***this is the prologue. It's only called Chapter 1 because some people have a habit of not reading prologues***

Ceylis flitted through the trees near the building, moving quickly but silently. Bats fluttered around him, and the moon shone through the leaves, casting a strange pattern of shadows along the grassy floor. He heard a rustle, and turned to see a small animal, maybe a fox of some kind, draw back into the foliage, its eyes glinting in the darkness.

Ahead, standing suddenly in the thick darkness, illuminated by the silver moonlight, stood a stout wall that Ceylis knew surrounded a small fortress. He slowed to a cautious, crouching walk, keeping to the shadows, as he drew closer. A lone guard patrolled the base of the wall not twenty paces from him, eyes peering alertly into the darkness. Ceylis' breath quickened; it was exciting to go undetected. Grinning determinedly, he stood straight, knowing his dark brown hair would catch the moonlight. He drew his Starrynt, a three foot stayagan copper spike that flattened out into a blade for the bottom eight inches or so.

The guard shouted and drew her own blade: a thick, heavy sword. Ceylis began to guide energy from his internal storage, through his arm, and into his hand, where he held it back, waiting. "Halt!" the guard commanded again in a harsh, dry voice, and Ceylis heard another voice answer her from a ways off along the wall. Quickly, Ceylis thrust his Starrynt forward, and a blast of well-aimed electricity flashed through the air with a bang, striking the guard in the head. She fell, her sword dropping from her hand and embedding itself in the soft earth. Ceylis didn't hide the body, deciding it would waste precious time.

The wall was around 30 feet tall, and no guards patrolled atop it: in the darkness, with the forest to conceal enemies, they would be of much more use on the ground. Reaching once more into his storage, Ceylis channeled magical energy into his legs. He ran at the wall, faster than any normal human possibly could. As his right foot connected strongly with the ground, he shot energy into it and was blasted up, shooting most of the way up the wall. With a deft movement he flipped a stayagan obsidian dagger from his belt, at the same time sheathing his Starrynt, and slammed the extremely hard substance into the dark stone of the wall. The wall was finely constructed and very sturdy, but it was no match for stayagan obsidian.

Ceylis heaved himself upward so he balanced precariously on the too-small hilt. I'm going to get myself killed someday, doing this, he thought. Then, bracing himself, he crouched down as well as he could, with his back still pressed against the rough stones. They dug into him, but he ignored the discomfort as he readied his magic. A guard passed below him, carrying a soft yellow torch and a thick, heavy club. Ceylis waited, watching, until the guard passed around a corner. Then he jumped. He didn't have a running start - he didn't need to have one. The sheer power of his jump brought him falling upward at a terrible speed. He crested the wall easily, flying well past it and plunging toward the green, cultivated courtyard on the other side.

The bright flowers of the garden directly below him rushed upward at an alarming rate, their colors softened by the moon's silver and the surrounding layers of shadow. Ceylis waited for a moment, feeling the rush of the air, observing the beauty of the garden he was descending upon. Then, he reached for his Starrynt, gripping the comfortable leather that had molded to his hand, and he drove it forward, shooting more electricity. The resounding blast blackened the plants beneath him, and he was sorry to see them go, but the raw height of his second jump had brought him too far up to land normally. As the blast streaked away from the tip of his blade, he felt the force push him backward. The sudden deceleration nearly made him black out, but it succeeded in slowing his descent. He gave himself a moment to reorient, but was forced to move again as he heard surprised shouts reacting to the noise. He cursed. I shouldn't of done that. I could have climbed the wall... but, well, I suppose it's alright to have a little fun. He smiled slightly to himself as he raced to the keep.

Once he got to the base of the tall stone building, he edged around to the heavy iron gate that separated him from his goal. The spaces between the bars were too small for someone to climb through, but they were great for climbing up. He reached the top with ease, then reached for his remaining stayagan obsidian dagger, driving it into the wall above the gate. Once again, he heaved himself onto the hilt and crouched there, waiting. The cries of alarm had reached the inside of the keep, and he heard soldiers rushing from the inside, probably from a guard room near the entrance. Ceylis smiled in anticipation as the massive gates slowly began to crash open. He saw two dozen guards pour out from the keep, and then the massive iron gate began to close. He jumped off of his perch, snagging his dagger as he did so, and landed in a silent crouch behind the guards, then spun, leaping through the gate just before it clanged shut. Well, I'm in, he acknowledged as he raced down the large hallway. Part one accomplished! His muddy boots slapped the hardened stone floor with every step, the noise uncomfortably loud, but Ceylis knew he had to keep moving.

A single door stood slightly ajar near the end of the hall, and Ceylis darted inside, breathing heavily. The room, of course, was occupied. Half a dozen guards turned toward him, the shocked stares almost comical. Uttering a stream of curses, Ceylis leaped back out of the room, charging directly across the hall to another door, then realized that the heavy iron padlock would be impossible to open in the time he had. This is insane! he screamed in his head. Spinning on one heel, he ran further down the hall. The guards, having recovered from the moment shock, charged after him, but his magical energy let him easily outrun them.

A corridor led off to the right, and Ceylis turned sharply into it. It was lit dimly with sputtering torches, making his shadow flicker strangely. Another corridor opened to the left, and without pausing to think, he ran down it... strait into a startled servant. The man dropped the platter he had been holding, spilling food across the floor. Ceylis didn't even slow down, instead leaping strait over the servant's head with an enhanced jump. Behind him, the man screamed.

"This just keeps getting better," Ceylis muttered as he ran.

Doors began to line the widening corridor, and Ceylis choose one randomly, yanking at the handle to pull the thick wooden thing open. Inside, to his surprise, was a thin, winding staircase that disappeared through a hole in the ceiling. Finally, a little luck, Ceylis thought, exasperated. He jumped, clearing the iron rail, and raced upward.

He moved quickly through the corridors on the second floor, encountering fewer people. However, his luck ran out when he came to a wide, decorated staircase. The stone floor turned to a soft, red carpet, and lanterns sat on the banisters, giving it a soft yellow glow. Partway up the stairs, a robed figure stood waiting, seemingly unconcerned, a sword in its hand. Ceylis shot electricity at it, but the charge was absorbed. Void wizard!

The figure jumped forward, and, as it did so, its hood fell back, revealing a man with a short, grizzled beard and long, messy hair. Ceylis leapt to the side, and the void wizard landed silently and turned. A grin spread slowly across his cruel, twisted face. He hadn't fought an electrovite in a long time. Reaching backward with his unarmed hand, he drew a crudely crafted weapon that glowed faintly violet: a void wizard's choice weapon, called a Leeching Blade, made from stayagan iron.

The two men ran at each other. A sword swung inches over Ceylis's head, and he struck back in retaliation, his swing aided by magic. Somehow, the void wizard dodged, then quickly brought his Leecher forward. Ceylis jumped back, his energy blasting through him. Desperately, he focused inside himself, trying to draw more power, but his magic storage was almost empty! A sword came toward him, and he brought his Starrynt forward to block. The thin metal bent as it deflected the blow, and Ceylis dropped it, drawing his small, stayagan obsidian dagger. While not very conductive (unlike the stayagan copper), stayagan obsidian was still very useful. But he wasn't sure if it was good enough to keep him alive. Don't block, fool, he scolded himself.

The void wizard grinned. Ceylis rolled forward, then swung a leg to swipe his opponent's legs to the side, but somehow, the man leapt over the attack, reacting much faster than he should have been able to. Ceylis aimed a slice at his chest, and, once again, he dodged with inhuman speed.

Ceylis used the last of his energy in one big blast, lunging forward, up the stairs. He ran with everything he had, and the void wizard fell behind. He didn't dare stop, even when the corridor became lined with ornate wooden doors. Desperately, he raced through corridor after corridor, searching for his goal, any sign that could show him, quickly, where he had to go. He was almost out of energy, and then he would...

There! A faint blue glow came from a room to his left. He darted inside, shoving the thick iron bolt into place behind him, then glanced around for something to barricade the door with. He set his eyes on a large wooden desk and dragged it quickly in front of the door. Turning around, he noticed another door on the other side of the room, probably leading to a balcony. Then, he moved to a section of wall, the place that was emitting the glow. Searching quickly, he was rewarded with a tiny mechanism that blended in with the wall. He tugged on it and pulled a secret door open, and was rewarded with a small bracelet, emitting a brilliant radiance.

In that instant, his energy ran out; he would need to let it recharge for a while. The bracelet stopped glowing, and he remembered that it responded to electrovite magic. He fastened it around his left wrist, then began to drag the desk out of the way of the door, which was much more difficult without his magical energy.

Footsteps pounded on the tile outside the door. Ceylis cursed and let go of the desk, then ran to the other door. It opened easily, and Ceylis charged outside as something was slammed against the door. The wood creaked, but held. Ceylis lowered himself down outside, then started at the long drop. He let go of the balcony with one hand and drew his dagger, slamming it into the brick by his thigh, then let go of the window sill, catching himself on the hilt of the dagger. It didn't break, since stayagan obsidian was extremely strong. Bracing his feet against the wall, he wiggled the dagger out of the brick, then began to fall. He once again shoved it into the wall, jarring him painfully to a stop. He grunted from the exertion, realizing he still had two stories to descend.

Once he got to the ground, he approached the wall. There was no way he could jump over it without his magic, so he took an experimental swipe with his dagger. It may have been sharp, but it couldn't cut through multiple feet of stone, and it dug in up to the hilt before lodging itself there. Ceylis had to yank on it several times to tug it out. Groaning, he jogged along the wall until he reached the gate, where four soldiers stood waiting. They were armored only in leather, easily penetrable by Stayagan Obsidian. Three of them carried swords, and one had an impressive array of sleek knives in her belt. Luckily, they were facing out toward the forest, so Ceylis took them by surprise. Even without his magic, he was an excellent fighter, and the first two were dead before they could turn around.

One of the two remaining guards swung his sword, and Ceylis jumped back, just evading the tip of the blade. The other pulled a knife out of her belt and hurled it straight at him. It caught him in the shoulder, and he felt a sharp, piercing pain. Gritting his teeth and refusing to cry out, he yanked it out and held it in his empty hand. He lunged at her as she pulled out a second knife, but a sudden blade swung in his path, forcing him to change directions. He glanced up, seeing that the guards were still between him and the gate. He used his dagger to deflect a second thrown blade, then ducked, anticipating a swing from the guard with the sword. The blade passed just above his head, and, without pausing, he swung his leg behind him, and was rewarded with a shriek of pain as the guard's knee snapped. He fell, moaning, and Ceylis drove his dagger home ... just as a knife hit his arm. He clamped his teeth together, forcing his body to keep moving, then yanked out the sharp blade and threw it to the ground. He advanced on the last guard, and fear lit in her eyes. She turned to run, just as her own knife, the one Ceylis had been holding, caught her square in the back. She let out a gurgling sound and fell.

Ceylis picked up one of her knives and turned upward to the man on the wall who controlled the gate. "I'm quite annoyed," Ceylis told him. "If you would like to live, you may open the gate." The man paused, then obediently disappeared into a room. Then, finally, the gate began to open. Ceylis walked slowly down the road through the forest, fatigued but victorious. Feeling his energy beginning to refill at last, he channeled a tiny bit into his arm to help with the pain. A sharp blue glow sprang to life from his wrist, and he glanced down with pride. We've finally got you back.