Arise, the Dragon's Cane

- RASOC -

Hielgan ran out the inn's door and quickly scoured the area, women's screams from afar alerted him of the half mortal's presence, and Hielgan quickly ran after him.

While rushing towards the commotion Hielgan noticed a dark figure leaping across the buildings, it was the same half-mortal he was going after, and he was running on the rooftops as he leaped from one building to the next.

'Tch! I have to keep up!'

"[Edge of Motion!]"

Hielgan activated one of his skills and his body dispersed the dormant mana to his active muscles. The effects of [Edge of Motion] were immediate, and Hielgan could feel his body become lighter and more agile.

Hielgan then easily lept onto some nearby crates and made his way to the rooftops to pursue the half-mortal. The half-mortal was two buildings away when Hielgan jumped to the rooftops, however, the half-mortal was quick as he dashed on all fours.

'He's a natural!' Hielgan admired as he increased his pace.

His father had told him little about the half-mortals, Hielgan had always assumed this was because of the lack of information about them and the fact that few remained on the continent.

'The war shattered many clans...'

Half-mortals were once a noble race in the first era, this was at the time Emperor Gherial had landed on the eastern shores of Morland. The half-mortals once occupied the southern continent where Quaria, Tearl, and most of the southern towns are now located.

After finding them here Emperor Gherial tried to make peace with them, and though the half-mortals possessed much intelligence, they proceeded to wage war against Gherial, but he turned the tide against them and conquered their lands.

From the accounts of early knights, the half-mortal's army was said to be fearless and ferocious, the texts had described the battles as battling against highly intelligent beasts equipped with arms, claws, and teeth.

It was fortunate that the half-mortals were at war with the elves from the Iziria islands, so with their combined forces of mortal and elf, they managed to decimate the half-mortal's forces and conquer their land.

The remnants settled at the far end of the continent and after a decade they sent a letter to form a treaty, which Emperor Gherial heartily accepted.

'Half-mortals definitely know how to hold a grudge.'

The half-mortal suddenly jumped down from the rooftops to an alleyway below. When Hielgan reached the same area, he could no longer see the half-mortal.

'Did he enter one of the buildings?'

Out of nowhere, a clawed hand clutched Hielgan's foot and immediately pulled him down from the edge of the building.

"WHOOA!"

The half-mortal flung Hielgan towards one of the buildings, but he nimbly curled in midair and then landed on his feet like a cat. Hielgan immediately looked up toward the top of the building and his eyes locked on to his assailant.

'He's probably annoyed that I landed on my feet.'

The half-mortal glared at Hielgan menacingly with eyes that gave off a greenish glow, he was hanging vertically on one of the buildings with his claws etched into its wall.

"Why are you following me?" The half-mortal finally spoke.

Stunned, Hielgan was unable to respond.

"A quiet one eh? I will make you talk."

The half-mortal raised his free hand at Hielgan and with a clicking sound, five black claws protruded from his mortal-like fingers. The half-mortal immediately lunged toward Hielgan from the wall, seeing this Hielgan quickly pulled his greatsword from his back and parried the incoming attack instinctively.

The half-mortal glared right into Hielgan's eyes before unleashing a barrage of clawed strikes at Hielgan, and without a second thought, Hielgan managed to parry all of the half-mortal's strikes and then slam his greatsword's hilt into the half-mortal's cheek.

"Who are you?"

The half-mortal's voice came out from underneath his constant growling and hissing, that Hielgan could now see his breath seeping from his mouth like a steam pipe.

'He's not growling, he's panting.' Hielgan wondered. 'So that's why there's no power behind his attacks.'

Disheartened by his opponent's handicap, Hielgan thought of retreating from the fight since he knew the half-mortal would not willingly leave on his own. Hielgan did not fathom the situation that had led to this, but he had a feeling that his further involvement would only benefit the wrong party.

"Why did you attack those guards?"

Hielgan responded with a question as he hoped the half-mortal would at least explain his situation so that Hielgan would have no reservations about letting him go.

The half-mortal paused as he recovered from Hielgan's recent attack, he seemed to have taken this opportunity to catch his breath.

"I don't need to explain myself to you!"

The half-mortal clutched his cape slyly and suddenly threw it in front of Hielgan as a screen to block his view, and before Hielgan could pull the cape from his sight, he heard a loud roar which was immediately followed by a loud resounding thud.

[Thuud*]

"[Back-Breaker Fist]!"

Hielgan finally noticed the half-mortal's fist in his gut, and for a moment he saw a blur in his eyes.

Hielgan suddenly came to and pulled the cape off of his face, and he noticed that the last attack had sent him rolling out to the streets. The half-mortal with the cat-like ears was long gone and Hielgan wondered what sort of attack he had used in the end.

"What was that? His fist seemed to have gotten bigger!"

Unable to follow the half-mortal anymore, Hielgan returned to the Inn where he found several other guards extracting their colleagues that had been taken down earlier. When the guard that the half-mortal had left unscathed saw Hielgan, he quickly rushed to him while stomping his feet.

"Did you get him?"

"No, he got away." Hielgan responded. "But why do you want to catch him so badly?"

"Tch. You saw what happened, he's a criminal!"

Hielgan got the same resentful response just like the one he got from the half-mortal earlier. It appeared that none of the two parties wanted to justify their actions, and neither of them wished to admit that they were in the wrong.

"I did manage to get his cloak." Hielgan added as he raised the ragged cape in his hand.

"Seems like you can do something right." The guard responded slightly appeased before swiping the cape from Hielgan. "Here, for your efforts."

The guard handed me three silver coins and took his leave, and the rest of his men followed him.

It was fortunate that none of them had died after the assault, Hielgan wondered if the half-mortal really had the intent to kill the guards when he lashed out.

That night.

Hielgan suddenly woke up from the noises coming from outside, he could hear several armored footsteps running through the cobbled streets.

"To the docks, hurry!"

The voices sounded panicked and Hielgan could not help but ponder what was getting the guards worked up this late at night, Hielgan then quietly pulled open his window to the inn and eavesdropped on the guards.

"How did you find him?" One of the guards asked.

"We managed to get his scent from his cloak." Another explained as they ran past the inn. "The new hounds did the rest, now we have him cornered!"

"So he's really a Ticigirian?"

Hielgan could not hear the response to the final query as the guards had now run too far for him to hear them anymore, however, the last word they had stated resounded in his mind as he thought hard about where he may have heard it before.

'This could not have happened at the worst time.'

Hielgan picked up his greatsword and quickly draped his leather jacket over his body, then he opened the window further before rushing out towards the docks.

As Hielgan ran to the docks across the rooftops, he began to recall who the Ticigirian truly was. A rare clan of half-mortals that had features resembling that of the saber, rounded ears, claws, long canines, and a paralyzing gaze.

'In their true form...'

During the first era, all the clans of half-mortals gathered under one banner to fight against Emperor Gherial and the elves.

'The Ticigirian.'

Like the Dragonfolk, the Ticigirian had unique abilities that allowed them to excel in Morland, and even after being conquered and fleeing to Sarst-Gov, Lazuriel would later seek out their power to aid him in his rebellion.

'Now I remember, it was my grandfather who encountered them. This was after the great war when he fled to Sarst-Gov.'

Hielgan recalled the story that his father had told him, how his grandfather had survived the hunt of the rebels. Lacolgan and the commander of the Ticigirians fled back to Sarst-Gov together, and during their time in hiding, they became more than brothers in arms.

From Sarst-Gov the Ticigirian's gave Lacolgan a ship and with a few of his soldiers, he managed to sail to evade the Empire's ships and sail to Sigul.

The Ticigirian were once dear comrades of Hielgan's grandfather, regardless of the circumstances that brought them together, Hielgan knew it was his duty to honor such friendships in his great pursuit to restore his family's legacy.

'What would you do for your comrade?'

Hielgan pondered on that thought, it was a question that his father had asked him only once during his lifetime, a question he had already made an answer to.

"Everything."