Calleus Elgan's Story

The sun had just begun to rise upon the far horizon; its red gold tendrils spreading across the darkened world like a painter bringing bright new colors onto a black canvas. Calleus had been up for the last couple of hours, he had awoken to the sounds of a fierce thunderstorm. He had heard the last dying bellows of thunder only minutes before. It was as if the rising sun had banished the raging storm. Drips of water fell from the overhang of his balcony. Its vista seeing the wet world before him, and the brilliance that came from the damp reflecting the sun. Calleus smiled.

Calleus needed all of the cheer he could muster as his mind returned to the two letters that sat upon his writing desk. One spoke of peace and the other of trade, which normally would be a boon for Illia. "There is always a catch." He spoke aloud. Trade came from the Kingdom of Agara, and with it came the embargo from other nations. Peace came from the Perciferus Empire, and with that came treachery or battle with their enemies. Making a decision one either would have a profound impact on Illia and its role in the world. Ignoring them could cost Illia dire aid in a time of crisis.

With a nod to himself Calleus returned to the warmth of his bedroom. He slipped into his undergarments and laced up his hard leather pants. There is no such thing as undue paranoia when you lead a nation; he stated internally as he slipped on his chain vest and cinched it to his body. He on belted his bronze hilt sword, its keen edge ready to pulled at the instant. He pulled around a dark blue coat and slipped into it. It was a light material and was there mostly to conceal his armor and sword; he had the mantra that Citizen's grew restless if they see constant vigilance.

The table in front of him held the two letters, that he had been contemplating, they laid amidst an assortment of parchment and books. It looked like a giant had taken a book and sneezed into it like a handkerchief, and the tattered remnants of the book now lay sprayed out on his desk. Calleus picked up the two letters and hefted them in his right hand, as if he was determining their weight. He shrugged and placed the two letters into the inside breast pocket of his jacket. I won't have to deal with that till afternoon, plenty of time to check battlements and grab a fresh apple from market. He strode to the door and pushed on. Through the corridors and stairs of his home he eventually came to the front double doors; their hefty doors barring entry from any weak armed siege gangs.

He nodded to two of the three guards that where standing watch at his door. Trevor and Friggan, both fairly green in combat, but loyal. He walked forward into the main city street and began to head toward market so he could purchase one of first apples brought into town. "Apples always taste best after a crisp storm don't you think?" He asked his guards, he expected them to find it rhetorical and not answer but he felt like speaking anyway.

Through the market, the sound of a hammer striking metal rang like music. The rhythm of the strikes echoed like that of a drum.

The being who was striking the red hot metal was not what most outsiders would expect. It was a skinny man, no more than 24, with eyes the color of ice, and hair that could barely be seen. His arms and face showed evidence of many burns, to which many who knew little about him often speculated their cause.

The small smithery that he stood in was no larger than three normal shops. The large smelter gave off a distinct glow of heat, while the forge, little more than an open pit of coals, kept many unformed blades red. In a trough, on the opposite side of the exposed room, was water in which many blades were cooled. Next to the trough was the anvil, where the man was crafting the weapon. On the walls not far from the forge, yet enough to be bearable, was the weapons which the smith sold. All had something novel about them. Some were curved blades, some attached on the forearm, some did both. And with each weapon came a tag that showed its price, reasonable, but a bit on the low side.

The blade formed slowly in the man's grasp, having been worked on since little after midnight. It was an armblade, with a distinct, and difficult to make, talon-like tip to it. Once the final parts of the talon were finished, the red blade met water to release a horde of steam. Next was a piece of leather to act as the bracer to hold the piece on. At that, the smith stood proud, his creation simple and sturdy. Only thing left to do with it was sharpen the blade.

"Hand over your money and we'll let you live!"
"So, you are the famous bandits who's been causing trouble here, huh?"

On the outskirts of Illia is a bunch of lightly armed bandits surrounding a lone man in his suit. The storm earlier had caused the damp lands, and water drips from the tip of many leaves on the trees planted alongside the road. Little animals that hid from the pouring thunderstorm stepped out of their hideouts. Squirrels runs alongside tree branches and meets up with one and another. Just in the distance was the young man surrounded by thieves.

"What are you talking about? Just hand over your damn money!"
"Being the inpatient child, are we now?" The man in his suit taunted the robber. With a weak tolerance, he snapped. "Who do you think you're talking to, you punk!? Enough! Get him, boys!" As his partners in crimes lunges forward, the man in suit had already left the circle and approached the 'leader'. On his face was a smile and in his hands, although only a wooden sword, was at his throat. His intent to kill was as clear as the blue sky, and as the man stares at the bandit in the eyes, the bandit's instincts immediately told him that it was impossible to go against the man. "I wouldn't want to kill you, but if you leave me with no choice, I shall remove from the face of history."

The bandit immediately gave up and fell to his knees, begging for forgiveness. "Please let me go! I didn't want to turn to this! My family and my friends were all poor! Please!" Tears was already flooding his eyes, and he was sure that the man in front of him was about to kill him. The main raised his wooden blade and knocked the bandit unconscious."Seems like they're here." He mumbled to himself as he took out the mask he hid in his pocket.

Guards were already pouring into the scene in an orderly fashion. Not too long after, the bandits was captured and led back into the city to judge for their crimes. "Thank you for your hard work, sir Maximillion!" A female voice stood behind him, her arms crossed at the back. He turned to answer the soldier. "If this can relieve the citizens even if a little bit, then I'll gladly do it. Besides, trades will continue without worry after this." He told the soldier. |Oh, a new recruit? I never saw her face before in the military.| Without hesitation, Max brought up his question.
"Are you a new recruit?"
"Yes sir! My name is Eve Jasper and as of today, I am your assistant! It will be a pleasure to work with you and it is nice to meet you, sir!" Immediately Max remembered something. He was told that he will be getting an assistant someday. |Well, today's a good day as any.| He thought to himself. He walked past her and continued into the town, the soldier following him quickly. "You can drop the formality. I am not really fond of that." He casually told the soldier. She quickly rejected his offer and responded quickly. "I cannot do that, sir. You're an important pillar of Illia. I cannot treat you lightly so carelessly, sir."

Her strict and formal speech disappointed Max. For too long, after he had decided to step up and take this position, he was treated with respect. Not something he would deny as bad, but having soldiers become extremely worked up when he's around every time is tiring. He would have chose to enjoy a more relaxed situation sometimes, but he can't help it. He took on the title because Calleus's ideals was something he looked forward to. He'll just accept this for now. "You should return and report the situation to Calleus. I must go and tend to my own business." By business, he meant going to the orphanage and coach the orphans on swordsmanship. "Yes, sir! Anything else I should tell him, sir?" Her question stopped Max in his tracks. He thought about it for a while, but he decided that there's nothing to inform him. "Hmm. For now, just tell him that the bandit problem had been solved."

"Yes sir!"

Calleus had reached the market. It was the busy center of trade for Illia, and if you wanted anything legal it was the place to find it. The gaggle of people had not reached it's critical mass, but that would be along shortly. The people there moved hurriedly as they where eager to leave the market before the prime crowd gathered. They almost looked like an assortment of chickens looking for specific kernels of seed. The mummers of the crowd seemed to revolve around some pervert thief that had only recently been apprehended by the guards.

It only took a few seconds for someone in the crowd to recognize Calleus. "It's Lord Calleus!" shouted a nearby pottery salesman. I told them not to call me that. Old habits are tougher to kill than a imbedded tick. The shout silenced the crowd and, as if by magic, a circle of clear road expanded around Calleus and his guards. Then, as if it was a practiced routine, they all began to shout and show their wares to Calleus. Each hoping THE Calleus Elgan, Leader of the Illian Military, Founder of the Blood Tithe, and Savior of Illia, would buy their wares. It was all he could manage to have his guards push through the fervent mob and reach the produce vendors, without shouting at them all to shut up. Power is one thing but to deal with celebrity status is something I've never wanted. He did his best to keep a passive face, but he could feel the pull of a frown beginning to form.

At the stall a tall and lanky man produced a large bag of apples, Calleus had become a regular and the vendor knew just what Calleus liked. He argued with the vendor, as he did everyday, to pay for the apples. Eventually, he placed the bag of gold on the stall and left, apples in hand, so the vendor could not refuse.

Calleus and his guards finally left the square and the noise behind. They had reached the safety of the training grounds, and only military personnel where permitted. As they entered an aid, Eve Jasper, approached Calleus and saluted. "L- General Elgan, I have a message from Commander North! He says that he has taken care of the Bandit problem." Calleus smiled a little as she stumbled on his title. At least some can learn, even if they are just my subordinates." They continued walking across the training grounds as she relayed the bandit attack and Maximillion's methods.

"Report back to Commander North, make sure to address him as I have." He hates it when I order him by his title. He thought as a wolfish grin appear on his face. He snapped back quickly and continued. "Tell him that I want his full report in an hour. I wish to speak with him personally." Miss Jasper saluted perfectly again shouting, "Yes, General!" as she sprinted off to find Maximillion. I imagine it will take her some time to find Max, he is probably off gallivanting or showing off.

Eve Jasper, the new assistant of Maximillion North, strolls through the busy market street. Her eyes darted across everywhere, searching for a tall man amongst the crowd, but to no avail. |This isn't going to to work. Commander North wears a mask during work, so there's a chance that he might wear it now too.| Her short height only makes her job difficult, but she did not gave up. She pushed her way across the street and when he efforts pays off, she ends up in an alley.

It was rather clean - there was no particular trashcans or rubbish on the ground, nor there was any carcasses in the drains or dead bodies of rats anywhere. This only proves that this is the work of the fellow citizens. They've only recently started a local campaign or cleaning up the street to keep the city healthy from possible diseases. "I would like to praise more of the works from the lovely peoples of Illia, however, the search for Commander North come-" She got cut off when she turned to an corner and knocked into someone. She immediately closed her eyes and fell to the ground. After a moment of hitting the ground, she apologized. She didn't know who she knocked into, but she was always taught manners to whoever she meets, even to a stranger.

Confirming that she can get back up again, she pushed herself her back up and brushed the dust off her back and knees. "I am deeply sorry fo- Commander North!?" In front of her was the tall man with a unique mask she was tasked to find. He wore the same suit he had been wearing ever since the bandit fight, but it seemed expensive when given a closed up look. But, she had no time to enjoy the suit. She knew she had knocked into the commander and she expected him to yell at her and punish her. Yet, what she heard then surprised her. "Are you okay, Jasper? I hope I didn't cause any injury whatsoever." He looked worriedly at the woman, bending down a bit to adjust the height between them. "No...sir! I should be apologizing for knocking into you! Please, you don't have to worry about me, sir!"

---

"I see, so Calleus wants to see me. Alright, I shall go and talk to him. Thank you for telling me, Jasper." Max and Jasper was back at the training grounds. There was already a couple of squads having their daily training menu, and while Jasper is the assistant of Max, she still needs to supervise the grounds in case anything happens. The talk they're having in Max's office is brief but informative. It ended rather quickly as Jasper is expected to be tight on her schedule. "Then I will go back to the grounds and look over it in your place. Please stay safe, sir. I have heard bad rumors about spies without our ranks." Max nodded. She saluted to him and walked out of the office, leaving him alone in there.

He sat back on his comfort chair. The desk in front of him is practically clean, with only other necessities like a pen and a candle. At one corner of the desk was a picture of his unmasked face and a rather beautiful blonde lady beside him. He seemed happy in that picture, and looking at it only reminds Max of his sad past. He decided to shrug it off. "I have nothing else to do anyway, I guess I'll pay Calleus an early visit." He got up and left the office, saluted by the many soldiers guarding the building. Calleus's office was two floors higher, considering his importance in the land. The one above him was conference room, where all the high ranking officers have their meeting. Max usually does not join the meetings and would prefer himself wasting time somewhere of less tense air.

It only took a few steps of stairs to reach to Calleus's office in his floor. The floor always seemed to be more grand than the lower ones. That is expected. Calleus was the one who freed Illia from Gergor Nalvani's dictatorship. There is a difference between Max and his achievement in the city. He did absolutely well 2 years ago, and he deserved this grand floor. Max only volunteered for his role, but thinking back, he and Calleus had a rather solid friendship. Now it's all just official meetings or when he calls for Max that they meet nowadays.

He knocked on the door, awaiting for Calleus's approval to enter the room.

After his inspections of the soldiers Calleus had decided that he wanted to view the ever growing stone wall of Illia. It was one of the first things he knew the growing nation needed, but it was also one of the most costly. They had only recent been able to come up with enough funds to have the masons begin the work. Even with this small section completed he already felt easier about the towns defense. At least, it all won't burn down if the kingdoms get fed up with us. Nothing like Illia had ever been done before, a system where it's leaders where elected rather than inherited their positions. It was the only way that Calleus had foreseen that would allow him the power he needed to rule this new land. No one would accept him as a king, in this court or those far flung. Blood and nobility was everything to those who rules the world, but with his system it was just circumvented. We will spill much more blood in our future once the kingdoms realize that we are a threat. Maybe that is my tithe for my greed.

Many saw Calleus as a Hero, a man who freed an oppressed people. Calleus simply saw his actions as an attempt to stake his claim on the land, and he did it through the exploitation of a village. Does it make me a good man that I care about that exploitation? Maybe. He had always kept these thoughts to himself. Easier to keep his position if people lauded him as a Hero. "I suppose a stack of approval papers await me today, eh?" He said suddenly to his guard. "I believe your secretary said something like that this morning, sir!" Trevor replied. "Indeed, well, we best get to it. Friggan you can take a leave once we get to the government building. Get a nice lunch and meet whom ever you fancy, just be back by the council meeting time at 3. I only need one guard at my office." Calleus said as he pressed a few coins into Friggan's hand. A beloved leader is one who keeps power and is remembered.

Only a few short minutes later the entourage entered the government building. They reached his office by way of the steps. An amused smile crept on Calleus' face as he saw Max knock on the door of his vacant office. "Well, this is a first. You are actually waiting on me. I'll have to increase your assistant's pay. She can halve the time it takes for my runners to find you. What is your opinion of her?" He chuckled as he unlocked his door and clapped Max on the back, leading him into the office. Trevor took up his usual spot out side of his door and Friggan left to go get lunch, it was close to noon.

"Have a seat, if you care." He moved over behind his desk, it was a dark mahogany polished to a near mirror shine. The room contained three heavy wooden chairs, one behind the desk and two in front of it. The walls where lightly decorated with a few book shelves and a banner of the Blood Tithe on the right wall and the newly stitched Illian banner on the left. He took a seat and looked at Max. He seemed like he was not touched from his fight.

After a few seconds of silence Calleus started, "I called you hear for two counts. The first is to congratulate you on your outstanding victory against the bandits. It takes quite a man to single handedly take down a bandit company, and you did it without blood shed. On the other hand, I did not give you the command of my men just so you can deal with all the problems by yourself. We need to be ready for when we become embroiled by a true conflict. Not just the skirmishes that we've bloodied our noses on. I'm talking about a real war with a kingdom that wants to make an example of us and show everyone that our way will not work. To do that, we need as many hardened veterans as we can get. The Tithe definitely is a fighting force that must be contended with, but when the next situation arises I want you to be there to help. Let your men deal with it, you've trained them, learn to trust them. If it becomes bloody, put the blame on my head, or your training, I care not. We can train the strong and cull the weak with one fell swoop. Complacency will only lead to our down fall."

He finished waiting for Maximillion to speak.

"Well, this is a first. You are actually waiting on me. I'll have to increase your assistant's pay. She can halve the time it takes for my runners to find you. What is your opinion of her?"
"I called you hear for two counts. The first is to congratulate you on your outstanding victory against the bandits. It takes quite a man to single handedly take down a bandit company, and you did it without blood shed. On the other hand, I did not give you the command of my men just so you can deal with all the problems by yourself. We need to be ready for when we become embroiled by a true conflict. Not just the skirmishes that we've bloodied our noses on. I'm talking about a real war with a kingdom that wants to make an example of us and show everyone that our way will not work. To do that, we need as many hardened veterans as we can get. The Tithe definitely is a fighting force that must be contended with, but when the next situation arises I want you to be there to help. Let your men deal with it, you've trained them, learn to trust them. If it becomes bloody, put the blame on my head, or your training, I care not. We can train the strong and cull the weak with one fell swoop. Complacency will only lead to our down fall."

Indeed. Even if Max was given the permission to command the soldiers of Illia, he couldn't just bring himself to 'use' them and lead them to their deaths. He's just too weak to do that. Already had he experienced staring into the bodies of his comrades, who all fell one by one, because of a battle that resulted in the sacrifice of the lives of his comrades. The despair he felt back then, to know that he still live but not his friends damaged his heart and mind endlessly. But, throwing aside these dark thoughts, Max returned to the matter at hand.

"I am very well aware of that, Calleus. However, just as the soldiers places their lives on lines for this country, they have homes to return to. I do not wish to blood to be spilled on my watch and I will do anything to prevent their deaths. I do not want history to repeat itself." He looked away. The words just slipped out of his mouth, even though he told himself that he didn't want to talk about it. But what's done is done.

"Forget that, we have more important news at hand. Look at this." From his pocket, Max created a folded paper and presented it to Calleus. The content were of a foreign language and Max could not read it. He didn't stop there. "It's an official order document that I found after taking out spies in our country. I've had translators translate it, and what was on it was the order to assassinate you, the leader of Illian. They think that with your death, the country's morale will drop and they will take the chance and destroy Illia. That isn't all. They plan to amass a great number of troops and magicians to overthrow us if the assassins were to fail in their task. We don't have much time before they strike. The fact that I managed to find this is a miracle. Had we not been informed any later, I'm afraid it'll be to-"

"It's an intruder! Do not let him reach Lord Calleus!"

A loud shout echoed throughout the hall. There was already guards getting knocked out by the sound of it. Max acted on his instinct and rushed outside. He came out just in time to find the 'intruder' charging his way towards the masked man, holding a blade in hand and a flaming hand in the other. Trevor immediately stepped up, with his spear in hand. "Please leave this to me! Protect Lord Calleus, Commander North!" And there went Trevor, trying to stop the intruder. Without any weapon, or specifically, his blade, he wouldn't be able to fight the intruder. He suspected that the man was a magician and Max can't risk fighting the intruder and leaving Calleus alone to guards. Max took a step back and raised his hand across the door, his fist gripped tightly. He waited for the intruder to ignore Trevor and come charging at Calleus. Worst case scenario, Trevor gets injured and the magician is able to unleash powerful magics that even Max himself could not handle.

He listened through Max's explanation. Maybe I made the wrong decision by giving him the leadership role. I do not believe he can make the necessary choices in a full scale war. I want to create a land where these men can be sure that their children grow up with this new found country. It won't do the soldiers any good if they return to pillaged homes and burned fields. As Max quickly switched gears Calleus said the final words on the matter. "We are not finished discussing this." He said as he read over the piece of paper.

Before Calleus had even a chance to respond the alert came from the government building's guard. "It's an intruder! Do not let him reach Lord Calleus!" Before he could even register what was going on, Calleus had his blade unsheathed in his right hand and was moving toward the door. "I can't believe they would move so openly already. Have we really become that large of a threat?" He blinked once, surprised when he realized he was talking to himself. Max had already hurried outside, eager to fight off this new threat to his liege.

Unlike, Max, Calleus knew the importance of allowing his troops to fight for him. No matter how good of a swordsman he was one man could not fend off a hundred spears, you needed a host of properly ordered men to create an effective fighting force. It was the folly of many a general to lead their troops into battle and leave their army in disarray when he was inevitably taken down during his initial charge.

Outside in the hall the zealous Trevor charged the would-be assassin his spear point telegraphing into a lunge. The small hallways made it very difficult to dodge a spear thrust. The cloaked attacker dodged the thrust by dropping to the ground. Unfortunately, Trevor was well trained and countered; the blunt end of the spear bashed into the crouched attacker's face.

The flame in the man's hand winked out for a second as the man reeled backward on the ground. It was only a momentary respite as the assassin rolled away and leaped back onto his feet; the flame appearing in his left hand again as he did so. Seeing Max exit the chamber, the man thrust his flaming hand forward palm up towards his two attackers. A bolt of fire crackled down the hallway and zoomed past Trevor who had no problem dodging. It continued down the hall coming straight on towards Max. Just as it was about to reach Max; the assassin jerked his hand to the left, in the direction of the now open door to Calleus' office. The dart of fire responded in kind as it mimicked the motion of the gesture and began to curve into the office's door. It was almost uncannily targeted at the location of where Calleus was.

In the attacker's haste of spell slinging he forgot about the now charging Trevor. Realization dawned upon the attacker as the spear point plunged straight towards his center, like the horn of an stampeding bull. He was only able to try and roll with the blow, his reflexes not quick enough to dodge in time. The point drove itself home into the man's stomach instead of Trevor's intended target, the heart.

Everything happened in an instant. The assassin's whip-like projectile fire magic, Trevor's spear stabbing into the assassin's stomach. What felt like 15 minutes had only actually passed for a minute or so. The magic had died down due to the assassin's realization of his impending doom. The spear remains in his stomach, with Trevor holding firmly on it to make sure he doesn't get away. It was then that the assassin mumbled something softly. It was too small for even Trevor to hear, and when Trevor demanded a repeat, he announced.

"THIS IS NOT OVER, CALLEUS! NOT UNTIL I KILL YOU!"

From the assassin's hand, he squeezed out the last of what he could muster and blew Trevor back, knocking him into the wall. Even with his wound, he managed to pull the spear out and charge along with it. The fire had surprised Max as he stood there, part of himself wondering why wasn't he prepared for it. He sprung back to reality when the assassin yelled. It must be by pure determination that the assassin was able to do what he did, but the trained Max could see his movements like a snail. He waited for the assassin to approach him closer and closer. When the timing was right, he deflected the spear's tip to the other side of the door. He then grabbed the gap between where the assassin's hand held and pulled him closer, tripping his balance. With a final touch, Max gave a good chop to a particular part of the neck and the assassin immediately fell over, leaving the spear on Max's hands.

A couple of guards and medics were already on their way to treat the fainted Trevor and arrest the assassin. If it all ends well, he might spill the secrets of Illia's invading kingdom. "Shall we end his life here as to not let him suffer anymore? Or do you wish to keep him alive, in order to extract information from him? If it was me, I would say to leave him alive. If he does not confess, we will find a reason for him to. It is still your decision, Calleus." It was ultimately up to Calleus whether he want the assassin dead or alive.

The fire dart zoomed past Max and on its trajectory towards Calleus. It was so fast that he was barely able to bring up his left arm in defense of his body. The dart splashed onto Calleus' let arm and side. The fire had no real mass, and did not cause Calleus to get pushed back. That was not the purpose of the dart; its purpose was to ignite it's target a flame. A most painful death.

The fire instantly ignited the clothes on Calleus' arm and torso. He let out a scream as he felt the pain bloom across a larg portion of his upper body. The heat seemed to deafen the world around Calleus, it was like nothing else in the world mattered and the searing pain demanded his full attention. Less than a second of burning occurred before Calleus was able to recoup his mind from the shock. He threw himself to the ground and began to roll in an attempt to smother the flames. As soon as he did the fire winked out unnaturally. The pain is gone. He thought wonderingly as he collapsed on the ground.

He closed his eyes for a moment, the sea of sleep beckoned to him, he was so very tired. Max's voice shot adrenaline through him as he remembered what had cause this sudden chain of events. Calleus opened his eyes, it was like someone had snapped them back like rubber bands. "Keep him alive, get..." He had to pause for a second as his eyes saw the burnt horror that was the left side of his torso and arm. The blacked clothing now clung to his skin like some form fitting armor. Cracks darted across it and through them you could see bright red because the muscles of his arm shown through. That should hurt, that should really hurt.

Medics fumbled around him. The noise they made only seemed to reach Calleus with dull tones, like someone had placed cotton in his ears. He laid back, his eyes remained locked on the ceiling. Why doesn't it hurt? That was the last thing before darkness claimed him into the land of unconsciousness.