When the half-elf woke up in the morning, he indeed saw a raven by
his side that watched him with knowing eyes, and he understood who
this bird was. His ritual had worked and his prayers were
answered. Raven knew what he had to do. He grabbed hold of his
sword and made his way straight to Kayintas. He marched boldly
into the cave and challenged Kranti the First Rank on the spot.
Kranti was taken aback that a scrawny no-rank half-elf would be so
impudent, and jumped at the challenge.
It is sometimes said that the best defense is a good offense, and
the irate half-were dished it out with blinding speed. But though
he was stronger than Raven, he was too fast for his own good, and
did not have time to think in the midst of battle. This was
unnoticeable against lesser opponents, but when he was up against
someone as proficient as Raven, it proved to be his downfall. The
half-elf had Kranti at swordpoint in a matter of minutes. “I
will let you live,” Raven told him, “for I am not afraid to
face you again.” He stormed out of the cave the
same way he came in. This was an open declaration of war.
News of Kranti’s defeat spread like wildfire and Raven’s rank
soared through the Trellian treetops. The resistance versus Kranti
had acquired a leader – a reluctant leader, but a leader
nonetheless. Lianna the Sixth Rank, the karaci people, Traiyu’s
cave, and Keratop’s cave immediately allied with Raven and
Keramis’ cave. More would soon follow.
Those loyal to Kranti lived in settlements within a several mile
radius of Kayintas. Keramis’ suggestion to minimize bloodshed
was to cut through the camps in a straight line and aim for
Kayintas as their core goal. But Raven shot that plan down,
pointing out it would leave Kranti too many reinforcements. He
instead declared they would spiral into Kayintas, annihilating
every camp they find. This they did, and Raven’s blade drunk its
fill of blood from the trail of mutilated bodies left in its wake.
Finally they reached the Kayintas cave. Raven’s army charged in
through the front opening while karaci archers shot their deadly
arrows through holes in the Kayintas wall. Raven mowed the
battlefield with his mighty sword, consumed by the bloodlust of
Yugashii himself. He made his way into the labyrinth of tunnels
that lay beyond the main hall, and began the search for his
nemesis.
As he entered a spacious chamber, he heard a disembodied female
voice call to him though he couldn’t tell where it was coming
from. Suddenly he felt a sharp pressure on his sword, and Seinga
appeared, impaled on the blade. She begged him to spare Kranti’s
life, telling him she now willingly pays his debt of life for life
with her own. This snapped Raven out of his trance. He did not
mean for this to happen, but the woman was right, and if had any
shred of honor left in his heart he would keep his side of the
bargain.
With perfect timing, Kranti rushed into the chamber. At the sight of
his dead lover, he let out a thundering roar that sent tremors
through the passageways and drowned out the ongoing battle in the
main hall. The half-were charged Raven with a succession of
furious whirlwind attacks, but the half-elf’s graceful,
dance-like fighting style countered them all. The duel was a wild
flurry of interlocking swords that chimed and rained hot sparks.
Whoever let their guard down for a fraction of a second would
inevitably lose.
Raven managed to draw first blood, and Kranti’s unfamiliarity with
pain caused him to lose focus. The half-elf’s relentless speed
and precision quickly took advantage of his opponent’s
vulnerability and, using movements the untrained eye couldn’t
even discern, he twisted Kranti’s sword from his hands, pushed
him to the ground, and set his own blade to the half-were’s
throat. Raven explained to Kranti the reason why he wasn’t
allowed to kill him now, but assured him that if they ever crossed
swords again he wouldn’t hesitate to finish the job. He knocked
Kranti out with the hilt of his sword and returned to the main
hall to announce his victory.
Kranti and his followers were chased out of Kayintas and the North
Forest once more returned to its ideal state of anarchy. The war
was over, the hierarchy shifted, and Raven was officially
acknowledged as First Rank. His old willow pond became famous as
the Pool of Tears. But just as he had become accustomed
his North Forest home, he was called to return to the home he no
longer knew. His mother Shalaya wanted to see what kind of man he
had become. He missed her dearly, and agreed to return to the West
Forest for a while. A hardened warrior in a civilized city stuck
out like a sore thumb, so the Nastrans named him Trellion for
being from the North Forest - Trellion the Raven.