Chapter 1

Authors Notes: I’d like to thank you in advance for reading my first fan fiction. I hope you find some enjoyment out of it, and if you did, I have done my job. I know I may have bits of spelling and or grammar errors, but I am doing my best to revise and fix any problems that I have missed. Feel free to let me know if I make any critical mistakes or plot errors :).

A golden goblin fell face first into sandy barrens, as it coughed its last bit of blood, finally collapsing, never to breathe again. The sword that was in lodged in the torso of the fallen goblin quickly withdrew, and was put back in its sheath. There, a beautiful woman stood, looking into the distant barren wasteland that fanned out before her. Her purple black hair fluttered behind her with the wind current. Her pale skin almost seemed to shine in the desolate grounds where the sun beamed high. She was wearing light cloth like armor, coloured with a mixture of dark blue and purple with golden yellow outlines. The women closed her icy azure eyes momentarily then let out a sigh.

“I hate this place” the women muttered to herself as she continued through the wasteland, full of brown rock mounds and sandy barrens. She had been trekking through the barren wilderness for hours. She was sure it was not this large when she last visited this hell. Never the less, she continued, not feeling nearly as fatigued as she did irritated.

At least the monsters aren’t any tougher the strangely garbed women thought to herself. As she continued her journey, she saw small blotches of blood on the ground. Quick to be alerted as she always was, the women swiftly drew her blade, readying for whatever lurks near. Her steps did not loose its zealousness, however caution was exercised. As she followed the trail of blood, she came to the conclusion it was human blood. She still did not relax however, as it could just be a victim to a monster lurking around the corner.

The trail led into a cave, surrounded by large barons and other rocky features. Her initial thought to this was to simply leave it and continue on, but she felt compelled to enter the cave and find out what is in there. She decided to give in to her curiosity and continue into the cave, despite the fact it would likely end up pointless. Her eyes were atoned to darkness; as a result she could see rather vividly what lies in the cave. It was reasonably small, not much bigger then a small house. The opening allowed small rays of light to illuminate parts of the cave. It was damp and cold, the tips of the rocky edges in the cave dripped slowly with condensation. She noticed soon after entry that the blood trail had stopped. She quickly became aware she was not alone, and readied her blade.

“Depending on how you act and how you answer the following questions, you may not have long to live” the dark haired women threatened, her facial features showing no sign of emotion. The figure behind her slowly became more visible. She could see he had long jet black hair that fell just below the top of his shoulders, was of average height and was well built. She also noticed several bandages and attempts at stitching on his arms and torso.

“Don’t underestimate me, I may seem injured, but I can hold my own” the male replied. He had a spear in hand. The dark haired women simply brushed a few strands of her silky black hair from her face back across the nape of her neck. This gesture almost seemed to have suggested that the women had dismissed the man as any viable threat. “What do you want?” the man asked promptly. The blue eyed women analyzed the new found figure before her for a moment before answering. “Thought you might be a monster” she simply replied, still not relaxing entirely.

“Well, as you can see, I’m not a monster” the man spoke back roughly. The dark coloured warrior nodded.

“Then I will take my leave.” With that, the wondering women began to exit that cave, until a swarm of centaur horsemen armed with bow and arrows shot into the cave.

She was able to dodge most of the arrows that barraged at her; however one was able to scrape her inner exposed thigh. Bright red blood began to immediately dribble out of the wound. However the immediate pain was not felt as adrenaline once again took control. She lunged forward at the first horsemen, thrusting her sword straight into its neck, the sound of rippling flesh echoed throughout the cave. She quickly ripped the blade out with impressive strength, as well as dodging the next wave of arrows that were intended for her.

“Can you fight!?” The women barked back at the man in between dodges and attacks.

“I can be of assistance!” the man said as he ran up to help the fighting women.

“Don’t get in the way. If you get into trouble don’t expect me to save you” she explained quickly as she took another Centaur down with a diagonal cut its abdomen. An arrow shot at the women with quickening penetration. Fortunately the women’s reflexes were much quicker and she deflected the arrow with the face of her sturdy Rapier. The dark women quickly scanned the enemies. Five more she told herself mentally. It was strange. Centaurs usually roamed around in pairs at most. The dark warrior’s train of thoughts was ended as she heard the yell of the man next to her, he charged into a nearby centaur. He fanned his blade in front of him, spinning it around in a circle which proved effective in deflecting the incoming arrows.

The woman was rather impressed, for someone who’s injured he seemed to take care of himself fairly well. She heard a whelp from a centaur, followed by a loud thud. A centaur crashed heavily on the ground, signifying the end of its life. Four more the women once again noted mentally. A centaur came dashing up to the women, its hand moving about as if to part take in some form or ritual.

Oh no you don’t the feminine warrior thought as she sprinted up to the centaur with remarkable velocity, jumped up, and horizontally slashed the centaur, her swords starting from it’s head, and ending at it’s groin.

The women withdrew and quickly inspected the area once again, noticing that only two centaurs remained. She yet again prepared for another assault; however the remaining two decided discretion was the better part of valor, and fled into the open wilderness.

The women waited to they were out of sight before she sheathed her sword. As she did, she turned around and looked at the man, who surprisingly sustained no additional injuries. He was panting heavily, drops of sweat rolling off his rather attractive face.

“Your injured” the black haired man spoke between pants. The women looked down at her leg, and saw the blood gushing freely out of the flesh wound.

“I’ll be fine” the women replied sternly. The male was not going to drop it.

“Where are you headed? I can give you an escort” the male offered.

“It’s not necessary.” She replied much the same way she did before. The man was becoming vexed, and it was showing on his face as the man twitched his brow.

“C’mon. To be in the barrens your either heading for Donau or Fletz” the man stated. The women did not reply. The man continued on “And plus, you did save my life, whether you meant to or not. In my condition I doubt I would be able to handle all those centaurs. And you look tired; I have a place in Fletz where you can tend your wound and rest up. It’s the least I can do”

The women’s initial thought was to decline, however she had been wondering for day’s straight and her body really needed to respite. Finally, the dark women spoke out “I guess I’ll take you up on that offer.” The man smiled warmly.

“Then let us leave” he said as he left the dark cave. The women followed not far behind, and they entered the heat of the sun as it beamed heavily over the barrens. The women finally got a proper glimpse at her new companion, rather then just a non detailed figure in the dark. He wore a ripped white tank top followed by blue long pants. He had a silver erring in his right ear, and wore a peculiar wristband around his left wrist. He was more muscular then she had realized on first inspection.

After they took a few steps out side the cave, the man turned around and regarded the women. “I nearly forgot. My names Zack, nice to meetcha” the man suddenly introduced himself causally.

The women stayed silent for a moment, and then replied “I’m Rose.”