Chapter 1: Fire Suns

Chapter 1: Fire Suns

The sky was dark, cloudy, and gray. It was a cool day, the wind bit at your skin like cold needles. A day where not many people were outside. Southground wasn’t a very populated town anyways. It seemed like a normal, cold day for people in the south, but something was going on inside one of the houses.

Despite how many depicted him, Oakwind didn’t have blood dripping from his lips. No, he wasn’t a cannibal, he wasn’t like how his “WANTED” posters drew him. He did though, have the thick red liquid soaking his arms. Well, arm. He had lost his right arm when he was only a child, along with his left eye, but Oakwind didn’t like to talk about what had happened to him. 

Right now, all he was thinking about was how he was going to wash the blood off of him. It was soaking his arm from his elbow, all the way down to the tips of his fingers. Despite how much blood there was, none of it was his own. You see, Oakwind is a dark elf. That means that his blood isn’t red. When a dark elf is born, their blood is pure, snow-white; for every bad thing they do, it goes a shade darker. Oakwind refused to ever let himself bleed. He was too afraid of what he might see. 

So, the blood belonged to the dead dwarf in front of him. Oakwind was a trained assassin, and he was simply hired to kill this man in his house. Oakwind was getting paid more than usual to kill him, but the dwarf didn’t have any valuables in his home. He shrugged it off, realizing the person who hired him probably just had a personal grudge against the dwarf. He had gotten hired for things like that before. 

He had been trained to use his dark magic since he was young. His magic was powerful and meant a guaranteed death to anyone he was assigned to kill. Oakwind was trained under and works for the Viper Fangs. The Viper Fangs are a powerful and rich group of people that secretly train thieves and assassins. They had picked little Oakwind up from the streets soon after he lost his arm and eye. 

Oakwind went to the cauldron full of water, washing his arm off. He had dark blue skin, and a slim, acrobatic body. His skin was completely black in the area around where he lost his arm and eye. He had an undercut of his red and orange fire-colored hair. He had a long tail like all dark elves with a patch of long hair at the end that was the same fire color as the hair on his head. His eyes were also the same fire color as his hair. 

He swung his satchel over his shoulder, then fitted his poncho and cowl on. He always had a poncho to cover the stump of his arm, he didn’t like when people stared at it and he didn’t know if someone would recognize him as an assassin. He had a cowl on just in case anyone might be able to recognize him, even if his poster drawings looked nothing like him and didn’t even know his name. Oakwind was cautious. He sat by a covered window, waiting for the sun to set, so he could sneak out in the cover of darkness. He would take every percussion to make sure he wasn’t caught. 

He took one last look around the house, making sure he didn’t leave anything behind they could trace back to him and left. It was pitch-black outside. Clouds covered the moons that usually lit up the town, just as Oakwind had hoped would happen. He kept his hood up as he ran swiftly. He was quiet and fast, which was perfect for getting out of the town without waking any of the sleeping guards. The pathway was made of large stones, but they were cobbled in the dirt, so it didn’t make any noise to step on them. He stopped by a horse and carriage just outside of the town.

He hopped in the carriage, waking the human man that was sleeping in the driver’s seat. The man had old, brown skin with silver stubble and gray hairs from the sides of his head with a hat that covered a bald spot on his head. 

“Silver Reach,” Oakwind said, handing the man 30 gold coins. Silver Reach was where the man who hired him said he would be waiting to pay him. 

The old man only scowled at Oakwind, like he wished the dark elf would disappear on the spot from his gaze alone. 

“Forty for dark elves,” the man said coldly, in a deep, gravelly voice.

“Really? Come on, it’s not like I weigh more than most humans, probably lighter actually,” Oakwind responded, trying to sound cheerful as he gestured to his skinny, starved body. He honestly didn’t each eat as much as he knew he should, but how could he eat when most dark elves couldn’t even afford a slice of bread just because humans raise the price to a hundred gold pieces? 

The old man didn’t say anything, and instead just held out his wrinkled, dried hand. Oakwind sighed as he handed him the ten extras. The man counted them out before shoving them in his money pouch and whipping the reins attached to the black, shire horse. 

Humans didn’t like dark elves all that much, or any other race for that matter. Oakwind guessed it made sense in a country filled with mostly humans and a human king. Lefwest just didn’t seem to like people who looked different. Humans even had a list of races they hated the most to the races they hated the least. 

At the top of the list for the most hated race was the orcs. Orcs were the race native to Gristor, a country full of hot deserts and sand. The country’s orcs were known for being violent barbarians and the multiple civil wars they’ve had. They were not popular in Lefwest. 

The next two hated races were tied for second. Dark elves and snow elves. Humans feared magic, and those two races were full of it. Any race can manipulate magic energy with training, but they need a magic-charged crystal to get the energy to manipulate. Dark elves and snow elves, however, created and generated magic from inside of themselves to manipulate and use. Using magic without a license was illegal in Lefwest. Dark elves usually had dark blue or purple skin with brown or red hair, and snow elves were always extremely pale with white hair. 

In third was the vesperts. Vesperts were a race similar to bats. They had hairy human bodies with large, bat-like heads and huge bat ears. Coming from their arms was a thin membrane that created wings that they could fly with. They have excellent sight and hearing and can use echolocation. They also have an ear-bleeding scream. Oakwind knew from experience that that last one was completely true. He had been assigned to kill one once and she screamed at him before he successfully killed her. His ears were ringing for two whole seasons after that. Vesperts weren’t allowed to fly or use their scream. 

Next was the gatos. Gatos, also called gatas, were cat-like people. They had human bodies covered in fur, claws, and a tail. Their faces were similar to panthers and they have huge pointy ears. They can be brown, black, grey, or white, and usually have stripes and spots. They have excellent hearing and can be very quiet. 

After them, were the savras. Savras were lizard-like people. Savras were covered in scales and had a tail and usually spikes or horns on their head, neck, and tail. Their faces were long like a lizard’s is and were pretty short. They’re known for being excellent swimmers and tree climbers. They can be pretty much any color but are usually green or brown. 

In sixth was the fauns. Fauns were half-human, half-goat. The lower half of their bodies are two goat legs and a short goat tail, and the rest of their bodies look human. They have goat ears and large, curved goat horns on their heads. They’re amazing mountain climbers and great at balance. There aren’t many of them in Lefwest. 

Next up were fairies. Fairies weren’t as hated as the other races. They were more just disliked. They had pointy ears and large, bug-like wings. The shape of their wings varies from fairy to fairy, but, like the vesperts, they aren’t allowed to fly. 

Next was the wood elves. Like the fairies, they weren’t hated, just disliked. They usually have yellow skin with pointy ears. They can’t possess magic like other elves, their only ability is being able to see colors better than every other race. They have yellowish skin with a range of hair colors. 

Lastly was the dwarves. They weren’t hated, and really they were hardly any different from humans other than size, but they were still a part of the list as a hated race. They were very good at gardening but had no abilities that Oakwind knew of. 

Oakwind sighed as he leaned against the wood of the cart. Humans hated every non-human race. Then again, he couldn’t blame them. Almost every non-human race was a thief or an assassin. Not many of them liked humans very much either. There were plenty of countries that only allowed certain races to enter them. 

It was a messed up world, but Oakwind didn’t really care. He’s been learning to kill since he was young, so it didn’t bother him. He got the money, that’s all he cared about. Not the lives of those he killed. Not the families who were devastated by their deaths, no, he cared about the money and his own life. 

It took about a week and two carriages for him to get to Silver Reach, it was across the country after all. 

Oakwind walked through the city, ignoring the stares and glares he got as he walked. Silver Reach was not one of the cities with a large population of dark elves, even in the slums of it. He adjusted his poncho again, he would get even more unnecessary stares if they saw his missing arm.

He continued to walk on the paths of the city, searching for the Giant Hive. That was the tavern the man who had hired him said to meet in.

Oakwind eventually stumbled upon the building he was looking for. It was a large, stone house with a wooden door and “Giant Hive” carved into a hanging sign. Two small gardens on either side of the door sat, each with small blue mountain flowers. It was pretty mundane and vapid for an inn. It was nothing special, which made it perfect to discuss the kinds of deals Oakwind made with people. 

He kept his head down as he walked into the dull and quiet place. Old, large men sat at tables with mugs of different types of alcohol in hand. Oakwind assumed most of them were drinking Silver Ale, the drink this city was famous for. Only small muttering and fire crackling sounds could be heard throughout the place. 

Oakwind looked at the darkest corners, searching for the man. He didn’t ever memorize his hirer’s names, just their faces. That’s all he needed to know. When people hire an assassin, especially one from the Viper Fangs, they know better than to try to get out of paying up. 

Eventually he saw the man he was looking for in the furthest, darkest corner of the room. Oakwind pulled his hood over his head as he slowly walked over to the man. He sat down in a chair opposite of him, saying nothing. He only smirked as he examined the man one more time. 

He was large, with a strong build. He wore heavy furs and other thick clothes. He had a long, thick, black, braided beard and black hair pulled back into a loose, low ponytail. 

The man’s eyes slowly looked up at Oakwind as he took a long drink out of his mug. 

“He’s dead. Left bloodied in his own home, just like you asked,” Oakwind said quietly, making sure only the man in front of him could hear. Oakwind had a smirk on his face, like he usually did when he saw the slight shock on his client’s face. Oakwind was pretty short and didn’t look all that muscular, definitely not like someone who would be very good at murder. And that’s not even mentioning his missing arm and eye. 

The man nodded slowly before reaching below the table. He pulled out a large pouch and set it on the table with a couple “clinks” coming from the inside. Oakwind looked inside of it making sure it was the right amount. He smirked again at the shining gold and quickly put the pouch in his bag. 

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Oakwind said in a smooth, low voice. He stood and gave a small bow and the man gulped. He stood up straight again and turned away, but the man said something. 

“If you don’t mind my asking,” he said in a deep, gruff voice. “How did someone with missing limbs kill him?” He looked nervous about asking, but still managed to keep a straight face. Oakwind only turned his head to look at the man, a cocky smirk forming on his face yet again. 

“Being an assassin is illegal. You think I follow any other rules?” He said quietly but threatenly. He lifted his hand slightly, letting the smallest amount of dark purple smoke come from his fingers. The man’s eyes widened once again. “Thanks for the pay, I was almost worried you were gonna try to rip me off. Doesn’t end well for the few people that’ve tried.”

He turned away from the man, leaving the tavern. Oakwind loved that feeling. He lived for that feeling. The feeling of people cowering before him. The feeling of striking fear into a person’s heart. It was exhilarating. It was the only time Oakwind ever felt in control. The only time he felt powerful… and he loved it.

Oakwind walked the pathways, keeping his head low and staying in the less crowded and shadier areas. He may have liked feeling in control but he hated attention even more. So, he traveled through some alleyways, trying to leave the city. He passed by sketchy people, but ignored them. 

As he passed through another alleyway, a small, feminine voice surprised him. Oakwind stopped in his tracks, not wanting to run over the child that seemed to have just appeared in front of him. He looked down at the young gata girl. She was less than half his size and significantly skinnier. She had gray fur with black stripes and spots.

“Hello sir,” she said in the softest, sad-forced voice Oakwind had ever heard. “Would you like to buy a flower?” She held up a small basket filled with what looked like orange mountain flowers. “My parents are dead, and I need money to buy food. I don’t have a home, or a family, or-”

“Don’t wanna hear your sob story, outta the way kid,” Oakwind interrupted in a bored tone, pushing past her. He tried leaving, but he felt a heavy stomp on his tail. He forced down the small yelp that wanted to escape his mouth and whipped around to look at the little girl. She no longer had fake tears pricking her eyes. Instead, she looked rather annoyed and frustrated. 

“Come on, we’re both non-humans, help me out. Just buy a stupid flower.”

“No. Name one good reason I’d buy a flower that grows literally everywher-” Oakwind stopped in the middle of his sentence. He bent over, getting a closer look at the flowers in her basket. They weren’t orange mountain flowers like he thought they were at first. 

Fire Suns… he thought to himself. 

“Where did you get these?” Oakwind interrogated. Fire Suns were one of the rarest flowers in all of Lefwest. They were worth more than bars of gold because of their prodigious healing abilities. He tried reaching out to grab one to look at it more closely, but she pulled the basket back. 

“Does it matter? Will you buy one or not?” she pressed, making Oakwind click his tongue in frustration.

“How much?”

“Two gold pieces for each flower,” she said, a smug smirk coming onto her face. “I have twenty flowers in total.”

“Great, I’ll take all of them,” Oakwind said, reaching into his satchel for the money. A fraction of one of those petals are worth a hundred times as much, and Oakwind would gladly take advantage of that. 

“Hm. A hundred pieces.”

“What? Can’t you count, little girl? It’d add up to forty!” He shouted in annoyance. Even if the flowers would still be worth more than that, he wasn’t about to lose an even better deal because this girl didn’t go to school. 

“You weren’t interested in the flowers at all before. Now you suddenly want all of them. I get the feeling that they’re worth a bit more than what I’m selling. Or am I wrong?” she said with a stupid grin on her face. 

Oakwind let out a low growl before sighing and getting more coins. “Give me the flowers first, then I’ll pay you.” 

The girl narrowed her eyes and her ears angled back. “No way,” she hissed, pulling the basket closer to herself. “We switch at the same time.” 

“I can’t,” Oakwind sneered, lifting part of his poncho to expose his missing arm for a fraction of a second. He hated showing the black-scarred stump that was left there. It was hard getting around with only one arm, but Oakwind made it work. Though, what he hated more than not having an arm, was people pitying him. It didn’t happen often, especially since the majority of the population hated dark elves, but when he saw someone give him an ounce of pity, he hated it. 

The girl stared silently as the green fabric fell back down over his shoulder and covered the black stump again. 

“How did that happen?” she uttered, not looking him in his eyes. 

“None of your damn business,” he snapped. “Can I buy the flowers now or what?” He shook the bag of coins he was holding, but dropped it, and the coins spilled out of the bag as it crashed to the ground. Oakwind cursed before bending down to pick them up and struggling to put them back in the bag. 

“Actually…” she started slowly, a small grin coming onto her face again. She bent down and helped him pick up the coins and put them in his bag. “I could show you where you can find lots more of these if you pay me more.” Oakwind snapped his head up upon hearing her words. This girl really hadn’t the faintest idea how much these flowers are worth. 

“Show me then,” he stated, standing up again and putting the coins in his satchel. He stared down at her with a soul-piercing look in his eye. He would never let this little girl try to scam him. No, he simply wouldn’t allow that. 

“Are you sure you have the money?” 

“I have more than your tiny brain can imagine. Now, prove you’re telling the truth and show me.” 

She smiled an innocent smile and gestured for him to follow her. She led him through the alleyways with her flower basket still in hand. The alleyways got thin and hard to run through at some points, but they both managed to squeeze through. Eventually, they reached the city wall. This small section of the wall was wood, and a small loose board was visible. The girl pushed it aside, making a small opening that led to the nearby forest. 

“Well, come on, then,” she said cheerfully while Oakwind hesitated. He wasn’t one to trust many people, but if she really could show him where more of these flowers were, then the risk would be worth it. He carefully stepped through the gap, then followed behind her, running silently from habit. He had to run a lot, but he always had to be quiet, so Oakwind had to learn how to run without noise on any and all types of terrain. 

The trees had ochre brown bark with orange and yellow leaves, getting ready for winter. Sticks and dead leaves crunched under the girl’s feet, but not Oakwind’s. She had to keep looking behind her to make sure he was still following because she couldn’t hear him at all. 

They passed colorful bushes, small animals, and a stream, but the girl continued to run. Oakwind himself had plenty of stamina, but he wondered how such a young child could run for so long without getting tired.

The girl stopped in a small clearing. It was still shadowed by large, surrounding tree branches. Oakwind didn’t see any flowers�"

The girl turned around and dashed towards him quickly. With mobility, speed, and agility that surprised even Oakwind, she hopped onto his back, grabbed his satchel, and yanked it off him. She hopped down again and tried to run. 

…

She tried to run.

She was only a few steps away from him when her basket and the satchel dropped from her hands. She couldn’t breathe. Her shaky head slowly looked down. Protruding straight from her diaphragm area, was a black tendril. She found herself unable to inhale. She coughed out, blood squirting from her mouth and then trickling down her chin. 

She turned her head slowly, looking at the man she underestimated. She assumed she could get away with stealing his money since he didn’t have an arm…

Oakwind merely looked amused. He had a horrible smirk on his face as black smoke-like tendrils grew from some parts of his body. Most of it was rising from his shoulders and his missing eye. 

“Little girl, do you even know who I am?” He mocked and he turned the tendril around to make her face him. He had a sinister smile that flashed his white teeth. She opened her mouth like she wanted to speak but found she couldn’t and just stared in fear. 

Oakwind sent multiple more tendrils towards her, each one stabbing a different part of her chest or back. Her eyes widened for only a second, a natural shock to the pain, until her head slumped down, her muscles no longer fighting anything. 

The tendrils dissipated, leaving only gaping holes in the child’s body as she bled out on the forest ground. Oakwind stared at the body with a blank expression. 

“I hate kids,” he muttered before leaving her to rot.