After the long gruesome war between the Gods, Humans and Demons... Scarred in the dangerous moments of battle, and avoiding total destruction altogether, the Humans, Gods and Demons entered a long truce.

The 1000 years of fragile forged peace...

In the land of Rune Midgard, the existence of peace eventually led the humans to erase their memories of the scars and the hardships of the war in the past. Not remembering the faults of the past, a culture was spreading throughout the land - selfishness, corruption and arrogance.

Then one day, strange events started happening, breaking the balance that once existed in Rune Midgard. There came a strange howl from the boundaries that divided the Humans, Gods and Demons; creatures begin attacking; increasing earthquakes and hail and...
The mysterious legend of demons...

As the fragile peace begin to fall apart, stories about the parts of Ymir, protecting the peace, begin to spread among the adventurers. Forgetting the true nature of it, people set out to seek each of the pieces for their own selfishness, and the wealth that would come with it...

Years had past. Still, no one had ever sought Ymir, nor enter the Demons’ lair, to bring the Human's world back.

***

The sunlight finally found a breach in the defense and squeezed through the gaps between the drapes. It has discovered his weakness – a dose of morning sunlight after a sleepless night. He cursed softly as the sun teased his lazy being with a beam of ray on his youthful face. He pulled the sheets over his dirty blonde head and attempted to return to slumber land. At this point with sloth holding the fort, he would have traded anything he had just for sleep, no thanks to his excitement from the night before, sharpening his sword which must have shrunk by an inch. His conscience tried to fight sloth but failed miserably until…

‘Cedric, are you up already? It’s today sleepyhead! Your Novice Test!’

As if struck by hot iron, he shot out of his bed and fought against his heavy eyelids. As the sun hid behind the clouds after accomplishing its infiltration assault against sloth, his azure eyes squinted and it wandered towards the wall where a large calendar of the Kingdom’s greatest Knights sits. There many little red crosses running across the faces of the Knights, the Peco Pecos and the grand structure of the Prontera Castle. The crosses counting down the dates ended at the knee of the dark haired Knight with a spear. Instead, the date was circled with red ink, followed by loopy words of encouragement which overflowed from the box given to the date. In bold black ink was the words “Novice Test today”. It must have been one of Cedric’s undiscovered super powers as he leapt out of his bed, dashed for the bathroom and got into his clothes in literally seconds. He crossed out “Novice Test today” on the calendar and grabbed his rucksack of gears before he raced to the kitchen.

‘Didn’t get enough of sleep?’

A finger poked Cedric on his forehead as he moaned in reply. The young man responsible for eliminating sloth that morning(just like the day Cedric registered for the Novice Training Program) stood before him. He possessed the same blonde hair with less streaks of red, and he had allowed his hair to grow beyond his ears and was almost touching his shoulders. Cedric took a seat at the table as he looked at his brother with a keen and envious gaze. The silver outfit and Knight emblem that adorned his brother has been his source inspiration since he was little. The Spencers grew up in Prontera, the heart of the Rune Midgard Kingdom - a land which earned a reputation of discovering many brave adventurers. Almost a third of its population was a member of a guild, specializing at a certain job class. Cedric aspired to be that third of the population and has already taken his first step by attending a Novice Training Program. The Novice job – the start of every adventurer’s journey – was the most basic job which offers its members basic skills needed to survive in real life situations in the strange world of Rune Midgard.

‘Chew up before we leave. And do it slowly, we don’t want you to choke before the test, do we?’ said Caleb, laying down a plate of omelettes on the table, gesturing him to eat them. Although they were already geared up and prepared for their adventure, Cedric chomped up the eggs obediently, knowing his brother would not allow him to leave before doing so. Cedric and Caleb live together in the quaint little house in the streets of Prontera. The siblings were without parents, or at least, that was the impression given the Cedric as their parents were not with them since he was little. They were left to fend for themselves, Caleb being the breadwinner with the help of their neighbours as he was the elder of the two. Cedric idolizes his brother, making him the role-model in anything he does, even in making the choice of his future profession.

‘Done, let’s go now,’ Cedric said shortly after clearing up his plate. Caleb laughed at his brother’s excitement as he reached for a long object wrapped tightly in thick, brown cloth.

‘What’s that?’ Cedric pointed out, never ever seeing the item in his brother’s possession before. Caleb simply answered that he would find out later and opened the door to the outdoors.

Prontera was a large city bustling with activities; the sight of merchants haggling was widespread. Knights, Priests, Crusaders and many different adventurers from all over Rune Midgard Kingdom often gather in its capital for various causes. The Spencers navigated their way through the crowd as they headed to the center fountain to meet up with Cedric’s friend who would be taking the Novice Test along with him.

‘Good afternoon sir! Could I interest you to some of my armour?’ came an eager voice from a merchant who had walked to the front of his stall as he saw Caleb walk by. ‘I have many affordable and handy armours for a Knight like you. Here I have a Full Plate, heavy, but offers great defense.’

‘Oh, thank you very much, but I must pass,’ replied Caleb as he waved his hand. ‘I specialize in agile-fighting you see, I’m afraid I won’t be able to carry this armour. I’m satisfied with what I have on me right now, and I trust them with my life. I’m sure you’ll be able to find a buyer.’

The merchant nodded gracefully and thanked Caleb for his time. Immediately, he turned to the Crusader who was wandering nearby. Cedric beamed in admiration for his brother who displayed such patience and wise-speech.

‘Do you reckon I should train on my agility like you do, bro?’ asked Cedric after walking away from the stall.

‘It’s your decision really,’ Caleb replied as he turned his deep cerulean eyes to his younger brother. ‘There are different pros and cons to whatever aspect you wish to specialize. I prefer hitting fast over brute force, so I chose light weapons and equipments. It lets me dodge attacks well.’

‘Maybe I should do the same then,’ said Cedric smartly.

‘Well, you have a long journey ahead, you still have a lot to experience before you decide what’s best for yourself,’ Caleb added. His attention wandered off for awhile before continuing. ‘Anyway, since when did that food joint appear? Wasn’t that shop owned by Leslie’s Jewelleries?’

‘Gosh, bro, you haven’t been in the outdoors for a long time now,’ Cedric crossed his arms in amazement. ‘Leslie sold his shop last week and that food joint was there since last week already. The world doesn’t stop turning while you slack at home, you know.’

Caleb lowered his head and pursed his lips, upset by what his brother said. ‘Hey, I had things I needed to do at home, alright,’ he raised his eyebrows. When he looked forward, he realized that they have arrived at the centre of the town. ‘We’re here at the fountain already, where’s your friend?’

Cedric shrugged in reply as he scanned his surroundings for his best friend. He looked down at his watch to check the time; they did agree to meet up here and now.

‘Well, can’t really trust Hirei to be here on time,’ Cedric sighed. ‘He’s always late for classes and all.’

‘Cedric Spencer! Take that back!’

Before he could attempt to turn to the speaker, Cedric received a blow to his ribs from the side. He staggered backwards and frowned at his attacker, a boy of his age with spiky hair in an attention grabbing shade of snow white. The boy’s facial features were clearly different from mainlanders. He had a roundish face, a slight yellowish-tinge in his skin and small cinnamon brown eyes.

‘Rei! That hurts you jerk!’ Cedric cried as he held his stomach in pain. He regained his composure before nudging Hirei who was standing arms akimbo.

‘I was here much earlier than you were,’ Hirei stated proudly. He smiled and waved at Caleb, who returned the gesture. Hirei then turned back to his friend. ‘Anyhow Ced, all that matters is we’re here now! Let’s go to the Novice Training Grounds! The faster we get this over with, the faster we become Novices!’

‘Yes, yes, yes,’ Cedric replied boringly. ‘We’re gonna get a warp to the training grounds from Kafra, right?’ Caleb nodded in approval when Cedric turned to him.

‘It’s in that building right?’ said Hirei excitedly, pointing at a building down the road. ‘So what are we waiting for? Let’s go!’

Cedric, Caleb and Hirei left the centre fountain a walked a little further south before entering a building facing the inner street with Caleb leading the way. Upon entering the front door, they saw the Kafra staff positioned behind the counter, engaged in a conversation with a customer. Cedric’s heart gave a Taekwon-class leap as he rested his eyes on the figure speaking with the Kafra staff – a beautiful young girl dressed in a lovely turquoise dress. She had a unique belt across her waist, a darling pendent hanging from her neck, shimmering in an ocean glitter. Her silky black hair extends below her chest; her fair complexion augmented by her peach pink cheeks. She turned around at the sound of the door, her glowing emerald eyes examining the newcomers.

Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians