Last Light in the Darktide

Prolog

Many years ago Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Beastmen lived in perfect harmony, humans fished, elves farmed, dwarves mined, and beastmen hunted, everything was perfect. One day there was a horrible act that caused that peace to shatter, a horrible human man named Sir Roland Hendricks. Sir Hendricks had gone on a rage induced warpath and slaughtered masses of elves, dwarves, beastmen and any other race other than humans.Sir Hendricks started a war and had caused the races to become divided and......

There was a loud slamming noise and a fellow student said mockingly "Are you serious, everyone knows Sir Hendricks was a hero who saved us from a life of pain and suffering and helped us be recognized as a valid race!" I snapped back "That is no reason to commit mass genocide!" The teacher said, "Enough both of you, Miss Halane, please don't talk such nonsense of our great hero Sir Roland Hendricks, so don't try to let your views get in the way of your assignments." The teacher then sends me to sit back down.

My name is Komi Halane. I'm a freshman in highschool, I have always looked down on the history of my race, it's incorrect as it was written by humans. After class I went to my locker and put my papers in, that's when a friend of mine came up to chat with me. "Komi what's up, you look annoyed?" I said back "Hey Tristan, I am a little annoyed, my paper only got a 40% because of it being, quote unquote inaccurate despite it being properly researched!" He sighed and said "I see that sucks, but did you really expect anything else, no one else here shares your world view, I don't really care about it myself, it's all in the past and we can't let that hold us back." I said back to him "I know, I just wish someone would at least give it a chance." I grabbed my training sword, closed my locker and said "I got martial training to do, talk to you later Tristan." He waved as he went to his class and I walked to my martial training. I arrived at my class and immediately got into my training gear and prepared for sparring when the teacher called for me. I walked over to see what he needed. "Yes sir, is something wrong?" The teacher said "I was just curious about your style of sword fighting as it is rather unconventional, is it even a proper style?" I replied. "It's a style I've been working on perfecting it for quite some time, it's the only fighting style that works for me." The teacher sighed and had a confounded look on his face. "I understand that, but it's such a bizarre fighting style, and it seems like only you can pull it off, not even I could pull it off and I have learned every fighting style known." I shrugged and said. "I don't know why that is, it's not even a fully flushed out fighting style, is that all sir?" The teacher nodded and let me go back to training.

After school I began my walk back home. I wasn't worried about being late seeing as my parents moved away, but they didn't want me to transfer schools so I got an apartment and they sent me what money I needed to live. As I walked home I heard a whimper from an alleyway, it sounded like a girl in trouble. I ran down the alley and noticed a fox girl in the alley with two human men over her and I heard one of them say "Look at this disgusting thing, it's so hideous" Before the men could cause any more harm I charged up and attacked them with my training sword and managed to knock them out before they knew it, I grabbed the fox girl and ran to my apartment and locked the door. When I knew it was safe I started tending to the fox girl's wounds, she whimpered as I tended to her and when I was done she hid under the bed and spoke fearfully "Wh-who are you, d-don't hurt me!" I sat there and spoke calmly. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you, I just wanna help you recover and when you are fully recovered I'll help you get out of the city safely." She didn't come out and stayed hidden and spoke. "I don't trust you, you filthy human, you have bad intentions like all humans!" I sigh and stood up and said. "I understand that you don't trust me, I'm going to go make us some food." I then stood up and walked to the kitchen and started cooking dinner. Once I was done I left the plate of hot food on the bedroom floor for the still hiding fox girl. I told her it was there for her and left her alone in the room, this became routine after several weeks of this I walked in and saw her sitting on my bed and saw the fox girl sitting on my bed reading my history paper, she looked up and asked "Did you write this, why would a human go against their own history like that?" I nodded and said. "I have different views on everything, especially history. I did my research on proper history." She looked at me with an apologetic look "Sorry for causing you so much trouble, I have a hard time trusting humans, as do the rest of my people." I nod understandingly. "I understand that, all I want to do is help, but I must ask why you are in the city?" She looked down and said. "I was chased here by those men and they were going to enslave me, then you came and saved me." I nodded and said. "I see, well seeing as your wounds are healed up how about tonight we get you out of the city." She nodded but seemed worried, though she didn't say anything. Later that night this girl and I started making for the city limits, but when we got there there was a group of men there waiting, they must have been waiting for us that is when the leader said. "Well now I didn't think the info was right, but here you are the fox and her consort, we'll be taking that fox little girl." I scowl and draw my training sword and tell the fox girl to run, I then charge in and draw their attention. The men started to get the better of me, but I managed to buy enough time for the fox girl to run into the thick forest. Despite my body being broken and bloody I smiled the whole time knowing I won. The boss scoffed and told his men to leave me and get out of there.

I don't remember much after that. I blacked out due to my wounds, but I then woke up in a small hut with a rabbit girl treating my wounds. When I tried to get up she said "No, you stay right there human and let me treat these nasty wounds!" I then relaxed thinking this was just some coma dream, but when I opened my eyes again I sat up seeing both the fox girl I saved and the rabbit girl who saved me, I then said "What happened, where am I?" The fox girl said. "Well after I got into the forest I hid waiting for those guy's to leave then I dragged you here to get healed!" The rabbit girl then spoke. "We found it hard to believe that a human would save one of us, but Suki vouched for you and her story matched the state your body was in so we decided to at least treat you, but your weapon..." I looked over and saw my training sword broken, I sighed and said "It's okay, it was a training weapon, so I'm not upset so long as Suki is okay that's all that matters." Suki blushed a bit and the rabbit girl spoke. "Well I'm glad to see you are recovering well, I'm Fey, I'm the tribe's medicine woman." I nodded and said. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Komi Helane, I was a student, but I don't think that is going to be an option for me now seeing that I am gonna be seen as a traitor to my people for helping Suki escape the city." I slowly stood up and wore the clothes they gave me, at that moment a bear man walked in and greeted me rather gruffly. "Ah so the human is awake then, the chief wants to have a word with you so come with me human!" I nodded and followed as ordered, he took me to the chief's hut and I sat down at a well made table. Shortly after an old and rough looking wolf man came in and sat across from me, he waved off his guards and spoke. "So I heard from Suki you are sympathetic towards my people as well as other races other than your own, is that correct?" I nodded and said. "Yes sir that is correct, I think the mistreatment of your people and many others by my kind is despicable." He balled his hands together and leaned on the table sizing me up then said. "I see, so Suki's story is true then and you did write this paper?" He placed my history paper on the table. I simply nodded, staying quiet he then said. "Well then I guess there is little left to say on the matter. Welcome to our home, I am Chief Kairus Wolfsbane, who are you my dear?" I bowed and said. "I am Komi Halane, though I have no title to my name anymore as I will not be welcome among my people any longer." He nodded and said. "You will be welcome here lady Halane, you are a friend to my people and we will treat you as such, I'm sure Suki would happily take you in, I hope we can accommodate you well." I nodded and said. "All I need is a roof over my head, a bed, as well as food and drink, but nothing fancy." He laughed and said. "My my what a humble girl, I'm sure you'll fit right in!"

The chief brought me out of his hut and announced that I am to be treated as kin seeing as I am an ally to them. After that Suki came to me and said. "You'll be staying with me, it's the least I can do for you after you saved my life." I nodded and said. "I appreciate that and I promise to pull my weight as it is only fair." After that Suki took me to her hut and had a room already set up for me, after that I began helping around the settlement and had earned the trust of the other members of the tribe. In time I became a fellow in their eyes and they treated me as kin. I was finally happy with where I was, but my mind still drifted to the atrocities these people suffered at the hands of my people, so I began training to become a tribe guardian. I am twenty-one now and have taken an oath to protect my tribe with my life against all who would threaten it. As a gift from the chief I was given a claymore as it was my chosen weapon. I now stand guard over the people who actually care about me.