The Weaponsmaster

Chapter 23

Drea spun endlessly in the portal. She barely knew what was going on, and the pain in her body was throbbing. When she entered, it felt like a shiver was sent through her body as the pressure squeezed and compressed her. It was difficult to keep her eyes open, so she didn’t. Her whole body tingled as she traveled through the narrow tunnel.

After about a minute or so, Drea heard Korena say, We’re here. Her voice was Drea’s last shred of hope, giving her the strength to at least open her eyes. She was able to see the opening just before she sped through. She couldn’t see anyone, but she did feel a few auras in the room. She was too weak to distinguish anything though. Drea’s back hit the ground with bone-crushing force; incredible pain bloomed up her back and in her ribs. She’d probably broken some of them.

Drea felt her breath come in gasps. The fall had ignited all of the pain in her body, worsening the cut on her shoulder and the bruises Crystal gave her. She lay on the light blue tile and stared off through the curtain of her hair. Some talking occurred, followed by faint footsteps approaching her. Before she could even say anything, she blacked out.

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Danny woke up that morning and stretched. It had been over two weeks since he’d been back to Koracan, but something still felt off. He was one of their leader’s, Wren’s, top guards along with three others. They all looked like they were about sixteen or seventeen, but they had been alive a lot longer than that. They were strong, and were specifically selected due to their skill. It was their job to protect the Leader and go on serious missions. Many of the Kaienshi were out looking for the last artifact, so he’d been given the mission of training Drea. He’d given his report when he’d gotten back, and now it was officially over.

Danny left his room and met Shena, John, and Toni, the other three guards. They greeted him happily. They’d been best friends since they were chosen as Wren’s guards.  

“ Hey Daniel, it seems like Wren has something important for us today. Confidential meeting.” That was Shena in her tough exterior. She always sounded confident and calm.

Everyone there always called him by the name Daniel too. It reminded him of how Drea was the first one to give him that nickname of Danny, as hard as that was to believe.

“Yeah, we haven’t had one of those in a while,” said John. He was taller than the rest of them by about a foot, but was one of the kindest souls Danny knew.

“Must be something big this time,” said Danny.

He was about to say more when Toni interrupted, “Well why don’t we talk about something else on our way?” She smiled as usual, her blonde hair shining in her ponytail. Toni was the most upbeat person Danny had ever met, kind of like Drea’s friend Karen. She liked to talk about things other than her work a lot, making it sound like she was trying to escape the truth of her work. It was the complete opposite in fact; she loved and appreciated her work, but she’d lost a lot because of the Lori. She knew pain, and she hated causing it or letting it happen to others. That’s why she fought: to help people who can’t help themselves, and that’s why she loved it.

The four of them walked quietly to the throne room, talking in their minds to each other about random things. They didn’t want to look unprofessional; they were at work now.

In a few minutes, they stood in front of the old wooden double doors that led to the throne room. Danny stepped up and said to the two armed guards, “Reporting for duty.”

They nodded and pushed open the doors, allowing the four of them in. The doors shut behind them with a boom. Danny looked forward and saw Wren up on the throne. She was a slender woman with silky brown hair and pale skin. Despite her appearance though, she was a well-trained fighter and knew what she was doing.