2 and a half thousand words baby
I'm on a ROOOLL!
At least it's good to know that my writer's block isn't for all my stories... D;
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Purity woke up to shouting, screaming, and a heck of a lot of the sound of clashing metal.

"GAH!" She jolted up out of bed and grabbed the Gold Dagger underneath her mattress.

What in the whole of Reveria is going on?! Purity thought and tried to collect herself. She swung her legs out of bed and started strapping on her armor as fast as she possibly could. Bandit? Bandit's haven't attacked in a while...

Her gut was telling her it wasn't just a bandit trying to storm the castle like they did when Purity was a child.

She grabbed her Giga Buster as she threw herself out the door. Her feet did not even tough the steps as she leapt to the street level and flew down the cobblestones to the heavily-farmed South Castele. As Farley's Plantation was hard to get to (at least for the commoners; Purity often stopped for some Rainbow Apples when she went anywhere,) the farm area just outside the city walls had become almost overused for trying to provide food for the town. But the crops only did so well under the artificial oil lamps and were constantly having to be farmed year-round.

Purity nearly had her jaw drop at the destruction that had happened when she got through the gates.

The gate guards were gone, and the area was totally dark. The lampposts had been knocked over and the glass smashed, the cobblestones scratched and trails of wet maroon staining them. The fields had been churned and destroyed, as if wild animals had come through and had a drag race in them.

Well, there goes the cheap grain prices we'd been having.

Purity still heard fighting, but this time more from the west. I'm ten minutes late and the fight moves on me, goshdarnit.

Purity ran past the horse stables that was really a sort of second barracks for anyone who happened to want to be on the front lines of protecting Castele. Roslyn happened to be rushing out her door as well, brandishing her magnificent Paladin's Sword.

Roslyn was another well-known swords woman. She was a beautiful woman, having her light brown hair braided loosely over her shoulder and her fine Crusader's armor look fearsome yet as if she could go to a party in it. She was a woman of two worlds, one when she was an idealistic young girl with dreams of fighting dragons and banishing evil, and a world of shadows where it was suicide to take on the Napdragon and humans were the lesser creatures in the food chain.

"Oversleep too?" She asked as she quickly joined the much younger warrior.

Purity nodded as they marched along, hurrying across the bridge to West Castele.

"Seems like a big ruckus. But you know the average Paladins, always stationed at the gates to fall asleep when that's one of the most important stations in all of Reveria!" She complained and raised her sword.

Roslyn and Isobel are two best friends, but also total opposites. Isobel wants to try and get those Paladins to grow some backbone; Roslyn thinks it's better to not have to worry about attacks that could lead to casualties.

Purity was thankful she was a Mercenary and didn't have to worry about those sort of things. Owing allegiance to none makes my job so much easier. I can go get some food after a request instead of having to report to Isobel and not be scared the Carotys out of.

The young and adult warriors heard a whistle and both ducked in time to dodge an arrow from not piercing their ears.

"Nice dodge, Wanderer." Roslyn was an acquaintance to say the least, so Purity was used to people using her title when referring to her directly.

"Sorry!" The Hunter that shot the arrow called without even stopping his barrage to look at them. Purity's eyes widened when she saw what he was shooting at and a dozen other men were attacking.

Doomed.

Roslyn raised her longsword and charged.

In front of them between the animal farm and the chapel was a pack of Doomed Red Wolves trashing the entire place. They were covered in a living shadow, nearly twice their normal size (And the Red Wolves over the years have already grown to be bigger than thirty years ago and the kings of the Grassy Plains) Their eyes were an eerie red, but their razor-sharp teeth were gleaming white. Parts of their bodies were streaming a dark purple, which turned to the dark maroon that was staining the path that they had followed.

Well, shoot.

Purity's sword wouldn't do much good when there were other people around. Alone against many enemies her heavy, wide-range broadsword was perfect for dealing lots of damage to many enemies at once, but when fighting with allies it was a risk to swing without hurting said friends.

Purity dropped her sword belt and drew her Bone Sword from the Cave of Bones from its sheath and left the heavy sword on the ground. With a much lighter and faster sword equipped, the Wanderer leapt into the fray.

Immediately everything was flashing back and forth and armor was hidden by darkness. Purity stabbed with her Bone Sword, getting a howl from the Wolf that had unluckily been in her way.

"HA!" She yelled and sliced again.

Purity never cared for longswords; Paladin's sword and shield combo was never her thing. She had always been a Mercenary at heart, but with its slow reactions and bruteness it wasn't always the best way to fight. So when she reached Apprentice as a Mercenary, she switched her Life for the first time and became a Paladin. Isobel had been harsh at first, but Purity quickly proved her worth as she had been making her name around town and the Paladin Master had become much less intimidating. Of course Purity still respected her as a Master and an adult, but she was one of the most childish and casual adults Purity had met.

Purity fell into a dance of blades. She felt as if every movement was an endless swoop and turn, as if every slash was the same as the one before and the next one to cut through the Doomed Wolves pelts. Even when she felt herself be scratched or bitten or shoved by the evil force around the Wolves' pelts, Purity's instinct was to keep moving and use the close range to her advantage. Her mind was blank yet full, taking in information and processing it before turning it into an action that was another attack with her sword.

"...Purity..."

Something whispered, waking Purity from her trance some.

Eh...?

"PURITY! Goodness, calm down, butterfly!" The white-blonde girl snapped out of her deadly rhythm when someone tackled her.

"They're dead! Calm down, they're gone. They're dead." Roslyn whispered in a soothing tone. Purity shook her head.

Wait what?I... Uh...

The remains of the Doomed Wolves were chopped into pieces. She looked around to see people staring uneasily at her.

Roslyn removed herself from on top of Purity. "You alright, Wanderer?" She asked. Purity tilted her head side-to-side.

What in the... That wasn't me...? I'm not that brutal when fighting.

Roslyn sighed. "It wasn't you, don't worry. Bone Swords are cursed. Sometimes you'll use them no problem, the next you stop thinking and its controlling you, and it wants to kill. I'm surprised you use one, even as a secondary weapon."

Purity threw the sword out of reach.

Damn thing. I know they're supposed to be cursed but I never believed it. They're strong and bone is sharp so they do a lot of damage, but when I got that thing from the Cave of Bones I never thought that there was a way a sword some skeleton dropped could actually be cursed. I thought they just used the one they died with or something.

Surprisingly, the Cave of Bones was one of the easiest caved Purity had ever been in. Despite its distance from Castele and Al Majik, it was easy to run past monsters both directions and there wasn't many difficult monsters. 

I guess training there wasn't the best idea after all then...

Purity got up and brushed the dirt off her pants before walking back towards South Castele, not meeting anyone'e eye. She was honestly ashamed of her actions, even if they were not her own. I hate it when things take advantage of me. This one wasn't even living! It's a sword, it's not supposed to have a mind of its own!

Purity didn't even look at the few bodies that laid on the farmland for the few unfortunate farmers that were working when the Doomed Wolves stormed the area. Bet the guards by the paths to the Grassy Plains are gone too.

The deaths made Purity remorseful, but otherwise unbothered. She was used to death- most people that did not work close to any towns did not live past twenty. Of course there were a few exceptions, but far and few in between. I'll come by later and give them a burial if no one else has.

Most people if they came across a body would try and identify them, bury them and try to give them a grave, and then report the incidence to the Paladins or other enforcements when they got to a town. Purity had done this more than a few times in her Life of adventuring. She remembered the first time it happened; she had found a rotting skeleton in a Wolf den on the East Grassy Plains with a tattered black cape and basic Mercenary helm. As a ten-year-old who had just became a Mercenary, this was horrifying. She later found the skeleton had once been Jude, a cowardly Mercenary that although had good intentions, was never cut out to be a Mercenary. He had gone missing a few weeks after the eternal night started, apparently having worked up the courage to try and take on some monsters, but probably froze out of fear and was eaten.

Purity had learned a harsh truth that day. Reveria is cruel and harsh. You have to be crueler and harsher and stronger than it, but gentle and kind to the others that live in it.

Purity arrived at her Attic Room and was slightly surprised to see a letter in the mailbox.

Mail? I never get mail.

She took the letter and went upstairs, removed her Metal Gauntlets, sat down on her bed, and slid a finger under the seal and opened the letter.

Dear Miss Purity the Wanderer,
We thank you for your service with the Doomed Red Wolves that attacked Castele in the past few hours. We collected the usable materials from the Wolves and we would like to give them to you. Please come by the Guild Office to relieve your reward.
Thank you for your service,
-The people of Castele

Purity held the letter in her hands for a moment. She had never received such a large thank-you from anyone before for her services.

It's not like I had any other option? The other option would have been going back to sleep and letting Castele be overrun and slaughtered by Doomed creatures, of course I had to help! But I made a fool of myself and nearly hurt my allies? Why do they want to thank me?

Purity decided she would go by in a little bit and see what was really going on.

The Wanderer glanced around the abandoned square with a small amount of suspicion. It wasn't unusual for the place to have more or less people in it at the same time, but this was the central meeting spot in Castele; for everyone to be away or asleep and not doing business here was definitely out of the ordinary.

Maybe everyone got scared from the news of Doomed Wolves getting in and all went home.

Purity quietly pushed open the door to the Guild Office, except that it let out an obnoxiously loud creak almost immediately. The Life Master looked up almost and Purity swore she saw the glint of a dagger in his hand. She did not mind though; this Life Master was known for being constantly on edge. It seemed to run in the family, as the previous Life Master (this one's second-oldest brother) had driven himself crazy being afraid of the dark.

"Ah, Miss Purity! You-you scared me!" He cried and dropped whatever weapon he was holding. She smiled and waved her hand dismissively. The Life Master gave a nervous chuckle and pointed her over to a sack on top of the large chest (that had been there as long as Purity could remember and never opened or had its purpose explained.)

"The town heard about you helping out with them Doomed beasts earlier and wanted to thank ya for defending our home!"

Sometimes Purity wanted to know why people thought she wasn't from Castele. She personally thought all one needed was a permanent residence here (which she had) in order to be considered a citizen, but for as long as Purity could remember people have treated her as if she was a hero that was from elsewhere that decided to protect their humble city. I mean, maybe it could just be because I travel so much... Maybe because I'm "the Wanderer," haha.
Purity never questioned it too much.

She smiled and took a few steps to the bag, when suddenly all the candles blew out in the Guild Office. The ladies in the back shrieked, and the Life Master apparently knocked something over when he yelled as well. Purity wished she had grabbed her sword and raised her cloth-covered fists.

"Who's there?!" The Life Master yelled. No reply verbally, but from a small window above the Bounty Clerk's desk an unsettling silver light shone through the glass. Purity gasped, grabbed the loot bag, and threw the door open and sprinted outside.

It can't be, can it? Again?

Everything was awash in eerie silver. The winged crystal glinted as the light hit each face as it turned. The lamps that were lit were diluted in their orange glow. Purity slowed and looked in awe at how different Castele Square looked in this light.

"Woaah..." she breathed.

Others that lived on or around the square were coming out of their houses to look as well.

"What in the whole of Reveria?"

"Bro come look at this! Wake up! It's Lunares!"

"Is this a dream?"

"Oh my dear goodness, would you look at this!"

"Mama, what's happening?"

Purity gasped again. If the disc in the sky was not disturbing enough, the Goddess Fountain glowing a different light than the one other one already was. An angelic voice sang throughout the plaza.

"Thirty years of darkness come, despair and death has won. You people survive with little hope, the power of wishing at the end of its rope. The need of heroes come and gone, reliance on one's self is all you have to rely on. One among you has the power to bring back the light of old; look for the one who gives more than others could."