[center][h3]Gaius Stronurr[/h3]
[sub]The Forest Floor[/sub][/center]

	Gaius heaved a heavy breath and lowered his sword's tip to the ground gently. The beast was defeated with a single swing. What a feat! Gaius felt more alive than he ever had before. Suddenly those stories of slaying dragons and braving many a danger in the untold wilds echoed in his heart like premonitions rather than fantasy. He craned his neck from side to side, slowly surveying the falling boulders that rose a moment earlier. Did he do that? Or was it the beast? Or a combination of two powerful souls crashing against one another on the field of battle? Gaius felt something steel his resolve, emanating from the bone creature's remains. It was pride. The pride of a guardian who'd stake his life on the possibility that he could save many others. Gaius turned to Rahna, breathing normally as if he'd not exerted himself at all, and smiled. With one hand, he wiped his face clean of sweat and blood, and withdrew his sword with a careful motion, sure not to damage his sheath or armor in a fumble.

	"I feel born anew!" He roared and grabbed his waist with a loud 'clank' of jade-fused steel, "A warrior of old, fallen from the heavens!" His voice boomed loudly enough to shake the leaves and thistles surrounding them. The pain in his chest had returned, but he didn't acknowledge it. Something buzzed louder behind him though, prompting him to spin his head to the left. Despite his heroic pose, the little dragon was relatively unfazed, expressing its confusion through a flick of its neck and a short, high pitched purring sound. Gaius' smile shrank. But before he could question the little dragon's existence, a crash of light stole his attention. The little faerie turned as well. Rahna asked him if he could go on immediately afterward, but Gaius was already on the move, headed towards the flash of light.

	"It isn't a question of [i]can,[/i] I must! Come, Rahna!" Gaius ordered, overtaken by a sense of duty. Was the flash caused by their allies? Just what the hell was going on over there? "There's no time to waste!"