Kitrina Margaret Tealeaf- The Quarterling

I was born Kitrina Margaret Tealeaf. I was raised in a loving home with her mother Margaret, my father Maximus Tealeaf and younger brother Vargas on a large farm. My father was a merchant, and my brother were expected to be the same.  I grew up happy, bubbly and full of hope. I had a set path in life and was willing to walk in my father’s footsteps.

One day I heard a blood curdling screams coming from my house. I ran as fast my little legs could carry me. When I arrived, there was a massive beast attacking her mother. My father lay on the floor dead with crimson red blood flowing from his head. His face twisted and contorted in pain. My brother was nowhere in sight. I heard her mother eek out another moan. I grabbed the first thing I saw and ran toward the massive thing. With swift movement the monster back handed me a cross the room. I hit my head on the wall and was knock delirious. As I was losing consciousness, I saw a man fly threw the window and fight the beast.

  When I came to, I was in the back of a wagon. When her eyes focused, she saw a brown skin human man with green eyes staring down at her. He introduced himself as Nikolai and told me the fate of my family. He offered me a place to recuperate and train. At that moment I knew life would never be the same. No more happy days. No more mother smiling at me from the door. No little brother to make fun of and protect. No father to guide me through the life of a merchant. My heart darkened that day.

Nikolai eventually told me he was apart of a guild and that he want to invite me to join. I said yes without a thought. He gave me a year to get ready for the trail. For the next year Nikolai trained me. I learn to fight, hunt and survive. He didn’t take it easy on me either. My first month there, he made me fight my way home from a kobold thief camp. When I got back he threw me a towel and asked me what took so long. He was the complete opposite of my father. My father was warm, kind, gentle and laughed all the time. Nikolai was cold but kind. There was no more laughter. No more softness. Nikolai treated me like I was just another recruit. It took me sometime to get used to it, but eventually I did.

The trail came and I was nervous. I stood in colosseum style pit with walls about 20 feet tall. There was a room full of different types of people stood at the top looking down on me. No one spoke or moved until a sword was thrown down. I pick up the sword and the wall behind me parted. The only words that were spoken was Don’t Die as an orcish man made his way into the pit. Spouts of laughter came from the top as he enter.

I squared off against the massive orc barbarian, Grugarn. We faced each other in a sandy arena, surrounded by cheering spectators. I lunged forward with incredible speed, slashing at Grugarn with the swords that was thrown at me. The orc roared in anger, deflecting the blows with his massive axe. He swung back, aiming to cleave me in two. But I was too quick, dodging and weaving around the orc's attacks. With a sudden burst of energy, I leaped onto Grugarn's back, stabbing my swords into the orc's thick hide.

Grugarn howled in pain, thrashing about wildly in an attempt to dislodge the tiny fighter. But I held on tight, stabbing again and again, drawing blood with each strike. Finally, with a mighty roar, Grugarn managed to throw me off his back. I landed in the sand, panting and bloody, but still determined.

As the orc advanced towards me, I reached into my belt and pulled out a small vial of glowing liquid. With a quick motion, I threw it at Grugarn, who roared in pain as the liquid burned his skin. Seizing the opportunity, I leaped forward once more, driving my swords deep into the orc's chest. With a final gurgle, Grugarn fell to the ground.

There was a deafening silence, then the crowd erupted into cheers as I stood victorious, my small form bathed in the light of the setting sun. And as I raised my swords in triumph, I knew that I had proven myself a formidable warrior, worthy of being apart of the guild. I looked up and saw a slight smile on Nikolai face as his collogues congratulations on a job well done with me. It was the only time I would every see that. That night Nickola inducted me into the Order of the Ghost.

At the celebration of the new members, he told me that her family was attached by a Gnoll name Kyn. Nikolai had been tracking him for weeks when he followed him to her parents’ home. He told me he wait until now because he knew that i would want to find them and he was right. He placed a book in my hand. Walked away and that was the last time I saw him.

I left the next day on my first mission not knowing that it could be my last.