Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

A woman, clad in shining, plate armor stood at the edge of the walls of the city of Alvora. She had short, round ears on top of her head that were black in color and a small white, nubby tail behind her.

Ever since she took command of the supply depot four years ago after the betrayal of General Elzha, she had made it a point to patrol the city's fortified walls every dawn. The city had essentially turned into a fortress during the time that she took command, and it's citizenry had started to slowly trickle back into the city.

It was no longer just a supply depot for the army, but a functioning city under martial law. While not an ideal situation, after such a long and drawn-out war, the locations the citizens had been relocated to were running out of space and supplies to care for them. There was no option but to return home.

"General Pana! General!"

Pana turned around to look the fresh-faced boy in the eyes. He was sweating profusely and gasping for breath. He had probably run nonstop around the walls to locate her.

"Speak."

"Ma'am… Eroa has pushed further into our territory. They've taken the hills five miles to the north."

Pana felt a rumble in her throat as she failed to hold back an angry growl. They had faced loss after loss and yet their king, the almighty Zethis, refused to yield. Not only had his plans been derailed by a traitor, putting them at a disadvantage, but his own foolish pride would not let him sue for peace.

One of the few things that kept them from losing Alvora more quickly was that Kalivas had chosen to remain within Eroa's borders. Likely to keep the King and Empyrean warriors of Alorek from joining the war. However, they did face a new foe on the battlefield.

Recently they had been receiving reports of a unit of fighters that were under the direct order of King Verdayl Eroa. These fighters were members of his elite guard known as the 'King's Shadow' that served to be his eyes and ears in the dark. However, instead of operating as a clandestine group resolving internal affairs, it seemed a number of their ranks had been sent to the warfront.

"How many Shadows were seen?"

"According to reports, only four or five at the most."

"That's too many… They are planning something. Inform the populace to prepare supplies and fortifications for a potential siege. Our soldiers will assist the merchant guild in providing supplies based on family size and need. Triple the guard at all checkpoints and double the number of scouts. All reserves are considered active duty as of now." Pana barked.

The messenger saluted her, took a deep breath then ran of to relay her commands to other messengers. Pana had great instincts and intuition and something told her that the end of the war was on its way.

*****

"Oh Renaaa!" a sing-song voice reverberated through her room. The pitch was unnecessarily high and energetic. "It's morning and it is time for our weekly outing!"

Rena reached out and grabbed something hard off of her night stand, then chucked it at the door. The loud thud acted as an indicator that the visitor could come in. Seeing as she had a key, there was no need to unlock the door for her.

A young woman with white hair slowly stepped into the doorway, moving to the side so a much more energetic woman with black hair and silver eyes could rush inside. The second girl took a flying leap and landed right on top of the poor redhead still covered up by her blankets.

"Lady Rena, it does you no good to stay in bed all day! I know it is the weekend, but to waste the day away by sleeping is by no means an excusable action!" Lyrah teased while poking her cheek.

"Lyrah… get off me." She grumbled in response.

The girl let out a sigh. "Alright… so be it. Natali?"

"[Glacies: Freezing Wind]" The maid generated a low powered version of a debuff spell. It was useless at the power level she used, but it was enough to create a small lair of frost to form all over the room.

"Fine! Gods, you two are persistent, I'll get up…" Rena acquiesced to their demands and threw off her blankets. Since they were all girls, she did not bother to cover her modesty despite the fact that her nightgown had slipped off her shoulder, exposing one of her breasts.

"Oh my, Lady Rena, how bold!" Lyrah giggled with a hand over her mouth.

"Please, were I interested in seducing you, I would try harder than simply exposing my chest."

"Is that so? I don't know, it seems like a pretty viable option for seduction."

"If you were a man maybe it would be, but I like to think you are a little more intellectual than that." Powered by m_vl_em_p_yr

Natali giggled in the corner of the room. It had been four years since Rena had joined the academy and they spent every day off and many evenings after classes hanging out and talking. So much so, that conversations like this became the norm. The three of them were considered outcasts at the Academy. Rena because of her past, and Lyrah and Natali because they were the only Marked Ones in attendance.

Rumors had it that because the Adventurer's Guild leveraged its weight as an international organization, to request that the laws that the human nations put in place to prepare for war, be maintained after the war.

This meant that when war was finally over, there would likely be an influx of students of various ages in schools and guilds around the continent. However, until that actually happens, these two girls were the only ones of their kind currently here.

"Who do you pick to be the winner of the Senior Showcase this year, Rena?"

"I am unsure. Unfortunately, my idiot cousin has become quite adept in the ways of both combat and magic. So, he stands a good chance."

"Hmm, that he does. None of the other incoming seniors have quite the same spunk that he has. I only wish he would direct that energy into being less of a dickhead."

"If only."

What Lyrah was referencing was the annual 'Senior Showcase' as the students had taken to calling it. Essentially it was a combat tournament held every year as part of the opening ceremony for the Royal Academy in Arcadios. Students of the incoming senior class would volunteer in a combat tournament showing off their abilities and talents as an inspiration for the incoming freshmen.

It also served to pander to members of nobility that wished to see their donations were worth the expense.

Rena could care less who won the tournament. The only thing the winner got was the fawning of any incoming students who were interested in getting to know, either politically or carnally, strong warriors.

Lyrah started audibly sighing as she watched Rena choose the outfit she was going to wear today. It was a pair of pants with leather armor over the top, a plain undershirt under a set of studded leather and topped with a thin overcoat. Essentially, she looked again like the adventurer she once was. The girl finished the look by tying up a small ponytail with her short hair.

"It is quite a shame you don't dress more ladylike anymore. You have such a nice figure."

"I have no one I need to impress. What is that old saying… Dress for the job you want? Well, I'm going to be an adventurer after the academy. So here I am. Come on let's go." Rena led the girls out of her dorms so they could visit the marketplace and bakeries like usual.

Rena sighed to herself at Lyrah's behavior. 'Today is his birthday… isn't it...we're eighteen now Lucius... I wish we could have seen it together' She thought sadly as she gently rubbed the choker around her neck.

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A/N: Thank you to all those who have purchased privilege and tickets, and powerstones!

Special thanks to:

bashuwen, DarkElven6, Aldiir_Di_Oz, darkblade875, azazel867, alex_molsbee, Jesse_Michaels, and MultiEye. you keep a newbie like me writing! <3

Hope you enjoy volume 2 more than volume 1!