The Raider

Chapter 1

// Hello! Thank you for reading

// I will update weekly and am open to constructive criticism (please I need it)

// Feel free to ask questions in the comments! I'll do my best to answer

// Let me know if you want any maps or casting of characters

The wind was relentless as it battled against Ascella's racing form. The sounds of several pounding footsteps forced Ascella to quicken her pace. She grunted as she launched herself from the lip of a ruin. Her hands found purchase on the neighboring roof and she was quick to pull herself upwards.

Rock crumbled underneath her feet, but she didn't dare look down as she leaped towards the next building. She was almost there. There was only one distinct tread left behind her and Ascella grinned.

Her eyes zeroed in on the faded blue cloth in the center of the courtyard. Her body moved instinctively as she found her way to the ground. There was a thud as someone jumped behind her. They were too late. Ascella whooped as her hand close around the flag and she tore it from its post.

She turned and was unsurprised to see Halo only steps behind her. She gave him a cheeky grin and he glared at her.

"Getting slow, old man?" Despite her taunt, Ascella's voice came out breathless.

The man narrowed his eyes at her at her. "You'd do best to remember who trained you girl. There was a time when your little self couldn't get past the first wall."

There were more thuds as the other raiders started to join them. The raiders waited with their eyes glued to the nearby roof for the first recruit to appear. It took several minutes. There was a rustle of fabric and Ascella grinned as Ash hit the ground. Halo scoffed beside her.

"What a surprise, Ascella's stray came in first." Ascella flipped him off as Ash strode towards her with an unmistakable grin on his face.

"Nicely done, my friend." Ash wasn't much younger than herself at fourteen, but he still beamed at the praise. To Ascella's surprise, two more recruits were already descending.

She observed the two figures as they raced for the post. Ascella nearly grinned when the girl reached it first. There were few of them in this business. The boy was only moments behind her. What was his name? Rylan? Ryder? Applause broke out as the first three recruits officially finished.

"Ash! Wren! River! Congratulations, you didn't die." Ascella's lips quirked at Halo's greeting. The two were still gasping for breath as they collapsed where Ash had. Ascella rolled her eyes as she walked towards them.

"On your feet. Recruits don't sit during training, especially mine." Their eyes went wide as they scrambled to their feet. It was customary for the first three recruits to be given to the top raider. Ascella had been the top raider for the past four years.

She nearly smiled as she observed her students. Wren and River looked only slightly older than Ash and for that she was thankful. It often caused conflict when she was paired with those older than her, no matter how much more experience she had.

The rest of the recruits began trickling in. Her mouth turned downwards as she saw them. If it took them this long to do a simple course, they would not last long in the cities.

After everybody had arrived, Ascella was quick to tie the worn cloth next to the six others on her pack. Every six months, when there were new recruits, there would be a race for top raider. Her eyes darted over to Halo's pack. He had been a raider for nearly twenty years, which was unheard of, and his pack showed it. She still remembered the first time she had beaten him. It was a momentous day to say the least.

There was silence as she produced a vibrant red cloth and tied it to the customary post. Its color was sure to be faded in six months, but it was more than suitable for the job. Ascella cleared her throat as she stepped onto a nearby slated rock. The others had put it there for a joke when she first became top raider, but it honestly worked too well for her to not use it.

"Welcome new recruits to the ruins. For the next few months, these ruins will be your greatest ally. You better be ready because your next courses will not be as easy as this one." The recruits shifted uneasily. Ascella would fully admit she stole this exact speech from Halo, if only because it was so effective.

"You will obey every single word of your assigned teacher. If they tell you to run until your legs fall off, then you will. You will be running courses until you are fast enough to not be caught." Ascella paused. "Unless, of course, you want the Kinid to have you."

The mood soured. The recruits were not stupid, they knew what it meant to be a raider. Ascella thought it fit to remind them.

"Look at your fellow recruits. One out of five of you will die on your first raid. And, of the four left, only one will make it the full ten years. Even then, I can't promise that your body will be intact." Ascella's mouth tightened as memories bombarded her. She pushed them away.

"So pay attention because it will save your life." The courtyard was silent.

"Of course, the only person these rules don't apply to is Halo." The tension broke as laughter broke out and Ascella caught a few wide-eyed glances at the legend.

"That's all I have to say. Your raiders already have task for you." Ascella hopped down for her perch and waved her recruits over.

"Family names and district." She didn't bother with formalities, they already knew who she was. Ascella nodded as they listed them off. Names were powerful in the city and the district told her where to find them. Her interest sparked when River mumbled out his last name but she did not inquire after it.

"I assume none of you actually volunteered for this." Their silence was her answer and Ascella sighed.

"Excellent. We meet here every day at dawn. You complain and I'll have you running laps for a month. Am I understood?" They bobbed their heads eagerly. Ascella spared a moment to glance at the raiders from the last batch of recruits. They were handling their new position with ease.

Ascella refocused her attention. "Good. I'm not fond of losing my recruits, so start running."

By the time Ascella relented, darkness was descending upon the forest. Her recruits breathed heavily behind her as she brought them back to the main tribe. It was only two miles, but exhaustion always seemed to stretch the distance. She left them on the outskirts with a warning to not be late the next morning.

Her and Ash made their way to her family home in silence. She frowned as she noticed the stone cottage was slowly breaking down. There was a time when her father's steelwork and brother's manual labor had been more than enough to sustain it. That time had passed with them.

It was, at the very least, better than her early raider days. Raiders received money based on what they brought back. Needless to say, Ascella was not always top raider. The only reason she had not starved to death in her first year was Halo's good will. She shook her head of the thoughts as she entered her home. She paused as Ash opened the door to his room.

"Alive?" She murmured softly. Ascella had stopped asking people if they were okay a long time ago. When Ash had appeared on her doorstep nearly six months ago with a letter in his hand, Ascella had only needed to glance at the familiar red ink and she was opening her door. After all, she had two such letters in her bedroom. What happened today, becoming a raider, only confirmed his status as an orphan. It was a moment she knew too well.

"Alive." A part of her wanted to stay with him for the night, as she had early on, but she stopped herself. He needed his privacy. With a brisk nod, she left and entered her own room. There was a flash of white outside her window and Ascella paused. Silently, as not to alert Ash, she slid open her window and grabbed the note pinned beneath it.

Meeting. Tomorrow night. Ray's inn.

Ascella quickly tore the note up and fed it to her newly lit fire. After eight years, her plan was finally coming together. Her eyes strayed to the two chains on her nightstand. She touched the one on her own neck. Raiders kept their chains until death. A familiar anger raced through Ascella's body and she tamped it down. Patience. They would all pay soon enough.

// thoughts? questions? concerns? any awful mistakes?