The Vice Commander

It had been about a week and a half since Ren had met with the students of Jederico. In that time, he had found himself in a humble inn on the southern side of the town, gathering more information and supplies as he prepared to leave the town.

He didn’t trust the information that Shalka had given him. There were too many suspicious actions and no actual evidence that what he said was true. He ended up deciding to travel to the city of Regali, south of Fossno.

Regardless, though Regali was a central city, Ren had learned that the citizens were mainly artisans and that many of them supported anti-war policies. It was no wonder that Johle talked about them like family.

Since it was close enough, Ren figured that he might as well travel there, and see if he could gather more information about the whereabouts of his mom. Though he could have waited for Nila to come into Gatton, there was no way for him to know how long she would be. Besides, he had been getting anxious, staying in one place for too long.

There was some irony here, but Ren ignored it.

Venturing out of the city gates, the air seemed more clear, and a sense of clarity entered his mind.

On the road, he passed many merchants and their wares, as well as some well-dressed travelers. The festival must not be ending anytime soon. At the thought, Ren released a sigh of relief. He couldn’t stand being in that crowded city any longer.

After a few hours, he had entered a thin forest. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it made for good shade. He glanced down at his map and noted the forest as the Shrouded Drop. Apparently, it was named after the multitude of accidents that had happened because of a gorge that ran deep into the forest.

As he walked further into the forest, he heard the crunching of leaves approaching him at an alarming pace. A chill went down his spine. Ren prepared himself but couldn’t stop his mouth from dropping as something jumped above him.

“What the-”

“Oh, it’s a person!” The owner of the voice, skid across the ground as he landed. He was dressed in some kind of uniform, one that wasn’t taken care of at all. Parts of his top were hanging over and dirt was smudged all over his suit.

“Hey, there!” The man ran over, grabbed Ren’s gloved hand, and shook it vigorously. “Are you also going to the Iron Magic Festival?”

“I’m just coming from the festival actually,” Ren said, unconfidently, “Sorry, could you…?”

The man looked at him oddly. “Ah, right, how could I forget, introductions are in order!” That was not what Ren had meant. He wanted him to let go of his hand. But the young man’s momentum carried forward. “My name is Dolus, I’m the vice commander of the central magic forces!”

Ren’s eyes shot up, widening in disbelief. One of the commanding leaders of the biggest military organization was this childlike young man in front of him? Yet beyond that fact, a haunting feeling crept up into his mind. His name…why did he recognize his name?

“Yeah, I know it’s kind of a weird name. Anyway, are you going to give me yours?” Dolus broke him out of his thoughts.

“Ren. My name is Ren,” he idly responded, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his face.

“Nice to meet you, Ren! Can I ask why you’re wearing so much? Personally, I can’t stand the heat. That’s why I like to loosen up my uniform whenever I can’t be caught.” He let go of Ren’s hand and pulled on the neck of his uniform. “Wouldn’t it be a lot better to at least pull your hood down, and feel the nice breeze across your face?”

“No, it’s just…I…” words were failing him.

“Oh, of course. You’re probably one of those nobles. Always have their hoods up, no matter what. I see that all the time in the capital. Doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m always being told to just leave it alone.” He shrugged. “Oh well, I gotta get going now. See you later!” Dolus gave a small, playful salute, before walking past him.

The young vice commander’s presence was like a whirlwind, and Ren felt like a stone being slung around. There was so much confusion in his head, so many questions he wanted to ask.

But as Ren slowly pulled himself together, an alarm screamed in his head, causing him to instinctively jump back and pull an arm up to block. He thought he had successfully blocked whatever came at him, but a warm liquid started to run down his arm.

“Hm?” the vice commander hummed, surprise etched into his face. More wind attacks streamed out of his hands, cutting up Ren’s block, and destroying the fabric on his arms.

“Grey markings, dark skin.” Dolus smiled. “My hunch was right.”

“You attacked on a whim? What if you were wrong?” Ren inquired through gritted teeth.

“Then I apologize, nothing to it,” he nonchalantly said. “It’s strange though, I thought we killed all the dark elves in the south.”

Ren’s heart dropped to his stomach. Those words hit him like hot lead, and rage began to fill his mind. The perpetrator was right in front of him. The one who caused him the pain of returning home to ash and rubble. As his breath quickened, Ren took a step back and ran out further into the forest.

No matter how angry he was, how vengeful he felt, every magical instinct in Ren’s body was telling him to run. And that’s what he did.

Until something crashed into his side and pinned him against a tree, knocking down his hood.

“Oh, now this is really strange,” Dolus commented, drawing closer to his face, “your ears. They aren’t as long as normal elf ears. They look more similar to a hum-”

A kick into his side interrupted the young vice commander, launching him into a distinct bush.

“Nila!” Ren exclaimed. “How-I thought you-”

“I travel faster than you, Ren,” she quickly replied, not taking her attention away from their opponent, “never mind me, who is this?”

The person in question started to laugh. A cheerful laugh, that was borderline maniacal. When he calmed down he placed a hand on his head. “Dark elf, short ears. It doesn’t make sense until you think that maybe, an elf had a baby with a human. Paired with a trainer whose looks are that of a northerner. Now I remember.”

“You’re Kanal’s son,” Dolus said as he dropped his head, still smiling.

Ren’s blood froze. “Why do you know that?”

“You don’t remember? What a shame.”

Dolus wasted no time, dashing forward towards them. As Nila went to intercept him, she was blown off her feet by a gathering of intensely strong wind. Ren focused his eyes to read his opponent's mana, dodging under a flying wind slash. A multitude of follow-up attacks forced Ren to retreat behind a tree and weather down the onslaught.

Once it stopped, a hand reached past the tree to grab Ren, hoisting him up by his tunic. “You know, you’re a little weaker than I imagined you,” Dolus said. Despite his harsh words, his cheerful demeanor remained the same. “And you don’t use magic for some reason.”

He suddenly threw Ren to the side in order to block Nila’s aggressive attacks. A kick found the underside of his chin, forcing him to back off for a moment. “Don’t speak on things you know nothing about, brat,” Nila spat, warily watching him as he got up. She gestured behind her for Ren to get up.

Dolus laughed.“I just think it’s funny. A dark elf not using magic, now that's a novelty. If all of them were like you, maybe we could have come to a more peaceful agreement.”

“You say that now after killing so many?” Ren asked, wearily.

“I know it’s a worthless thought, but a man can think.” He shrugged. “And as much as I’d love to keep talking, I think I’m almost out of time here.”

Nila shot her head back in realization. “Ren, Run.”

“What?” Ren hastily replied. He’d never seen her so panicked before.

“Get out of here! Go!”

“Fine, I'll meet you in Regali if anything happens!” Ren turned around and sprinted away, hearing the sounds of ferocious wind in his wake. Trees blurred in his peripherals as his thoughts circulated through his mind. He didn’t expect to have such a dangerous encounter this soon. Even more unexpected, the man knew who he was.

He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, around the same age as he was. How could they have possibly met before without anything sparking his memory? Even when he went on missions with Nila, they had made sure to cover their tracks practically perfectly.

Ren burst out of the thicket but was forced to a halt when the land in front of him disappeared. The gorge had ripped apart the forest into two. The divide was too wide to jump over, and the length extended far beyond his vision.

“Phew, she’s really something. It’s rare to find such skilled non-magic users nowadays,” the bright voice of the vice commander came out. A few new injuries appeared on his face.

He lunged forward to send a flurry of strikes infused with wind magic. Ren struggled to handle them all, they were all significantly faster and stronger than Inila’s magic. He could see what Shalka and Kitan were talking about now. His control, his timing, the way that magic flowed through his hands, it was chilling. Almost inhuman.

Dolus blew away Ren’s block with a hard strike and drove a hand into his stomach, resonating wind through his body. Ren coughed up blood, spilling it on the ground. His vision started to blur as pain exploded through his body.

“Ren!” Nila shouted, her voice cracking. She was riddled with cuts and slashes.

Ren looked at her, then looked back at his executor. “Dolus.”

“Sharing your last words?” he responded.

“Please,” Ren struggled to say, each breath laced with pain, “leave her alone. She’s the last of my family.”

“Sure.” He smiled, giving Ren one small push to drive him over the edge of the gorge.

Nila’s screams were the last thing he heard as he was swallowed by the dark abyss of the gorge.