• Sitting on her high, golden throne, the leader of The Royal Order of Gaian Knights sighed in pure frustration. And she did not normally sigh. Dressed in her black and gold vest over a maroon blouse, smooth black pants, and high maroon boots, she sat elegantly on her big chair. However, anyone that knew Kain knew from the look in her eyes alone that she was aggravated.

    Lady Kain, the last remaining decedent of the original Knights who were banished from the Gaian mainland a thousand years ago, was as wise as she was powerful. A natural born leader, she took it upon herself to continue the line of guardians that had served Gaia since the beginning of its existence. Her ideals and selfless devotion to all things good formed the sturdy foundations of the Knights’ principles. More than a leader, she was also a teacher, earning her the name "Senpai" among the other Knights. Though stern and strict, she was patient for the most part. She was loyal to her friends, and only her friends; to her enemies she was nothing more than a deadly force of nature. Many foes had fallen before the Lady’s blades, foes that deserved their fates. Despite her skill in battle, Lady Kain was not one to pick a fight. On the contrary, she preferred peaceful negotiations over confrontation. However, her current situation was pushing her buttons in all the wrong ways. Before looking into the present, though, a background to Kain’s predicament must be given.

    Lately, the Knights were in a state of disarray since their last mission several days ago. A ridiculously large pack of grunnies ambushed them on a simple reconnaissance assignment, the bites of the vicious dead rabbits turning some of the courageous Knights into knightly zombies. Quick to act, Lady Kain ordered the undead Knights slain, despite the heavy feelings of sorrow within her heart. Every Knight lost was a friend gone, and Lady Kain cherished her friends above all else. The Knights fought against there undead brethren; it was the most difficult fight any of them had ever been in. Aside from the indignity of being surprised by grunnies of all things, they had to cross swords with those they considered family. It was a horrid circumstance that was only made worse by the number of Knights bitten. Many Knights were infected by the G-Virus that grunnies carried, and after the fray had ended, Lady Kain led a severely dwindled band of survivors back to her castle, which served as the headquarters of the Knights. The few remaining Knights from the original party were some of Lady Kain’s closest friends, and although she looked stoic to them, she secretly thanked whatever forces out there protected them.

    When the survivors entered the castle, they were greeted by Kain’s servants, who, upon seeing the small group of crestfallen Knights, took their weapons and cloaks so they could go and rest unhindered. But none of them could rest. They had just seen many of there friends turn into the undead and attack them. The Knights’ dreams would be haunted by that day for some time. Kain did not even speak to the other Knights after returning. She headed straight for her quarters, shutting the door hard behind her. None of the Knights tried to console her, for they were feeling the same pain as she was.

    A day passed after the incident, and Kain called the Knights to a meeting. She expressed her apologies and condolences to the Knights, but kept the formalities quick and got right to the point.

    “We need to go recruiting,” she told the Knights.

    And so they did, without a moment’s hesitation. Breaking off into groups of two, they went out and sought new members to replenish the ranks. Lady Kain herself went out, accompanied by one of her most trusted friends, Usul. The two Knights traversed the back countries of Gaia. It did not take them long to find some potential recruits.
    During their journey for new Knights, they came upon a forested grove. After entering, they noticed signs of a struggle within the area.

    “Something occurred here, Captain. Obviously some sort of battle,” Usul said as he inspected some scorched marks on a nearby tree. “If there is any danger, you can always look to me to protect you, Captain.”
    “Stop flirting with me, Usul,” Kain said, smirking slightly. She gazed around, looking for more signs of what happened there.
    Usul grinned. “You know I can’t help it, Captain.”
    A sharp noise caught there attention: the sound of metal hitting metal.

    The sound of a battle.

    Kain drew one of her swords slowly as she ducked down and began creeping towards the source of the noise. Usul followed suit, his one good eye scanning frantically for any threats. They came upon a clearing, and found the source of the noise. Kain and Usul ceased moving and viewed the spectacle before them through a thick bush.
    Two warriors were fighting fiercely in the clearing. One warrior wielded two giant, golden swords that blazed with fire upon each slash. The other warrior had no apparent weapons, aside from the over sized shuriken on his back. The swordsman came in for a killing stroke, and Kain inhaled sharply as the flaming swords were about to cut through the unarmed man. She was surprised, however, to find that the man had stopped both swords with nothing but his hands. Looking closer, she saw that the man was wearing red gauntlets, and had caught the swords with them just before they connected with his head. The man’s gauntlets were on fire like his opponents swords, and sparks flew as the weapons collided. The two fighters struggled to drop each other, groaning with exertion. Usul looked at Kain and said, “We should stop them before someone gets hurt; mainly me. Talk about crossfire…”
    Kain nodded in agreement, bolting out of the bushes with the one blade poised to strike. Usul was right behind her, his hand on the hilt of his own sword.

    “Halt this madness immediately!” Kain yelled sharply.

    The two warriors looked at Kain at the same time, then back at each other. The one with the swords closed his eyes and smiled, sweat-dropping. The other warrior looked back angrily at the two who had intruded on his fight.
    “Um, this isn’t what it looks like. We were… just….. sparring?” the swordsman said uncertainly.
    “Sparring, huh?” Usul remarked. “Well, you sure did ‘spar’ the entire clearing.”
    “State your names, immediately!” Kain ordered.
    And the warriors did so. After explaining that they indeed were simply sparring and were actually good friends, Kain and Usul complimented them on their fight, saying that they were some of the best fighters they had ever seen... despite their recklessness.

    * * * *

    Which brings us back to the present.

    Standing before Kain, kneeling, was one of the warriors she and Usul found that day. He was the warrior with the gauntlets and the shuriken; tall, tan-skinned, and hot-headed, he was giving Lady Kain a headache with all of his shenanigans.

    “I have put up with enough of your… utter disregard, Partridge. Your blatant recklessness almost cost us lives today,” Kain scolded the young man before her.

    Anthony Partridge, one of the new recruits to the Knights, cringed at his Captain’s harsh words. If there was one thing the young Knight hated, it was condescension. Dressed in a crimson yukata, wooden sandals with white socks, and gauze wrapped hands, Anthony (who everyone called Tony) sighed with boredom. He hated getting yelled at.

    “Sorry, Captain,” he groaned meekly.
    “You think everything is a game, don’t you?” she chided. “Well, saving the world is not a game. This is serious business. We Knights are here to protect Gaia and all its inhabitants. And when you disobey orders and go off on your own, you jeopardize everything we have worked for.”
    Anthony looked away sheepishly. “…. Well, at least it worked,” he mumbled.
    “What was that?” Kain commanded, her temple throbbing.
    “I said, Captain, at least my plan worked. If I hadn’t acted, the entire mission would have blown up in our faces!”
    Kain gaped at him. “Why you impudent little-“
    “Kain,” Tony interrupted, “you cannot blame me for saving the day. I was the one who rescued us! Why are you angry with me when I was the one who got you all back alive?”
    Kain growled. “Because, Partridge, you disobeyed my orders. I do not tolerate any usurpation of my authority. Do you understand that?”
    Tony met her fierce blue eyes with his own golden ones. “You are crystal clear, Captain.”
    Kain closed her eyes, sitting back on her throne. “You are dismissed, Partridge. And this really is the last warning.”

    Tony stood and bowed, thinking, ‘Sure it is…’ Then he exited the throne room. Kain sighed in exasperation again, fingering the crimson brooch on her vest. She began to wonder if Tony was a good choice for the Knights. Despite his fighting skill, he was still so young and inexperienced. ‘Then again,’ she thought to herself, ‘if it hadn’t been for him and his hastiness, we would not have had a victory.’ Kain found herself in a conundrum, which did not happen often. And when things happened that did not happen often, Kain got headaches. She gripped her head, and decided to call her sister to bring some medicine.

    After leaving the throne chamber, Tony pounded a wall with his fist, cursing under his breath. ‘Why does she insist on treating me like a freaking child?!’ he thought. He continued walking down the main hall and ran right into another person, knocking the poor passerby down. He reached down to help the person up. “Sorry, Mulain,” he apologized, sweat-dropping. “Guess I got caught up in my own little world again.”

    The person he knocked down was none other than Mulain, Lady Kain’s sister. She wore the same clothes that Kain wore, but had bright red hair instead of Kain’s jet black. She also lacked Kain’s temper. No one could understand how one sister could gain the rage of a bull while the other was complacent as a kitten. It was a baffling phenomenon.

    Though Mulain was a Knight, she was not a fighter; rather, she was the official merchant and historian of the guild, and the only one who ever made trips into the Gaian mainland. She may have lacked combat skills, but she was still respected by every Knight and recognized as one of the smartest among them. She was polite, non-judgmental, and was always willing to lend a helping hand; especially when Kain was in a foul mood and apt to chastise Knights for even the tiniest of reasons. Mulain realized her sister was under a lot of stress as the leader of the Knights, though, and never questioned or criticized her sister. She was the most patient of all the Knights.

    “Oh, it’s quite alright, Tony-chan,” Mulain said sweetly after accepting his hand and being pulled up to her feet.
    “Mulain, why do you always call me that?” Tony questioned. “I’ve never been called ‘-chan’ before…”
    “It’s a term of affection, dear,” she replied, brushing herself off. “It means we’re friends!” Mulain smiled a smile that would even make the most war-hardened soldiers grin back. Her happiness was contagious.
    “Well, I’d better go see what sister wants. Don’t run into anymore people, Tony-chan!” she called as she continued towards the throne chamber.
    “… Right, I won’t,” Tony muttered. He turned back around, his face almost colliding with the smirking countenance of Darc.
    “JESUS, DARC, DON’T DO THAT!!!” Tony yelled as he jumped back, gasping for breath and clutching his chest.

    Darc, another high-ranking Knight, had the cunning of a genius and the sense of humor of a mischievous child. He was the biggest prankster any of the Knights had ever known; the only person he did not prank was Lady Kain herself. He was notorious for booby-trapping other Knights’ quarters at night, causing unsuspecting victims to get caught in some elaborate chain of events that ended up in nothing less than utter humiliation. No one ever criticized Darc, though. He was one of the top swordsmen of the clan, rivaling Kain’s own skills with a blade. In addition, he was an agile acrobat, able to maneuver in almost any way imaginable. Most notable was his ability to outsmart his enemies. Still, his tricks did get on everyone’s nerves. Tony was as quick to anger as Kain, but lacked her resolve; Darc loved to poke fun at Tony, knowing he would always incite a reaction.

    “Aw, Tony likes Mulain!” Darc chanted mockingly.
    “You’re insane, Darc; why the hell would you think that?” Tony retaliated. Though his skin was dark, Darc could tell he was blushing slightly.
    “It’s alright if you like her, Tony, but don’t tell Senpai, or she’ll… well, you know,” Darc said slyly.
    Tony did not respond, knowing exactly what Darc meant. Darc merely laughed at him, clutching his sides as he shook with mirth. Tony scowled.
    “One of these days, Darc,” Tony warned, “you’re gonna get yours.”
    “Maybe so, but who cares?” Darc giggled. “I love to have fun, I don’t care what happens.”
    Tony scoffed. He looked away from Darc, gazing behind the trickster. “Where is everyone, by the way? Usually the place is bustling.”
    “You didn’t hear?” Darc queried. “They're in the rec-room. There’s something big going down in the mainland; it’s all over the news.”

    Tony pushed past Darc and headed towards the recreation room. Darc looked after him calling, “You could say ‘Excuse me,’ you know!”

    Tony rushed to the room and found many of the other Knights in front of the big-screen television. Though the castle was built long ago, Kain had it outfitted with all the latest technology and modern comforts. The Knights in the rec-room were spread out on the couches and the floor, attentively watching the news alert.

    “This is Cindy Donovinh reporting for Gaia News,” said the reporter on the TV. “Tonight’s top story: vampires attack innocent Gaians. Vlad Von Helson, the head of the Von Helson family and the man who orchestrated the attacks, has issued a threat upon all Gaians, saying that he plans to use his vampire army to take over Gaia. However, many Gaians have joined a hidden resistance and are fending of the vile creatures. Johnny K. Gambino is suspected to be leading the resistance due to the history between the Gambino and Von Helson families. More on this story in the hour.”

    The Knights glanced at each other with worried looks on their faces.
    “Vampires?!” Tony exclaimed. “Is she serious?”
    “Of course she is,” said a voice behind him. The Knights all turned and stood when they saw Lady Kain and Mulain enter the room. “Knights!” the leader called out. “Suit up! We’re going hunting.”