[color=00746b][b]NOLAN[/b][/color]

Nolan sat in his usual spot at the counter sipping his morning coffee and munching scrambled eggs mixed with ashes and toast with jam that as well was topped with ashes. It was a meal that would cause any normal person to gag, but to the God Slayer it was just a nice smokiness added to his meals. It's odd, but then again when a mage has to eat ashes for sustenance then it's not too surprising that they would develop a taste for it. 

His meal and the announcement for whatever Jarvis had to say was the furthest thing from his mind. Two weeks ago he had left Fiore without saying a word to anyone except Jarvis, saying that he had some personal business to attend to. He had traveled to Caelum by ship since it was the only way to get to the island country east of Fiore. The length of the trip was two days and during that time he had remained recluse, avoiding social interactions with many other travelers on the ship that were heading to Caelum. Because of that Nolan earned the title of "That Weird Guy" and if anyone tried interacting with him he was just as icy as a winters day and if it was a woman then his face burned like summer. It wasn't to say that it was time well wasted though. On that trip he had finally learned how to use a magic that he had been studying through a book: Swordsman Soul. It is a magic similar to requip though it only focuses around swords and one must put a piece of their soul into their sword, thus becoming an extension of its wielder. 

It was all in preparation for the reason of his trip. He was heading back to the ruins of the God Slayer's temples to retrieve their artifacts, the god slaying swords or better known as the Gods' Bane. These weapons were made by master God Slayers and master craftsman as tools to kill the gods. They could be possibly some of the highest quality weapons that ever had been made, but they were trapped in the ruins of the temple. When Nolan first left the ruins his biggest regret was to never be able to bring those swords along with him due in order to keep his load light. He worried that the weapons would've been found by someone, but it was an unnecessary fear. They were stored in a room protected by a charm that allowed only God Slayers to enter. He wasn't afraid that the weapons were destroyed, it would take more to break those weapons than a crumbling building. 

In two days Nolan had arrived in the country of Caelum in the familiar port town of Ortu Solis. It was an estimated five day journey to get where he wanted to be. Within the three days he had encountered bandits and other criminals from different walks of life such as slave traders. There were many that had attempted to kidnap Nolan or steal from him, but it all ended the same. They were reduced to smouldering ashes. In that spine of time he had crossed through a few towns to resupply on good and water. Some would say that it was a lonely journey, but for him being alone was necessary. No matter who he gives his trust to he would never trust anyone enough to take them to the destroyed ruins that he had called home for eight years. He probably never trust anyone enough to do that. 

There it was, the ruins of what he once called home. A stone temple, a quarter of one, the size of a castle stood there blocking out the sun's rays. Nolan had stood there as he looked at what had become of his home; the statues had all crumbled, plant life was starting to grow on the walls, and animals seemed to have made it their home. He would not cry for the things he had lost for tears would never bring back the dead. Nolan walked through a gaping hole in the structure's wall only to be in complete darkness. From his pocket he produced his lighter and flicked it on to light his way. Deeper and deeper walked into the temple thinking about the times he had in this place. The first time when he ate ashes for his magic he gagged and spat it out because it tasted like "smoked turd." The first time he sparred against one of the monks and won in an even fight though it was likely the elder was holding back. He would give anything to see them again, just one time would've been more than enough. 

It was soon that he found a massive stone door with various scriptures on it. Nolan unsheathed Kaso, pressed his palm against the sharp edge, and swiftly swiped his palm, causing his hand to bleed. His blood was the key, the blood of a god slayer. His bloody palm pressed against the wall, the scriptures glowed faintly for the briefest moment. Slowly, but surely the wall rose up to reveal the armory. He walked in and marveled at the blades. Not once had they gained a speck of dust or rust. They shone brilliantly just like any blade to kill the gods would. One by one Nolan had placed a part of his soul into these blades and then stored them in a pocket dimension so that he use them whenever. 

When that was done he made his way through the darkness and this time he found the door. It was massive and heavy, but for him it was easy to push it open, but he wasn't prepared for what was on the other side. He wasn't alone. A [url=http://i.imgur.com/9vVW7E0.jpg]man[/url] was standing on the broken stone cobble that lead towards the door, void of any human emotion. Nolan could never forget this man's face. It was him.

[color=00746b]"You bastard!"[/color] Nolan had unsheathed Kaso, charging straight towards the man, but something hit his stomach; a large white fist that glowed faintly as it bent Nolan inward. The wind was blown out of him and wasn't even given a chance to fall to his knees. A flurry of those fists smashed against the god slayer at speeds he could never react to. Blood seeped from his body as he fell onto his hands and knees. He gasped for desperately for breath. [color=00746b]"You, who are you? Why did you kill them? Why did you kill the monks?!"[/color] His eyes glared with passionate hate into the eyes of the man who completely lacked emotion. 

[b]"I no longer have a name."[/b] The man spoke monotonously. [b]"I am just a simple messenger of the gods. You and those monks offended the gods with your magic so I was sent down here to put a stop to it. And you're asking yourself why didn't I kill you too? I simply don't care for killing children. I still don't."[/b]  

[color=00746b]"Tch, you bastard. I'll kill you and then the gods!"[/color] Nolan tried to yell at the messenger, but the pain in his chest was just too great. 

[b]"Kill the gods? How can you kill the gods when you can't even kill their messenger?[/b] The man had knelt down to Nolan and placed his hand on his back, his hand glowing with white energy. [b]I have no intent of killing you. I'm merely here to observe you. If you wish to kill the gods and me then let me offer you a gift."[/b] 

Nolan shook his head as he tried to stop thinking about it. Why did he let him live and why did he give him this ability? It was Shaman Magic, he knew that much, but why did the messenger give this magic to him? Was it pity or did he want Nolan to kill the gods as well? He couldn't say. 
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[b][color=bc8dbf]ZEV[/color][/b]

Zev sat around laughing around with his guild mates. It had been two weeks since he had joined and had taken up many jobs since then to support his daughter. Meanwhile they were both staying at his mother's place so that someone would take care of his child while he was away on jobs. It's been some real fun, but it should be even crazier with the Magic Games coming up.