Nameless

Prologue

Jovin Kabal was strolling through his gardens, which he often did at sunset, when a slight rustle in the bushes startled him away from his thoughts. His pose shifted from poised to sleek, both equally graceful. He wasn't a knight or innovator by any means, but he knew how to hold his weight in a fight. He could sense the danger that came with that rustle. He knew because of the fact that numerous other knobles of his status had died in outlandish and obscene ways recently. He had no need for soldiers or knights to guard him but instead turned to innovators. He called for them but knew they wouldn't get there in time unless he could stall for a minute or two. So, Jovin started to summon his own Bavik, a form of magic found in every living body and (at least on this world) focuses on repetition, by speaking the alphabetic phonemes over and over. "Ahj, Bæk, Ceev, Chag, Dahj, Eg, Feg, Gah, Kgeh... " was all that flowed from his lips. He got into a trance-like state over the rumblings of magical potential, called Bavik, coalescing within his own soul. His Bavik infused him with added power, agility, and intellect. In reality, it just expanded his abilities into the full potential that his body could handle, but it felt like becoming a superhero after being a common peasant.

The assassin was upon him in a heartbeat. However, Jovin was ready for this. He responded with grace and poise. His demeanor was calm and collected as he swiftly parried a dagger blow with his rapier. It wasn't there a second ago, but his magical ability allowed him to materialize it from thin air... Literally. His magic allows him to change the molecular structure and amount of protons, neutrons, and electrons in atoms to fit his will. This ability, called Keton, a form of Bavik, stems from the human connection to spirituality mixed with a little alchemy, chemistry, and other sciences. It has to do with the... Sorry, I'm rambling now. Anyways, the assassin continued to strike at Jovin who swiftly blocked with no intent to kill. The assassin had graceful movements combined with a slender build to compound their refined skills.

"Who are you and why have you come for me?" Jovin stated in his calm demeanor, rapier poised to parry yet another flurry of attacks.

"I am your worst nightmare!" the assassin growled.

"Wow, that's pretty cliché," Jovin said, chuckling. On the inside, however, he was no smiles. He wasn't sure if he should be making mockery of this or just giving up and letting his body be passed to The One Beyond

"Shut up! This is a fight, not some comedic skit you insufferable knobleman!"

The assassin was clearly seething. Jovin could tell by the randomness and wild motions displayed by his adversary. This person was not the type he would've expected to get enraged by something simple. Was that assassin actually mad or were they just planning something? Jovin couldn't tell for sure if they were faking their new actions or just reacting terribly to his verbal jabs.

The assassin started to give off the most subtle glow. Jovin would never have noticed if he wasn't making it a priority to look for it. The assassin was infusing her own Bavik, he realized that she had repeated the same motions over and over. Her Bavik was activated. She would gain heightened senses and boosted abilities, the maximum potential of the assassin's body. Her friends would arrive soon and then he would be dead no matter how much Bavik he used nor how well his swordsmanship paid off. He really had to call on the abilities of his innovators to win out over the intruders. Jovin hoped it was enough. He prayed to The One Beyond that he would be victorious today, not at all for himself, but for his innovators and his house. The One Beyond only knows he hasn't deserved his own longevity. He would not fail his house in such a way to be killed. However, his chances were dwindling by the second. Actually, by the amount of Bavik he had left. He was running dangerously low and it would usually take hours to recover. (This is when I interject to tell you that there are ways to recover Bavik that don't take hours, but RAFO for the details.)

"This was bad, really bad," Jovin thought. He was running out of Bavik and his foe was just starting to use hers. The innovators he had hired were disposed of or subdued, and he could see the other thugs rounding the corner of his garden maze which led directly to the center where he fought the young assassin.

The other mercenaries were upon Jovin and the girl he fought was getting stronger, smarter, and more aggressive. He decidedly made one last attempt at life, though he wasn't exactly sure how much he actually deserved it... Little to none in his own opinion. He infused his last little bit of Bavik into one last magical blast to send out as a transmutation of air into crystallized water.

As Jovin pushed his Bavik out he changed his mind, and therefore changed the consistency of his magical output. The result was water playfully splashing his opponents. They closed in on him and quickly slashed at his throat. He did not parry, he didn't even flinch. They struck. Pain flashed and coursed throughout his body. Then the darkness came to swallow him up. Famine was upon him, that eternal being of hungry consumption. (Famine would be considered the Devil on other planes/worlds). Jovin Kabal was dead.

Now this isn't much of a story. The great protagonist with a dark past and conflicting views on death versus life just died. That's a total bummer. Like what in Kovalor, the land of the dead, just happened?! It just wasn't meant to be I guess.

Now, this young man named Christopher, HE is a tale for old ears.