Chapter One: Calvary

Guild Reign 5: Taiga
A trading rout forged by melting glaciers in the Tundra in now host to a viscous predator. It is effecting all the villages it runs along under the 5th Guild Reign. Guild 5 has lost its MARK and is no longer strong enough to handle the situation on its own.

Wind whistled threw the snow dusted pin branches. The border of the forest was arguably the most enchanting view in Guild 5's reign. A quiet river, flat snow blanked land surrounded by a cover of evergreen trees; a place where the innocent prayed upon animals of the forest came to graze in the warming sunlight. Lux, a young hunter sat with her best friend Geiri behind a low fire awaiting the arrival of an A class teem that was to be assembled here the guild elders.

One moon ago five letters where sent to individual guilds asking for there assistance. Two of those guilds replied and were sending one recruit each. Those high class hunters were to be arriving within the next few days; Lux and her friend were sent to greet them.

***

Lux's Stepmother took her by the shoulders. "Darling I must go. We need another member for your team. You can't face this monster alone yet."

"Your the one always telling me to aim high, to be like HE was." She protested. "Give me a chance Geiri, Eske and I can handle it."

"Your scrawny friend and her cat are not going to be any help ageist a Tigrex kiddo"

Lux jerked her head at the sound of the familiar voice. The tall male closed the front door behind him and made his way over to his kid sister. "Raoul!" She excitedly warped her arms around his middle wiggling away from her stepmothers vice grip.

"Ya know kid High Priestess Tamuril has a point."

There stepmother raised an eyebrow. "No need to be so formal, your going to make me feel old" she complained.  

Raoul ignored her and went on lecturing his beloved 'student'. "Your only a second rank B class. I'd be suicide, especially for a girl your age. Your advanced but not nearly experienced enough to do it on your own yet."

Lux gave a pouting face. It was unfair. Geiri's parents let her take missions by herself. Granted she was still trying to be come a hunter bordering the end of class D and her missions were easy (at least to Lux) but it was still the principle of having that freedom. Even when she did get the easy missions Tamuril would always send Raoul with her "just in case".

It wasn't always like this. Only recently after Tamuril's only real son died in some freak accident. He wasn't even hunting at the time, just delivering a message to another MARK. Yes Lorcan (Tamuril's son) was a MARK, MARK 5 to be exact. He was always wonderful to his guild brothers and sisters as well as everyone at home. He was the definition of a role model and Tamuril now pushed Lux to be like him and grow in ranks faster, but in the safest way possible. She was always full of contradictions.

"You still shouldn't go THERE! The tundra clan hates ours." Lux pleaded with the only woman she knew as a mother.

"She will be fine, besides she is the only one that the Guild 2's Elder will speak with from our clan. She has to take the risk." Her brother explained, still acting as her guidance coach.

"Lux darling listen, In two days I want you to go to the border of the forest and wait as long as you need to; show the others that are coming on foot back to the village. There should only be two." She handed Lux a small stack of papers explaining her duties and who the two new outside hunters would be. "Now go get cleaned up, supper will be ready soon." Tamuril raised an eyebrow at her stepson. "You too..."

(ND w/ my turn)

Now boarding her trading vessel Tamuril waved her stepchildren off at the river bank praying silently that she would make it there and back safe. With a Tigrex prowling the waters edge she had no certainty she would even make it to the Tundra village.

***
Lux flipped threw the pages back and forth looking over the new hunters' info with Geiri. The two  that were coming were both extremely high in rank. One was a G Class, and a female at that from Guild 13. The other from the Volcano reign and an A Class.

"I'm surprised only two replied." Geiri stated perplexed.

"Perhaps they thought we should be able to handle the situation on own no mater the ceromstances. Or maybe they couldn't spare the men. There have been quite a number of these 'situations' in towns and trade roots lately threw out the main land." Lux reasoned more with herself. She had been thinking the same thing earlier and these were the conclusions she came up with thus far.

"Really?! What do you think may be causing that?" Geiri sounded so surprised. For a minuet Lux forgot that Geiri wasn't a real hunter yet and was not usually informed of such matters. You had to past the entrance exam into Class C to be consider a hunter and become initiated in to a guild.

"I have no idea. The Master hasn't said anything further on the issue." Lux gazed out towards to small clearing pondering her friend's question as Eske snuggled up next to her leg.

"Well I hope we don't have to stay here too much longer. It's starting to get cold" Geiri had a slight whine in her voice as she shivered from a sudden sharp wind.

(ND w/ turn... yet)

The trek to the Tundra was a tiresome and daunting as the river-sticks. Crew members busied them selves to stay warm long enough to keep them awake, however, there alertness suffered. At the waters edge Tamuril alone caught a glimpse of an orange and blue striped mass. Shifting slowly threw the cumbersome tree line that bordered the bank the monster feasted upon the broken bodies of juvenile Popo that foolishly strayed from there herd. Cautious of how the worker would react; possibly making enough noise to draw the beast's attention to them, she only risked pointing this out to the captain in a hushed manner.

It was tense between Tamuril and Captain Cain for the duration of the sailing, and some of the trade merchants aboard started to catch on. As they entered the Tundra territory the air became still and silent, as if Death laid his own hand upon the land. There was no life sighs of any kind; it was one of the harshest conditions to live in. The frigged conditions iced over every inch of the land and the hearts of the people that strives to survive in it.

Tamuril sighed in disappointment as she saw a Tundras clan ship, armed, approaching. Angry faces boarded there vestal as they pulled beside one another. The captain was forced to put a stop on there escapade. The sailors began to panic, however, lady Tamuril was quick to put a halt to it by surrendering as an example. No questions were asked by the dark skinned warriors as they shackled everyone aboard and locked them in to there underbelly of the native ship. Captain Cain's cargo craft was set ablaze. A single tear shone in the captains eye as he listened to the pops and crackles of his way of life sinking just out of his reach.

The hostel clan members pushed their prisoners in to the small villages inter limits, heading strait for the jail hall. There was a no toleration law in place for trespassers and would be there until the guild elders decided how to handle them.

"Captain!" a rasped voice called out to Tamuril's chapters.

She and the leader, whom was escorting her, turned to face the enclosing man. "Master Arkyn!" The captain sounded surprised. "You weren't spouse to be back from you hunt for another 3 days"

"The work was quicker than I originally assumed, I've already turned the beast over to the guild." Arkyn answered before looking Tamuril in the face. "Tell me soldier, does this woman not bring memories back to you?"

The captain looked her over as well. "No sir"

"Are you blind man?!" He was playing it serious now. "Have you forgotten the face of the woman who played the key role in founding your own clan?!" Arkyn glared down the man. "And you dare call your self a proud guard of the boarder."

Arkyn took the initiative and yanked the keys from one of the pettier soldiers and unshackled the fair mad'am. "My apologies Lady Tamuril, please join my family and I for diner tonight as we discuss freeing the rest of your merchants from this ignorant clan's grasp."

Tamuril graciously accepted, planting a small kiss on the so familiar mans cheek. "It's been far to long dear Arkyn. You've grown in to a fine looking man." She greeted warmly. The two would continue on to Arkyn's place of residence and spend the evening together catching up.

Two days prior, on the trade ship...


Leaning over the rail of the trade ship it had only been a few days since my guild had sent me to patrol the trade routes to make sure nothing was obstructing the roads and rivers. I have heard rumors of a Tigrex in the surrounding areas from the previous port cities and decided to catch a trade ship downstream, as I sailed down the river to scout the surrounding forest for any sign of a Tigrex. I am a B-class 2-rank in my guild and I have the most experience of going on scouting missions but also I was raised my father who was a very skilled trader.

As we got further down the river I decide to get off near a clearing. When I got off the boat I asked the captain of the trade ship if I can bring one of his most capable deck hands with me for a time being hoping to narrow down my search area. Of course he complied with me not wanting to waste my time or his time. As the deck hand, my cat, and I walked onto the clearing I informed the deck hand what I was looking for.

"I should let you know that I am looking for a Tigrex, if you see anything like, broken branches or footprints in the dirt tell me and you may return to your ship." I said as I informed the deck hand as he nodded and walked off opposite of me.

I had walked in the opposite direction of the deck hand and it took me a few minutes but I had spotted a line of Tigrex tracks, but they were pointing in the direction of the deck hand. My pulse had sped up to where it felt like my heart would pop out of my chest at any moment. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me toward the clearing, hoping to catch up to him in time before anything happened. But as my luck would have it I heard the roar of the Tigrex, then I heard the blood curdling screams of the deck hand. I grabbed my bow and readied an arrow, then continued to run in the direction of the noise.

Before I could reach the deck hand, he had ran past me toward the trade ship, and sure enough he had the Tigrex following suit. I drew back my bow and fired an arrow toward the Tigrexs torso hoping to lead it away from the ship and give time for the deck hand and the ship to get away. As my arrow hit its mark, I signaled to the captain to set sail. The Tigrex turned around to face me.

"Come at me!" I yelled at it.

It roared at me as it prepared to chase me, I got a head start and started to run into the wooded area around me. I could feel the ground shake as the Tigrex was not far behind. I ran for god knows how long, but as I looked over my shoulder I saw that finally saw that the Tigrex was gone and hopefully didn't go back to the trading ship. But I had another problem at hand, I was lost in a densely wooded area with no sign of a way out.

I was walking blindly through the forest hoping to find a break in the trees. I don't know how long I was trekking but soon I found the break in the forest I was looking for. I stepped forward into a snowy landscape that held no life, but as a trader I couldn't trust just my sight to tell me it looked safe, for danger can be lurking anywhere under the blanket of snow. I continued to walk forward until the line of lush greenery was now a blur. I noticed changes in the landscape. I saw movements in the dsitance. My senses had heightened as I went further in but the cold was getting to me, I had walked a few more feet until I was tripped up by something in the snow...

Tundra, jail cell...

It had been two days since I have gotten off the boat, two days since I walked out of the forest and two days since I have been this jail cell. My armor, gone. My weapon, gone. My cat, gone. Due to my lack of direction I had aimlessly wandered into the Tundra two days ago, which now I continue to mentally kick myself. I was not suited to the cold and the people of the Tundra don't take kindly to outsiders that happen to be unlucky to wander onto their land, I was now aware of this. They had be "kind" enough to give me a cloak, so that way I wouldn't die from frostbite before they found out what to do with me. But I wasn't allowed to wander around my cell, they kept my hands shackled to the floor but my legs free. They had placed me on a bench in the back of the cell, under a window. Little to my knowledge I was about to get a new cellmate.

The guards had opened up my cell door and pushed someone in. I kept my head down and my hood up hiding my face giving the appearance of sleep. When the guard slammed the door shut to my cell I heard a male voice call out to the guards mocking them, which made me smirk. At least it would be more lively in my cold jail cell.