom since his family went missing. What you see now is the result of High Advisor Aremesis taking control." He spoke with an indignant tone. Christopher remembered the times in which the true flame shone in their path, when he knew their cause was a righteous one.

The sage looked upon his once proud soldier with a sad expression. "A lot has changed since the last time I have visited this land." Though the power of the kings flame had all but gone out, he could feel a power growing in the distance, the color of a crimson aura gave the sky an appearance of a sun set. He couldn't blame this knight for not seeing such power, even back in the day the King never bestowed his gift upon his men. It took one with the gift of the aura to be able to sense others. He had been following that same power through many towns in the past week. Hawk Ridge, Night Watch, Crimson Peak, Hollows Edge, Crystal Cove and Nearwood Village had all been laid bare upon his travels. He had seen scattered ash left upon the inside of every cottage. If it kept up, his old friend would be king of no one.

Though all of the villages had been completely emptied, he could feel the power growing within the artificial sunset. He had never seen such power accumulated within the same place in all of his travels.

No matter how he looked at it, soon his power would be needed once more within the kingdom. "You will accompany me on my travels." he said to the guard with an amused expression playing on his lips. "Your training is going to come in handy in the times to come."

Christopher saluted his new charge. He knew he had no other choice but to go along with his old acquaintance as he began walking away.

I don't know what Will is up to, but one thing is for certain. He thought as he stared at the red sky ahead. Things will be interesting from here on out. The sage smiled to himself with eyes gleaming a bright sheen of green.