Clang
Clank
Crash
Bang
Weapons clashing echoed around the training grounds as Chronos sparred against his uncle. Yet, Uncle Bruar was dissatisfied with the efforts Chronos had put in this day.
"That's no good pup! You must remember that your enemy will not always attack you with their weapon. Punches, kicks, knees, and elbows are all good ways to attack." Roared Uncle Bruar as he straightened to his full seven-foot height.
Uncle Bruar was a giant of a man, with a chest as large as a bear with dark brown eyes and matching hair. Despite this he was able to move with a grace and speed that didn't match his size. Even while carrying a maul as tall as he was with a head the size of Chronos's chest.
"Yes, Uncle."
Chronos responded as he readied his hammer once more. However, his mind was stuck on what he overheard the previous day. He had been walking past his fathers study when his parents' voices came through the crack in the door.
"When will the Lord position be passed to Chronos." His mother had asked.
"In three days, when he turns sixteen." Came his fathers voice.
"Wonderful. We will finally be able to leave after that for a long vacation."
"Indeed. Where shall we head on this trip? Perhaps the southern desert, or the northern forests? Maybe we should go to the ocean for deep sea hunting? We haven't been to the ocean since our honeymoon."
"Why not go to visit all of them? With Chronos in charge we can spend months, if not years, away from the territory."
Chronos couldn't believe what he was hearing. Were his parents really going to abandon him? On his sixteenth birthday? That was not fair!
He has plans as well. He wanted to go and see the world, at least for a couple of years. After that he would come home and take over the county as its new lord.
Well, they had never been fair before. Expecting them to start now would be pointless.
Mothers voice cut through his thoughts "We can't let Chronos find out we're leaving. You know how he is. I don't doubt that he would do something quite drastic in response."
"I agree. Which is why the only person who knows about our vacation is your brother. He will help Chronos with the transition to Lord."
Well, that was something at least. They didn't plan to leave him completely on his own , unlike when they had taught him how to survive in the wild.
NO! This wasn't what he wanted to do. He wanted to see the world and fight battles against strong opponents. He had to do something… Actually, the idea to run away wasn't bad. However, if he wasn't fast enough his parents would catch on and stop him.
But who could help him? If one uncle was in on this, his other relatives would likely side with his parents too. Wait, Gregory might be able to help him.
"I'll have to contact him tonight." Thought Chronos as he silently and secretly left to send a letter to Gregory.
As Chronos remembered this, he blocked another series of attacks from Uncle Bruar.
"Gregory hasn't contacted me yet. I hope my letter wasn't interrupted."
"Gah."
As this thought flashed through his mind Uncle Bruars fist connected with his side once more.
"Too slow! You're still distracted!"
"Sorry uncle."
Uncle Bruar sighed as he spoke. "Sigh Chronos, we train so hard because of the clan's weakness. Surely you remember the clan's flaw?"
"Yes uncle, we train because, unlike other beast clans, our Beklaedning clan is not able to awaken a bloodline." Chronos then spoke in a hushed voice. "I've heard this since I was a child."
"Don't get yippy with me." Uncle Bruar said in an annoyed voice. "If you truly understand then why do you keep getting distracted? An enemy would not be as gentle as I have been. Haah, never mind you are too distracted by your upcoming birthday. We will end the training session here."
"Thank you for the training, Uncle." Responded Chronos as he left the training area.
As Chronos left he planned to try and contact Gregory again, if there was no sign of him at their meeting point. He started toward his room, just in case his uncle suspected a problem and secretly followed him. Fortunately, there was no sign of him tailing Chronos.
Once Chronos was certain he wasn't being followed he headed toward a secret location on the back wall, where the guards didn't patrol very much.
The lord's estate was large by most standards and had facilities to accommodate all those who lived there. In the center was the Lord's mansion, with the training grounds to the west. There were storage houses to the east with buildings north of them that were used during the harvest and hunting seasons to handle the crops and game. All of this was surrounded by an outer wall that was patrolled regularly.
After reaching the back wall Chronos noticed that the loose stone in the wall was shifted. That's the signal. Gregory should be on the other side of the wall.
Pulling it out he whispered, "Are you there Gregory?"
A few seconds later a voice echoed back "Yeah, were you followed?"
Chronos's skill in tracking and stealth were amongst the best in the clan, making it unlikely for him to miss his giant of an uncle. "No, I wouldn't have missed my uncle trying to tail me."
"Was your letter true? Do they really plan to leave on your birthday?"
"Yes, I found the vacation plans this morning. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Can you help me?"
"No problem. I'll need a few more hours to prepare but what do you plan to do once you're outside the territory?"
"I plan to head for the capital. I heard there's a test to become an expedition knight going on next month. If I pass it will let me travel the country for two or three years before I have to return."
As Gregory heard this, he recalled information about the expedition knights. The group was highly skilled, in martial arts and magic, and was responsible for exploring uninhabited lands and dangerous regions before settlers arrived. Once the settlers arrived the knights were to assist in building the initial village. Then leave for another region. He thought that it sounded perfect for his battle junky best friend.
"Alright, a travelling merchant I know can take us close to the capital. We will wait for you an hour outside the southern gate. Try to be there by midnight."
"You're coming with me?"
"Of course. You would never make it all the way there without me. Probably get distracted by a monster on the way, then your family would catch you."
Chronos grimaced as he realized that Gregory was right.
"Alright. I'm counting on you. See you tonight."
"Take care not to reveal anything."
Gregory had been his friend ever since he had tried to steal from him at seven years old. He had admired his courage to steal from one of the Beklaedning clan, but the full story involved an orphanage, a matron, and a swamp hag. However, that is a story for another time.
As this memory flitted through Chronos' mind he went back inside to pack and prepare. Unfortunately, he ran into his parents before he could reach his room.
His father, Mathew, was a muscular human standing six feet tall with light brown hair that was greying on the sides and light blue eyes. Mathew was the one who managed the territory but he was often underestimated when compared with his wife's fierce presence.
His mother, a werewolf with blonde hair, green eyes, and grey fur streaked with small markings that were blood red on her ears and tail. Despite being only five foot six, she was the most intimidating woman Chronos knew and the current head of the Beklaedning clan.
Chronos was almost as tall as his father and nearly as muscular with the same light blue eyes, but his hair and fur were grey with streaks of blood red markings. His markings were much more pronounced than his mother's, but they didn't seem to form a recognizable pattern.
"Hello Chronos. Have you seen Gregory recently? He hasn't been by the house in some time."
Chronos's heart jumped, wondering if they already knew. He controlled himself well enough to not reveal anything as he responded to his mother's question.
"No, but he will be here for my birthday. Should I invite him for dinner tomorrow?"
"No need. While it may be hard, we can wait a few days." Responded his father
"With how much you two dote on him I'm surprised he hasn't been adopted yet."
"It's not from a lack of trying. We have offered, but he turned us down. Just let him know that he will always be welcome here."
"Alright mother. I've been meaning to ask, sixteen is when a child becomes an adult. Is there anything I need to do to prepare?"
"No. Just be ready for your uncles' challenges. It's a family tradition to fight the new adult and they have been holding back these last two weeks."
"Yes father. I shall take my leave. I need to do some more meditation to improve my aura before then." Chronos stated as he headed toward his meditation room.
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Once Chronos had safely locked the door, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He thought to himself. "If my parents had noticed something they would have said so back there. Now it is time to prepare."
The training room was a circular stone room with weapons and armor racks on the wall. Each weapon that hung there was one that Chronos had reached intermediate or advanced mastery with.
Chronos strapped on a full suit of leather armor, to keep his load light, then picked up three amulets with the runic symbol for armory on their front. Securing one to each hip and one to his back, he then pulled on a pair of metal gauntlets, just in case he lost his weapons or couldn't draw them out of the amulets in time. Finally, he put on his cloak made from dusk spider threads.
The dusk spiders have an ability to blend into darkness, and their threads carried this same ability. When made into a cloak, if a person remained still while wearing it, they would not be seen, but they could still be found through other methods, such as smell or magic. With this cloak he should be able to escape from the estate before anyone knew he was missing.
Finally, he lifted one of the stone floor slabs and dug up his secret stash of 500 gild. Not much but enough to get him to the next city.
"My armory amulets can't hold many weapons. I'll only store one weapon inside each amulet and one to be held by the amulet."
Thinking this Chronos stored a sword in the left hip amulet, a spear in the right hip amulet, and an aura bow in the back amulet. Then he equipped a handaxe on each hip. The amulets glowed blue momentarily before attracting and holding the weapons in place.
"If I bring any other weapons, I will be too slow to escape. There's nothing in my room I need. As for food and other supplies, I'll count on Gregory. He knows what to bring. Now I wait for nightfall."
Saying this Chronos sat down to meditate, passing the time till darkness claimed the world.