By Long47
Anex and Kitana slowly marched down the winding trail. They were to met up with Rinath in a small town along the road the next day. Rinath had pulled ahead of them on the horse they had rented to check on a rumor of a Cineran Officer in the town of Franlius. Anex didn't know why he had gone on ahead but didn't question her friend, figured it was known of her business and she'd learn about it later. Her conversation with Kitana had stopped when she had felt like she was being watched from the trees that were on both sides of the path. She had made a motion to the gladius on her hip and had managed to signal to Kitana to just keep using her fangstaves as a walking stick. Anex was keeping her eyes open though and held her hand close enough to the hilt of her gladius to pull it out in time. She still couldn't find any signs of any approuching men or even of anyone walking on this trail. Then she heard it, a cry that sounded like a ghost yelling from the Nine Hells themselves. She immediately had her gladius out and watched Kitana wield her fangstave. She looked and saw nine men, infront five in back, and two from each side."Kitana, this might be the last fight were in you know," said Anex grimly taking a traditional Trijan fighting position beside Kitana."Well its been nice fighting with you and everything," said Kitana raising her staff just in time to block a blow. Anex only smiled as she took block and then countered. The block-counter episode went on for many minute without either side landing a hit. Anex and Kitana however did begin to tire and realized the enemy wasn't. Anex looked out of the corner of her eye to see Kitana one last time and then when back to the routine, this time the bandit landed a hit right in her shoulder and her gladius dropped. "Well time to die," thought Anex to herself. Anex watched the spear raised directly at her then fall to the ground. She then heard another battle-cry from the forest and turned and saw men jumping out of the forest swing gladii at the enemy. It wasn't long until the whole force was laying died on the ground. During that time Anex had checked over her shoulder and realized she wouldn't move it for weeks. Anex then retrived her weapon with the other hand and placed it in its home and turned to face the leader of their heros. She saw a tall man with black hair and even darkier eyes. His gladius was an unnormally green color and seems to glow everytime the sunlight hit it. "You two should be more careful traveling these roads, many bandits lay this way," said the man graceful gentleness in his voice. "We were but we were simple outnumbered and didn't stand a chance," said Anex in reply never turning from his eyes which held a strange glow, one like she had never seen before. "You have many questions but none pretain to the safety on the road," said the man."Who are you, and why does your sword..." Anex tried to say. "I am the Cineran Soldier your friend seeks but not the one his heart tells him to kill. My sword and my appearance were all effect by me finding the one true path of peace," said the man before Anex even finished."The one true path?" Kitana asked listening in on their coversation."Ereal is always preached as the only real powerful god, and you have Ravan and all the moon gods who some worship. I learned a lesson in my travels though. One god isn't god of all, each man must chose to serve his own god and when he does that god will bless him," said the tall man.Anex stood in wonder and spoke," I have chosen my god to serve and he protects me well, but what is your name?" The tall man just smiled," I used to be called Kur..." A sudden scream split him off as a little girl traveling with her parents saw the bodies. Anex turned to look and then turned back to find only Kitana and herself standing alone, there wasn't even alittle girl or bodies."Creep," was all Kitana could say. "Lets get out of here!" said Anex with earnest.