White Ravens: Advent of War

Rune Knight Squad

Later that day, a festivity was held in town to celebrate the graduates of Forestar Academy. Unbeknownst to everyone, the newly-appointed captain of the 20th squad of rune knights was nowhere to be found.

Luckily, Rune found the man of the hour at a cliff away from the town. Sigil was leaning against the wooden railings, feeling the wind seep into his skin. Compared to the bright and lively town, this spot he chose looked bleak.

"What are you doing here?" Sigil asked, making it sound like a threat. He didn't even glance to know that Rune was approaching him.

Rune chuckled at his friend's remark. "Take it easy there, captain! I'm just checking on you." Once he was standing beside Sigil, he also leaned against the railing. "Something bothering you?"

Sigil let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head at Rune. "Alright, I'll bite this time." For a moment, he gathered a bit of courage and continued, "It all still feels surreal to me. It's like I'm inside a very long dream, and any moment now I'll wake up to the horrible reality that I'm back at the orphanage."

"But it's not, Sigil. You're neither living in a dream, nor in the past. You're here, and you're a captain now. Open your eyes, my friend. Otherwise, you'll miss out on all the good things that are right in front of you." Rune patted Sigil's shoulder and started walking away.

Sigil shook his head and thought, 'Perhaps he's right.' With that in mind, he began to follow Rune towards the town. "Hey, wait for me!"

As the duo went back to the town, they walked through a seemingly endless number of stalls. Some of the merchants there sold food, some sold clothing, and others sold trinkets and charms. It had been a long time since Sigil and Rune had experienced something like this.

Day in, day out, they had to undergo rigorous training in the academy. Sometimes, they would be assigned to exterminate wild beasts in the outskirts of the queendom. On other times, they were tasked to go on scouting missions along with a few of their classmates.

The duo soon arrived at the castle courtyard, where some of their colleagues had gathered, along with Liana, the commander of the rune knights. 

"You finally found our absentee captain, eh, Rune? Took you long enough," remarked a female rune knight.

"Yeah, he was dozing off by the cliff again. If I hadn't arrived, he would've fallen asleep for the rest of the night!" Rune retorted. Consequently, Sigil punched Rune's shoulder, causing him to flinch. "Don't listen to this i***t, Tatiana. I just needed a breather."

The female rune knight laughed along with two knights; even the stoic commander Liana chuckled along.

"So, why are we all gathered here today?" Rune asked, putting on a serious face.

Liana moved away a few paces from the group and cleared her throat, standing in attention. "I'm sure you already know each other, but I'd like to reacquaint you all formally. Starting today, the five of you officially belong today the same squad." She then gestured to Sigil and continued, "Sigil has been assigned as your captain, and Rune will be his vice captain. I handpicked the six of you based on your capacity to work together and your individual skills."

"Let's just hope our vice captain takes his job seriously," said Tatiana, snickering at Rune.

"I'll make sure to keep him in line," said the red-haired female knight. "Oh, I'm sure you will, Yelena!" Tatiana remarked.

For some reason, Rune wasn't too happy to hear that from Yelena. Sigil noticed the displeasure on his friend's face, but he just brushed it off.

"That's enough. Now, onto your designated positions in this company. Tatiana, you will be the squad's combat medic. Your capabilities to heal even the deepest wounds will be of great use to the front lines. Everyone must make sure to keep her safe, though I doubt she's going to need protection that much," said Liana, glancing at Tatiana, who was smirking. "Yelena, out of everyone, your sensory magic along with your shadow magic will be useful for scouting and reconnaissance missions. You will be this squad's scout."

"Yes, commander!" Yelena answered while doing the knight's salute.

This time, Liana turned to the knight that hadn't said a word all this time. This man had an affable face, and his physique was the best out of everyone in the squad, even better than Rune's. However, his timidity and generally silent nature made it hard for everyone to notice him.

"To those of you who don't know him, this young knight is named Zeke," said Liana.

"I've never met that man in my life," remarked Rune. This comment earned him a stern glare from the commander. "I'm just kidding, sheesh! Loosen up people! Of course, I've met him." Rune nodded at Zeke and said, "What's up, Zeke?"

Zeke nodded back, and then he looked away immediately. "I'm good."

Liana put her hand on Zeke's shoulder, catching everyone's attention, including his. "Zeke wasn't present during the graduation competition this afternoon, because he was assigned on a mission and had only gotten back an hour ago. But I assure you, his skills are no less than that dingus over there."

Upon hearing the word "dingus", everyone looked at Rune. Naturally, he wasn't happy about that description of him, but the commander was the one who said it, so he didn't object.

It was at this moment that Sigil chimed in. "If I may, commander?" he said, looking at Liana.

"Go ahead," she replied.

"If Zeke had been able to participate in the finals, he might've won against any of us," said Sigil.

Everyone was surprised to hear him admit inferiority to someone else, but Liana seemed to agree with that statement; even Rune was looking away with disdain and had no rebuttal.

"I'm not... sure about that, captain," said Zeke, "You and Rune are much more capable than I. Even if I was able to participate, I'm not sure I could've won against anyone in this squad."

Rune clicked his tongue. "Enough modesty," he said to Zeke, and then he turned to Liana. "Commander, you said there was six of us in this squad, but I don't see anyone else. Who is this mysterious sixth man?"

All of a sudden, Yelena pointed at a tree nearby. Just then, someone emerged from the branches, jumping down by performing a perfect somersault. Once the young man had landed, he revealed his below average stature. He looked like he couldn't have been older than 18 years old. The boy's face gave away his youth, and his playful grin affirmed that fact.

Liana slowly walked towards the boy, putting her hand on his head. "This is Gust. He actually graduated a year before all of you, and he therefore outranks even Sigil and Rune. From this day forth, you are now under his care."

"What?" Rune, Tatiana, and Yelena exclaimed in unison.

Rune paced towards Liana and Gust and said, "Commander, no offense, but I don't need this runt to look after me. Stop joking around and send him home. He's clearly past his bedtime!" He then reached his hand out to touch Gust's head.

To everyone's surprise, Gust grabbed Rune's arm, swept his feet, and threw Rune to the ground in one fell swoop. Just before Rune could get up and unsheathe his hidden blade, Gust knocked the blade away, and put a knife before Rune's face.

The look on the boy's face changed. From a cheeky young lad, his eyes turned into a madman's gaze. "Call me a runt again and I'll cut out your tongue."

Rune pushed away the knife from his face and slowly got up. He got caught off-guard earlier, and now he looked just about ready to murder Gust. His right palm slowly glowed red, a ball flame emerging from it. He then unsheathed his sword, and the flame extended to the sword. "You'll pay for that, boy."

Rune formed a stance, his sword pointing forward, ready to lunge at a moment's notice. Just when he was about to push forward, Gust snapped his finger, which caused them to switch places, and the flame in Rune's sword to die out.

Once more, Gust snapped his finger and he appeared right above Rune, performing a spinning axe kick. Rune noticed the attack on time and parried the blow with his arm.

"Enough!" Liana shouted.

Surprisingly, Gust behaved himself upon hearing the commander's instruction. "Yes, commander!" he responded, while wearing an impish grin.

"Perhaps that display is enough to show you that this young man is no less than any of you in terms of skill. I trust that you will not commit the same mistake as Rune," Liana said with an exasperated sigh.

Rune clicked his tongue and sheathed his sword back to its scabbard. Sigil put his hand on Rune's shoulder and spoke up. "What role does Gust play in this squad, commander?"

"He's an insurance. Along with Yelena, he will be performing reconnaissance missions, and he can also issue direct orders in the battlefield during extraordinary situations. But worry not, Sigil, he will still be working under your command," Lina answered.

Gust held out his hand to Sigil. "It's a pleasure to meet you, captain."

Sigil took his hand and shook it firmly. "Likewise, Gust. We'll be in your care."

Gust giggled at Sigil's response while looking at Liana. "I like this one better than the other guy. He has manners."

"Why, you little—" Rune hesitated to speak when he noticed the stern glare from Liana. Her piercing red eyes and knitted brows meant that she was not going to let this one slide anymore.

Liana cleared her throat to catch everyone's attention. "Now that you're all acquainted, I'd like to brief you in on your mission." The way she said those words made it seem foreboding of something ominous.

"I'll be assigning your squad to the western border town of Mirea. They are in dire need of reinforcements, so you will leave tomorrow at the break of dawn. Get your households in order. Gust will brief you in on the other details tomorrow."