Imagine living within a protected wall. Unable to see the world outside except for tales of warriors who have gone outside in search for materials for the village, or those who have gone for the adult rites (if they had returned).

A girl, probably in her late teens or early adult years, is the daughter of the chieftain in the village. She has been raised to become the wife of the next leader, sheltered from harm and danger. The interesting thing about her, is that her looks are deceiving. Though she looks very much like a lady, you could call her a tomboy of sorts. She is aggressive, stubborn, and quick to anger, always causing mayhem within the village as she challenges the men to battle with her. Each day as she finishes her lessons, she watches boys and men training in the distance, preparing for the time when they must go outside in order to complete the rite of passage into adulthood, or for a time for battle.

In that small community, girls are better off as druids or wardens, protecting themselves within their village and in charge of passing to the younger ones the knowledges they have obtained in their research. But she, stubborn as she is, refuses to keep to the rules. In secret, she trains herself everyday by building up her stamina and strength. In a hidden training ground past the deserted ruins, she has learned to carry and strike with a sword (a weapon forbidden to women in the village, and used only by their strongest of men).

One day, she inexplicably finds herself training long into the night, absorbed in her swordsmanship. Exhausted but feeling a lot stronger than when she started, she finds her village ravaged by a great fire, her friends and family either missing or dead. Desperate to find the ones who destroyed her home, she sets out into the world to seek the truth. Who destroyed her village, and why?

In order to do that, she must first find a guild willing to accept her, then when that is done, she must seek to become the strongest in the guild. Only then can she say she is ready to find the ones behind her village’s destruction. Only then, will she be ready to face them and take revenge.

But what awaits her on the outside is different from what she had imagined. Looked down upon because of her race and gender, she strives to prove herself a capable warrior, able to stand her ground in battle.

This is only the beginning.

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This post is an entry for Nuffnang Philippines and E-games’ Runes of Magic contest.