"It happens...someone you love dies right in front of you...and there's

nothing you can do to save them...how do I know?...well, it happened to me too."

 

The white, blue light of the moon shown down on a small encampment area. The moon had only just begun to rise, almost as if it had jumped off the distant mountains.
A fire from the encampment burned in the center of the small camp. It's red and orange flame danced to warm the all that was near it. However, no one in this camp was alive to enjoy the warmth of the fire.
Out from the forest and into the camp was a young female cat. She ran to her brother's side, but he'd already died before he could see her again.
The girl looked over at another body through her tears. She could tell by his garments and small weapons that he was an assassin.
She picked up her brother's heavy sword and walked over to the half-dead assassin. She looked into his eyes for a short while...then, in her rage, she brought her brothers sword down onto the man's skull, cleaving it in half. She brought it up again, this time in anguish, and drove it though his chest. She screamed a half wild, half painful scream with every stike. She stabbed the dead body of the assassin; he became maimed after a short time.
As the girl was about to make another swing for the body, her eyes became dark, emotionless ores. She stopped in mid-blow and fell to the ground. She crawled away from the camp and using her last bit of conciousness she cast a spell to burn the encampment. As though the night swallowed her, she lost conciousness and sleep took her.

 

"Reka!...REKA!" screamed a voice.
Reka slowly pushed herself up off her pillow. She opened one eye and looked arround, hoping that the person that voice belonged to wasn't in her room. No one was in her room, as much as she could tell. She slowly turned the rest of her body over and sat on the edge of her bed. Her warm feet touched the wooden floor, "Mmm, at least it's not cold this morning." she smiled. Pulling her

night shirt off and putting on her day clothes, Reka heard foot steps rushing to her room. She grabbed the handle of a curved dagger, her hand pressed snugly against the hilt. For just a moment, she thought about how warm and pleasant the morning was. The sun shown through her window and the bright green reflection from the tree outside filled the room with a warm pleasant aura. The wooden walls and floors, carved out of one of the largest trees in that area, were soft and welcoming to her eyes on mornings like this. The sweet smell of grass, trees, and a flower garden were carried in by a gentle breeze.
As the door burst open a boy rushed in. Reka's blade was drawn and she guided it to his neck with perfect accuracy. He thought for sure that he was going to die as the blade came closer and closer to his neck. "Got ya!" Reka said softly in his ear. When the boy opened his eyes, her blade was against his throat. He sighed a sigh of relief as he looked down; the blade was sheathed.

"Must you do that?" he said shakily.
Reka had lightly tossed the sheath just seconds before he'd bursted in. She'd sheathed the curved blade as she swung it to the boy's neck; in mid-air, no less. "But it's just so much fun to watch you flinch, Greg!" she laughed.
"It's not funny for me." he retorted.
"Well, you filched my necklace. It's only fair that you pay for it at least."
"For the five thousand thirty-two hundredth time, I didn't take it!" he

protested. Greg was indeed good with numbers, but terrible at lieing.
"If you don't give it back, next time i will cut your throat!" she warned.
"Fine, I guess it's no good trying to lie to you...I DON'T HAVE IT!" he

screamed.
Reka turned away from him for a second. With out warning him, she kicked his stomache and he stumbled out the door. Reka closed the door with her long tail and looked slyly at Greg as she did.

 

Reka lived with Greg and his parents since she was little. Greg's parents were Drake and Andria, they thought Reka was adorable, even when she tortured Greg. But not everything she did was tollerated, only the things that didn't harm anyone's abillity to work.
Reka's nineteenth birthday had passed not three months earlier. She'd wanted desperatetly to learn to fight, but, living with Greg so far away from any guardsmen or soldiers made that nearly impossible.
Reka had carved a large sword to practice with several years before, but was forced to make new ones or add onto the old one when it became too light or battered to use. She practiced on her own, and, whenever she went into town, she asked the soldiers and other travelers what she could do to improve her training. She'd even made a clearing in the forest not far from Greg's house. The grass was gone due to her constantly stepping and running over it, even some of the trees had fallen down from Reka's swinging at them. A lot of trees were missing branches as well.
Often people thought she was just a child trying to have fun; which is true to a point, but she was serious about it.
Reka had even fought a few of the travelers in a light spar, but only won a few times. Many of her opponents were suprized at how well she fought with such a large blade.
Drake would warn her constantly not to tell anyone who she lived with; he feared that they would attack him or his family thinking they could fight too.

Reka made it a point to learn, fight, and leave.

 

During that later part of the afternoon, Reka found Greg fooling around with her practice sword. She watched him from behind a tree and laughed as he dropped the heavy peice of wood. She snuck up behind him, holding an older sword of hers, and screamed, "Greg!"
Greg turned around in a flash and protectivly held the sword over his body to protect himself. He closed his eyes as he waited to be attacked.

"Oh, get up you dip-stick!" she laughed, "You'll never protect anyone, let alone yourself, if you close your eyes."
Greg looked at her and sighed. He was relieved that she didn't hit him as usual. "You caught me off-guard!" he complained.
"That's your fault for letting your guard down" she taunted him.
Greg, recovering from shock, became angry and threw down the sword. He walked away and before he could exit the little clearing Reka had made, she grabbed his shoulder. "You really want to learn to fight?" she asked. Greg stayed silent. "Come here." she told him and pulled him over to the center of the training area. She tossed him an older, but still usable, wooden blade. "Use this!" she encouraged, "It should be the right size for you. It's smaller than what I use, but you're strong enough!" she smiled.
Greg looked down at it and looked back up at her. He gripped it tightly and ran into her. Reka side stepped him and tapped the back of his head with her fist. "Running in like that doesn't work as well as you think." she warned.

Greg recovered and tried again, this time he didn't rush at her. He slowly stepped up to her, ready to strike. "Too slow" she warned in a hushed voice. Greg gasped as he saw Reka close in on him twice as fast he he'd tried to do to her. She knocked him down. "I'm not going to take it easy on you just because I like you!" she laughed.
Greg got agitated again and slowly got onto his hands and knees. Reka picked him up and looked him in the eye, "Think it through, but, don't think too much, Okay?"
Reka moved around behind him and helped him position his stance right. She grabbed his hands, which where incorrectly holding the blade, and repositioned them so he could hold the sword better.
Greg flushed bright red as he felt her breasts press against his back. He focused instead on the sword. Reka positioned her legs under his and forced him into a half self-supporting stance. "Put the tips of your feet to the

ground. You can move a lot easier if you don't plant your feet on the dirt." She told him.
Reka let go and Greg held his new stance as she had shown him. "Now, move arround me in a circle. Do not let both your heels toutch the ground." she warned. Greg moved a lot easier this time. He almost thought that he might be able to keep up with her on foot.
Reka showed him thirteen ways to attack with seven different strikes. She showed him how to defend without flinching and to read the move so that he would actually be able to guard it effectively.
Greg never beat Reka but over time he did score on her once in a while.
"Greg! Reka!" Andria called them in for dinner and bed. Reka told Greg not to fight anyone but her for now. He promised her he wouldn't, but she knew he'd do something stupid.

 

Reka was invited by an acquaintence to travel with him. He was going to a fair to watch fighters and travelers compete for their new ranks.
Reka was over joyed and begged Drake and Andria to allow her to go. Andria was sceptical about it at first, but thought it might be worth while. Drake didn't like the idea that she was traveling with someone he didn't know, but it was her choice.
Reka left the next morning with her companion. They mounted their Talis' and began down the road. Greg ran up to Reka and forced her to stop. "Here!" he said as he gave her a little lether bag. "I'm sorry that I took it!" he

appoligized.
Reka raise her hand, he was sure she would hit him. Greg felt something soft and warm on his cheek. He opened his eyes and he saw...Reka kissed him on the cheek. With out a word she turned back and continued to ride away.

 

Reka and the man named Klai, her companion, arrived at the fair two days later. She'd never seen so many people in one place in a long time. She was more excited about seeing the fighters though, "And, maybe get some tips!" she thought, over joyed.
Reka and Klai found seats close to the arena where they could see all that was happening. Reka watched and through watching she discovered many new technics and ways to correct her fighting style. After several long hours, Reka was finally able to talk with the fighters she'd been watching. She talked more with the loosing opponents than the winners. Most of the winners used spell to overcome their opponent, it was more like cheeting than actuall battle. "If you ask me, I'd say they just gave away their Aces from the whole deck!" she'd said to one of the loosers.
After the sun had set, Reka returned to where she and Klai were staying for the durration of the tornament. "Klai?" she asked.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Uh...Do you think I'm strong enough to enter the arena?"
The question hung in the air. "Honestly, I don't know..."
"If I could, would you let me?" she sounded almost pleadingly.
"I'm sure you can, but it would be a Last-minute-battle."
Reka gave a confused look towards him. "You'd be the last battle of the day." he corrected.
She left the lodge to go practice in the arena. Reka was suprized at how different it felt On-the-Inside ofthe arena. She reveiwed all her basics and compared them to the basics of the fighters she saw.
By now the moon had risen high in air and provided her with all the light she needed. From where she was standing, she could see the wooden bleachers where she and Klai had sat while watching. She could see the flags of the different countries better as well. Her veiws on the arena changed and now she took it a bit more seriously.
Outside the arena, she could hear the Merchants and armor venders yelling prices to flocking customers. Above the walls of the arena, she could see the faint glows of yellow lights from the tourches and light-stones.
Reka turned her attention back to training. She tried copying many of the technics she saw and altered the technics that didn't work for her style; she made them work for her.
Five hours had passed and Reks noticed an amazing jump in her abilities. "Very impressive!" came a voice from the shadows, "I never would have dreamed someone your age could learn so much from watching."
"It'll do you no good hiding in the shadows. I can see you after all." she  watched as a figure walked out from the shadows and into better light. It was an old woman with a very worn appearance and ragged clothing. "So, you want to be a fighter too?" she asked pollitely.
"I am a fighter. Just not a registered one." Reka replied cheerfully.
"You don't want to become 'Registered' my dear." the old woman warned.
"Why not?"
"Did you ever ask the other fighters who owns them?"
"Owns them?" Reka asked suprized.
"Nevermind...But, I do have something to share with you!" she offered.
"What is it?"
The old woman reached her long, frail hands out and grasped Reka's face. She pulled Reka lower and whispered in her ear. "It's a special spell, dear! don't forget it!" she said sweetly.
Reka's eyes where wide from this new Power she knew. "It's only limits are your immagination." the old woman told her. Reka watched as the woman left. "Strange...her hands felt stronger than they should be." she thought, "She could be a Dragon or Dragon Class...long ago that is."
When Reka had returned to the lodge Klai was still sitting where she'd left him. His snoring made her laugh a bit and she sat down next to him.
Klai opened one eye and looked at her "You need to shower!" he smiled.
"Really?" she hadn't noticed. She got up and as she left Klai asked "How did training go?"
"It was good! Much more than what I expected!" she smiled and left for the bath-house down the street.
"That's very intresting.." Klai pondered what Reka had said.
Reka walked slowly down the busy street. Her eyes darted left and right at the many goods, but the only thing she bought was three peices of fruit to settle her stomack.
She came acrossed many armor salesmen, but only one truely caught her eye. This vendor had armor that was almost purely orriginal and she could watch the salesman and his students hammering away at peices of armor that seemed almost too beautiful to be worn. But, she would never buy armor for looks. Reka believed that armor of that quality was better left on a statue or a king.

Reka arrived at the bath house. As she stepped in she saw that it was much different from what she'd seen outside. Its walls were very oriental and the large beams of wood that held the ceiling up were decorated with warved trees and tiny birds Reka had only heard about.
She paid the clerck and she lead Reka to the women's bath. Reka, after removing her clothes and washing off out side of the tub, sat down slowly into the water. It was warm and almost too comfortable to leave. The room was beautiful, but she knew that there was several feet of mesh and other light weight matterials to keep men from looking inward. The doors and corners of the room were also guarded by women, so Reka felt safer and much more secure.
Another woman entered the door, not the clerk, but a customer. She wasn't a human, like so many of the people in the city, or a cat like her. She was a Dragon, and a very beautiful one at that.
"Good evening!" Reka greeted her.
"Oh! Hello!" her voice was almost singing as she talked.
Reka stared at her as she preppared to get in the tub with her; the tub was more than big enough for ten women at any given time.
The dragon looked over at Reka "Sorry! I didn't mean to stare!" she said nervously.
"That's alright." the dragon laughed. She rinced her self off and stood up. Her skin was sleek and shimmering due to the water, but it dryed befor she could even put her foot in the water. "You know, you're really a cute kid! What's your name?" she asked, "I'll tell you mine."
"Reka"
"That's cute! My name is Sharifa."
"I'm sorry, it's just that I've never seen this much of a dragon before. I've always seen them wearing a lot of clothing." Reka admitted.
Sharifa laughed, "I'm not suprized! We do where a lot of clothing, especially the men. That's only how it looks though. Our skin is like armor, so we don't have to buy any uless we need it."
Reka looked over Sharifa again, her orange skin was dotted with thick red half-stripes. Her muscles were very toned but not disgustingly so. Her blue eyes were almost mezmorizing. Her hair was silver, but kept short. Sharifa had two long, pointed ears on either side of her head and two horns behind them. Her horns were a bit longer than her ears. She had a line of either horns or spkikes that were evenly spaced all the way down her back and stopped in the midle of her tail. Sharifa also had a large white spot that started at her bottom lip and stretched down over her neck, breasts, stomack, and stopped in the middle of her thieghs. A simmilar white spot covered the bottom of her hands and feet.
"You've never seen any other women naked, other than yourself, have you?" she teased.
Reka looked away, her face was red as Sharfa's stripes. Sharifa placed a sharp black claw under Reka's chin and turned her head back. "It's ok! I was just teasing!" she laughed.
Reka and Sharifa talked for several more hours that night, even efter their bath was over. "You're still wet?" Reka asked.
"That's why dragons love bathing! Soaking our skin for a while allows our skin to soften up. You'd be suprized howstiff we fell when we haven't soaked in a long time." she smiled. "say, I noticed something about you before..." she said as they walked down the street again, "You're too well muscled to be a spectator here for the matches. Do you fight as well?"
"Me? No! But I would like to." she smiled almost sadly at the thought of not being well equipped.
"You do fight though?"
"Yes, but i have no real sword or armor that can withstand what I've seen."
"You know...If you'd like some armor, I can help!" Sharifa offered.
"Oh, no! I couldn't ask you to buy some for me!" Reka politely refused.
"I'm not going to buy you any, silly!" she smiled, "I can make some for you!"
Reka's eye widened. "You make armor?!"
"Yes! You see that man over there?" she pointed to the shop Reka had been looking into before, "I work there."
"But I couldn't wear somingthing so beautiful!" she protested.
"Nonsence, you're cute and I have a set of armor that would look great on you!" Sharifa dragged Reka into the back of the shop. She introduced Reka to the manager and the other two workers. They all greeted her quickly and returned to work. "As you can see we're really busy right now." she laughed as the streets became more and more empty.
When the manager could leave one of the students to take the orders for armor and sell the window items, he went to the back of the shop and began talking with Reka and Sharifa. "So, this is why you took so long." he joked.
"Yes. She and I got to talking and I desided to give her one of the armor sets I made." Sharifa smiled.
"Don't become too generus! You'll kill me if you do!" he laughed.
"Dad, it's not that big a deal!" she smiled.
"He's your dad?" Reka asked
"Yeah! I learned from the best!" she said with pride, "Now lets see where I put that set of armor..."
Reka watched as Sharifa dug through a huge crate of plate armor. "And that's just her crate! You should see mine!" Sharifa's father laughed heartily.
"I believe you!" Reka chuckled.
"Found it!" Sharifa yelled from under the armor, "Dad! I'm stuck!"
Her father walked over and pulled her out with a strong arm. Sharifa held up a heavy looking set of armor. "I think if we take some of it appart we can make a really descent set for you! What kind of weapon do you use?"
"Heavy-sword." Reka replied. All of them dropped their work and looked stunned at her. "What?" she asked.
"At your age?" asked one of the workers.
"You should still be in training for that!" said the other.
"It's not as heavy as you might think." Reka replied nervously.
"Hold up a second." the owner said, "I think I know why!"
"Why what?" Sharifa asked.
"Come over here!" he guided her, "Stop behind the screen." He lead her into a small chameber and closed the door. "You can get out whenever you wish, but please remain there for a few minutes." he turned on the machine connected to the chameber Reka was now in and many light-stones began flashing on it. The owner watched them for a time, untill the sequences be gane running over and over. "Ok!" he said as he turned off the machine, "I know now why you say that you can use a heavy-sword."
"Why?" they all asked.
"You are a natural born Dragon Class." he told Reka, "You have quike a huge ability! only a few peole can be a Dragon Class at your age!"
This made Reka feel better about her abilities and it explained why some people where shocked when they fought her.
"I didn't know you had a Class from the start." Sharifa wondered.
"You don't, this just tells you what class you'd be good at. But it shows that you've been a Dragon Class for a long time." the owner continued, "It even showed you're skill level as a Dragon."
"Really? What is it?" Reka asked excitedly.
"A forty-one." he said.
"That high?!" Sharifa's jaw dropped, "And, you've been to no school for training?"
"No." Reka replied.
"We need to get you into that arena!" the owner told her, "Come on, guys!"
They all pitched in and made her a new set of garments and armor fit for her sword type. Sharifa dressed Reka in her new armor and clothing. "Oh, how rude of us!" the owner appoligized, "My name in Haji, the big one over there is Derimaru, and the skinny one working on the that peice of armor id Jadi."
Sharifa, Jadi, and Haji all took Reka to Haji's friend "Kimaia" for a sword. Reka was overwhelmed by these people. She didn't think Dragons could be so friendly.
They arrived at the weapon shop and Haji had Kimaia assemble one of his finest heavy-swords for her. It looked like a dragon would use it and was vicious in appearance. "The blade is made of Web-Steel and Piro-Irons. It can be dissassembled for sharpening and fixing. It is actually much lighter than other swords of it's size." Kimaia gave Reka all the information about the sword and the different ways to use it's edges and holes.

 

The next day Reka returned to the armor shop to talk with Sharifa and Haji. She was worried about how she would enter the tornament and pay them back for all they'd done for her. "Hmm, well, just make it as far as you can in the tornament and call that your payment!" Haji smiled, he held up his shop-logo. It was small enough to fit on her armor and light enough that it made no difference in weight. "If you'll promote our shop, everything you need to repair your armor will be free!"
Reka wasn't sure what to say about all this, but she was very excited none the less. "You didn't help me for this reason only did you?" she said with a sly smile on her face.
"No!" Sharifa said laughing, "But, it is a way to kill three birds with one stone! You want to enter the tornament, we want a bit more bussiness, and...you got all that you're wearing from us because we thought you were worth it!"
"Thank you all! So much!" Reka smiled almost tearing up, she looked at them all and departed for the arena.

 

Horns sounded the beginning of the tornament, a band began playing music over their instraments to match the battles. Reka waited for her chance to enter. She became very nervous, so she kept her mind on the battles she was watching; she hoped to see her opponent fight before she faught them.
She was in luck, her opponent was indeed fighting before her very eyes. "Amazing!" she thought as she watched intently.
Reka's opponent was tall and thin like a scarecrow. His clothes were battered from travel and fighting. His head... "Is a pumupkin!" she was shocked, he was a scarecrow! His limbs were made from bones, howerever, and his weapon was as unique as he was. His weapon was a sythe, it's blades were metal, but the staff that held them was made from a tree; almost as if it had grown arround the blades.
He won his battle quickly and with no effort. He looked over at Reka with a passive frown and pointed his sythe at her.
Reka felt a chill run over her. She wanted to escape, but if she did she knew the Haji and Sharifa would be dissappointed.
Two guards led her to the arena, they half had to drag her once every few steps when she looked at the scarecrow.
After Reka had walked to her starting possition she looked at the scare crow and wondered if she would live through this battle.
He bowed to her and walked silently up to her. "I am honored to have you as my opponent!" he smiled, "It's been a long time since I've seen anyone as pretty as you."
"Wha...?" she was stunned.
"I won't kill you, I promise!"
"What is your name?"
"I'll tell you if you can hit me!" he winked at her.
The scarecrow returned to his asigned possition and took his stance. Reka took her stance as well.
"FIGHT!" came a scream from the judge.
Reka ran forward at the scarecrow almost as fast as she could. She swung her large sword at him, he was forced to move away from her; she left no opening for him to strike. He struck at her from above, she blocked it quickly despite the weight of her sword. She twisted her sword, almost ripping his weapon from him. "You are the one so far that I can't go easy on...GOOD!" he said going from a normal voice to an eary shreek. He cast three Powers arround himself, seven small blue flames that ressembled ghosts, a howling wind, and leaves flew up into the air as a distraction and a tactic.
Reka watched, guarding herself, as the little flames circled him and the wind carried the leaves arround him. He cast his boney hand forward and the leaves swirled wildly toward Reka. She remembered what the old woman had said to her before, "Cast Darkess if you wish to escape or confuse them..." Reka heeeded the woman's words and cast Darkness in front of her. The leaves dissappeared into a pitch-black hole of nothingness.
The scarecrow cast his fires at her, but she cast Darkness again. However, Reka jumped in the darkness and dissappeared. "I like that trick!" he said to himself and jabbed his sythe behind him. He hit a body that had dropped at him from out of a hole made by darkness. It rustled like leaves..and he gasped as he realized what she'd done. It was too late, by the time his leaves had flown passed him, Reka drove a powerfull fist down onto his head.
The scarecrow fell to the ground and Reka jumped back away from him. He slowly got up, "Ravvij...that's my name." he told her, excited. Ravvij looked up at her, he smiled evilly and ran at her. He swung at her with his sythe, he missed, but swung it backwards; it was spiked allong its back.
Reka blocked the blow with her armored shoulder. She drove another fist at him, but he did the same and their fists collided in the middle. Reka swung her sword at his chest, Ravvij ducked and tripped her. Reka fell to the ground, she rolled to the side. Ravvij stabbed at her many times, but she cast Darkness again and she rolled into a hole in the ground. She reappeared infront of Ravvij and swung as hard as she could at him. Ravvij side-stepped her sword and punched her ribs.
She rolled to the ground and jumped up into a kneeling possition, guarding herself with her sword as Ravvij stuck at her with his sythe. She kicked his shin and he lost his ballance. Ravvij's face landed on a hard fist as he fell.
Reka jumped up, into the air, and cast the Earth magic "Stone" on her own sword. She brought the empowered blade down toward Ravvij. He couldn't move, she had also cast Darkness to hold him down with shadows. The shadows were like hands, they held him with the strength of steel. Reka landed next to Ravvij, she didn't miss, he cast Earth and protected himself with the roots or the nearby trees.
"DONE!" called the judge. Reka and Ravvij released their Powers and Magics, they stood up to face the judge. "Your skills are amazing! I promote you both to the level of 2nd Black!"

Ravvij and Reka left the arena togather disgussing the battle.